rail unions

What are stakeholders in the freight rail space keeping an eye on in 2024? Here’s a starter list.

The Federal Railroad Administration submitted its proposed rulemaking on train crew staffing to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for review.

The U.S. freight rail industry got schooled in 2023 on issues including the three R’s: rail safety, reciprocal switching and relationships.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division is continuing to express its disappointment over planned furloughs at Union Pacific. But UP insists that it will call back furloughed employees as the railway pursues rail service and safety goals.

After serving one five-year term on the Surface Transportation Board, Chairman Marty Oberman has decided against seeking reappointment.

Dozens of industry stakeholders, from individual Class I railroads to multiple shipper groups to the trade unions, offered their input on what’s wrong and what’s right about the Surface Transportation Board’s proposed rulemaking on reciprocal switching.

A look at U.S. Class I rail employment data shows that head count for train and engine crews grew when comparing averages in 2023 with 2020 — but employment totals for those maintaining equipment and stores appeared to fall.

Members of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen who work on CSX’s L&N property have ratified their sick leave agreement, CSX said.

BNSF and SMART-TD have reached a tentative agreement addressing how BNSF handles work schedules for train conductors and other related union members.

A decline in rail volumes has led Union Pacific to store locomotives — which in turn has led to furloughs of at least 94 employees, according to a union official.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division says BNSF is relying too much on contracted work and isn’t doing enough to grow its ranks of maintenance-of-way employees.

Union Pacific and the union representing train conductors have reached a sick leave agreement.

The heads of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers want swift action on the rail safety bill that passed the Senate Commerce Committee last month.

Calls to remove Surface Transportation Board Chairman Marty Oberman are misguided in light of regulatory efforts that Oberman and the current board have undertaken, labor groups tell President Joe Biden.

CPKC seeks to extend or make permanent a waiver that allows the railway to dispatch trains for three locations at its Calgary office.

Norfolk Southern and yardmasters affiliated with SMART-TD have struck a tentative deal on sick leave.

BNSF is offering additional sick leave days to some members allifated with SMART-TD.

Union Pacific and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have struck a deal that addresses how train engineers might have a better work-life balance.

NS employees received a letter signed by President and CEO Alan Shaw and the presidents of 12 unions pledging collaboration to improve rail safety.

The unions blast the Class I railroads’ public statements on the railroads’ efforts to bolster employee head count in a filing to the Surface Transportation Board.

The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO wants Congress to pass a rail safety bill that addresses train crew sizes, train lengths and inspection times.

FreightWaves discussed with Railroad Workers United organizer Ron Kaminkow what craft union employees need from the railroads to improve morale.

Unions representing locomotive engineers and train conductors are still working through some sticking points with railroads regarding work schedules, sources told FreightWaves.

A Nevada bill restricting train lengths has been introduced, while Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill that mandates freight train crew sizes of at least two people.

Democratic lawmakers from Pennsylvania and Ohio have introduced a second piece of legislation, the Railway Accountability Act.

Union Pacific will hold off on plans to redeploy the train conductor from the locomotive cab to grounds-based work, according to a tentative agreement between UP and SMART-TD.

CSX inks another sick leave deal with a union, Greenbrier releases some preliminary Q2 results and Norfolk Southern adds two executive roles to its marketing division.

Canadian railway CN and the union Unifor have reached a tentative collective deal, thus averting a potential strike. BNSF and Canadian Pacific also have reached agreements.

CSX makes changes to its operational team and beefs up its industrial development program, while Norfolk Southern reaches another sick leave agreement with a union. Also, RailState names a former BNSF executive to its advisory board.

The International Association of Machinists and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen have each reached sick leave agreements with Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC).

A roundup of recent news items from Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, Amtrak and the Surface Transportation Board.

“While the Railway Safety Act of 2023 has potential, railroad workers are concerned with what is glaringly left out of the bill and what aspects are left to the DOT and FRA to draft, implement, and administer,” said Matt Weaver of Railroad Workers United.

Three rail unions representing mechanical workers say BNSF violated federal labor laws because of the way it has handled the staffing for its locomotive maintenance program. The unions also argue that BNSF has been deferring maintenance and adhering to a minimum standard.

Union members representing those working in mechanical, intermodal and facility management at Canadian railway CN voted to go on strike should talks between the parties fail to reach an agreement.

BNSF signs deals with the Transportation Communications Union and National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO), while NS also seals a pact with NCFO.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given Norfolk Southern a new order as the Ohio derailment cleanup transitions to longer-term remediation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has given the railroads a list of what safety actions they should undertake.

Union Pacific reached sick leave agreements with the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen over the weekend.

East Palestine residents and rail unions face an uncertain future in the aftermath of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment.

Two groups within the International Association of Machinists and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen have reached sick leave agreements with eastern U.S. railroad CSX.

The International Association of Machinists and the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers have reached sick leave agreements with eastern U.S railroad CSX.

Union members are putting a spotlight on the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in Ohio, with the Transportation Trades Department calling for greater safety oversight from the Federal Railroad Administration.

Union calls for changes in sick leave policies came to a head this week between a press conference with Sen. Bernie Sanders and a union-adopted resolution calling for sick leave.

New sick leave policies are in place at CSX for maintenance-of-way employees and railway carmen.

The U.S. Small Business Administration wants the Federal Railroad Administration to revise its analysis for the proposed train crew size rule, contending it “significantly understated” costs and the number of potentially affected businesses.

Rail service, an active Surface Transportation Board and continued M&A activity were among 2022’s news highlights.

The number of employees working for the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads rose 4.4% year over year in November. But some of the employment data submitted to the board should be provided in a more user-friendly way, an attorney representing several unions said.

The Federal Railroad Administration heard starkly different opinions from some railroads and unions about whether the agency should mandate freight train crews of at least two people.

The unions and the freight railroads must repair their relationship and collaborate on improving service if the industry wants to thrive and take more market share, observers told FreightWaves.

Stakeholders are processing their responses to federal actions this week to avert a potential economy-crippling rail strike.

If a prolonged rail worker strike happens, expect cross-border commodities such as cars, auto parts and Mexican beer to be bogged down.

President Joe Biden is compelling Congress to intervene if there is a rail strike — and hinting that both sides should accept the labor agreement as it stands.

In a letter sent Monday to legislative leaders, trade groups warn of a financial disaster should a railroad strike occur on Dec. 9.

Is a rail strike imminent? Here are five things that might help you understand how we got here.

One railroad union has voted to ratify its labor agreement while another has split its vote, raising the prospect of a rail strike.

The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers’ refusal to ratify the latest deal sends the rail union back to the bargaining table.

TTD, a union coalition affiliated with the AFL-CIO, is asking Congress for regulation that would hold freight railroads to maintain sufficient infrastructure investments and workforce levels.

Both the railroads and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division say the extension will help all parties make the best decision on how to proceed with the outstanding tentative labor agreements.

The rail division of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers will ratify the latest tentative labor agreement between itself and the freight railroads.

FreightWaves chats with a representative of the rail division of the International Association of Machinists about the labor agreement talks with the freight railroads.

Concerns that not all of the unions will agree to ratify their labor agreements have caused rail shippers and other transportation industry stakeholders to push President Joe Biden to act.

BRS follows the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division, which earlier this month rejected the tentative labor agreement.

Railroad Workers United recently adopted a resolution calling for public ownership of U.S. rail infrastructure. FreightWaves chats with an RWU member on why the group wants the change.

The National Carriers’ Conference Committee signaled that freight railroads will reject the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division’s counteroffer on a new labor deal.

The National Conference of Firemen & Oilers voted by a nearly 59% margin to approve its labor agreement with the freight railroads.

A labor agreement with U.S. freight railroads passed the latest ratification test with members of the mechanical and engineering division of SMART-TD voting to accept the contract.

American Train Dispatchers Association members have approved the new labor contract with freight railroads by a 64% majority vote.

Rail workers with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have voted to ratify the union’s labor agreement with U.S. Class I railroads.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 19 has reached a new agreement with the U.S. Class railroads, one that modifies an agreement initially rejected by the group.

Just because a labor agreement is in sight between the railroads and the unions, that doesn’t mean rail service will instantly improve, shippers told FreightWaves.

Billions in trade between the U.S. and Mexico could be affected by a railway strike that could begin Friday.

With a Friday deadline looming for some rail unions and management to make a deal, a shutdown is looking more and more possible.

Ahead of a strike that could occur after midnight Friday, U.S. freight railroads are winding down operations and the White House is preparing contingency plans.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, whose ranks total nearly 5,000 members, has voted to reject the tentative labor agreement between it and the Class I railroads. But two unions voted to ratify their agreements.

Three more railroad unions have reached tentative agreements with Class I railroads on new labor contracts.

Uncertainties over whether union members will go on strike next Friday are causing the U.S. Class I railroads to embargo certain shipments and tell customers to expect delays.

The Association of American Railroads estimates that a nationwide strike could cost about $2 billion each day, while shippers groups rally Congress to intervene in the event a strike seems imminent.

Two more unions, whose membership totals about 6,000 freight rail employees, have tentatively agreed to a new labor contract that calls for substantial wage increases.

Two of the larger unions, BLET and SMART-TD, were unable to reach a tentative labor agreement last week. But both “remain committed” to reaching one.

Three railroad unions plan to send their members a tentative labor agreement for ratification. However, there are still nine unions that have yet to strike a deal.

Railroad union representatives have been reticent publicly about how they plan to proceed with contract talks following last week’s recommendations from an independent board.

The presidential emergency board is charged with examining the sticking points in the stalled contract negotiations between U.S. freight railroads and their unions.

Precision scheduled railroading again took center stage during a roundtable concerning rail service.

FreightWaves chats with international trade attorney Ashley Craig about what the troubles in labor talks for both rail and maritime mean for the broader supply chain.

President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order calling for a three-person board to investigate the issues behind the contract discord between the railroads and unions.

The protests stem from the potential impact the AB5 law will have on the over 70,000 owner-operators who operate in California.

Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen voted to strike if they deem it necessary as the unions and railroads fail to reach a contract agreement.

The Transportation Trades Department wants Congress to modify the language to ensure freight railroads provide adequate service.

Union Pacific is seeking to extend its tests on wheel temperature detectors, but the Transportation Trades Department disagrees with the way UP wants to deploy the technology.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers went on strike on Saturday.

The National Mediation Board has ended mediation between the freight railroads and unions over a new labor agreement and is offering arbitration, both sides say.

The Federal Railroad Administration is now requiring the Class I railroads, Amtrak and commuter railroads to submit fatigue risk management plans annually to the agency.

BNSF has made some changes to the attendance policy that it implemented in February, but unions say the changes don’t go far enough to prevent worker fatigue.

The Surface Transportation Board wants Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern to provide service recovery plans following reports and testimony about deteriorating rail service.

A hearing at the Surface Transportation Board raised hard questions that could influence the trajectory of the freight rail industry.

The Coordinated Bargaining Coalition, which represents the unions at the negotiating table, panned the Class I railroads’ offer to advance payments amid stalled talks over a new labor agreement.

Class I railroads’ offer of advance payments is rebuffed by one union as contract talks continue.

This week’s rail news roundup includes CSX’s to offer SMART-TD members advance payments to improve relations and Wabtec’s latest acquisition.

The letter sent by the National Grain and Feed Association to regulators about subpar rail service is finding support among other rail industry stakeholders.

Democratic leaders urge the Federal Railroad Administration to act on worker fatigue, while the Port of Montreal’s new container terminal will be served by rail.

The union coalition calls on federal agencies and railroads to ensure attendance policies don’t result in overly fatigued locomotive engineers and train conductors.