Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen vote to ratify national rail agreement with the nation’s Class I railroads; operating craft (Train & Engine service) members of the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers have voted to reject it, while non-operating craft members (Yardmasters) have voted to ratify their national agreement.
Voting concluded midnight Sunday for members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen as well as the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers on proposed new five-year collective bargaining agreements with the nation’s Class I railroads. BLET members voted to accept a tentative agreement reached on September 15; SMART-TD train and engine service members have voted to reject their proposed contract, while SMART-TD yardmaster members voted to accept. BLET and SMART-TD are the two largest rail unions, accounting for half of the unionized workforce on the nation’s largest freight railroads.
The five-year agreement ratified by BLET members addresses rates of pay, health & welfare, and other fringe benefits for approximately 24,000 locomotive engineers and other rail workers represented by the union who are employed by the nation’s Class I railroads.
A record number of eligible BLET members participated in the ratification vote with 54% voting in favor and 46% voting against.
Turnout among the more than 28,000 eligible SMART-TD members was also a record high. 50.87% of train and engine service members represented by SMART-TD voted to reject the TA, while 62.48% of SMART-TD represented Yardmasters voted to ratify. Representatives from SMART-TD will now head back to the bargaining table with the National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents railroad management, to negotiate new terms for the affected train and engine service members.
Under the provisions of the Railway Labor Act, the labor law for workers employed by railroads and airlines, contracts don’t generally expire, they become amendable. After the unions filed their Section 6 notices with the NCCC in November 2019, talks began in January 2020.
A status quo agreement between SMART TD and management is in effect until December 8 . Beginning on December 9, SMART-TD would be allowed to go on strike or the rail carriers would be permitted to lock out workers — unless Congress intervenes.
If there is a strike by SMART-TD or any of the other three rail unions that have rejected proposed contracts with the carriers, BLET and the other eight rail unions that have ratified agreement have pledged to lawfully honor their picket lines.
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