Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( ) Array ( [0] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2229 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2024-01-10 14:02:13 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-01-10 14:02:13 [post_content] => Updated Jan. 10, 2024 – It's been one year since the most recent round of national bargaining concluded and progress in the freight rail industry continues on issues that matter for employees and their families. Over the past 12 months, each of the Class I freight railroads that form the National Carriersʼ Conference Committee (NCCC) has worked closely with their local unions to address topics such as paid sick leave and scheduling flexibility. These new agreements have already delivered wins and immediate quality-of-life improvements for rail employees while positioning railroads to continue powering the U.S. economy.   Individual Paid Sick Days Since national bargaining concluded in December 2022, the NCCC carriers have reached more than 48 agreements to extend individual paid sick days to employees who previously did not have them. Today, more than 90% of union-represented craft employees at the NCCC carriers now can use individual paid sick days, in addition to federal sickness benefits funded by the railroads that have long been available to all rail employees. About half of rail employees also possess a supplemental sickness benefit that pays benefits as soon as an absence exceeds three days. And excluding time off covered by sickness benefits, the average rail employee receives 25-29 days of paid time off depending upon craft, with the most senior employees receiving 37-39 days of paid time off. These new sick leave agreements, which vary, are the result of good faith negotiations over how to advance employee priorities, and discussions continue with the few local unions that have not yet reached individual paid sick day agreements.

  Scheduling Predictability As provided to occur in the recent national agreements, most NCCC railroads have now negotiated and reached several comprehensive agreements with BLET and SMART-TD to modernize scheduling practices and provide engineers and conductors with more predictable work schedules. These agreements vary but now provide for available rest days for more than 80% of the approximately 48,000 BLET- and SMART-TD-represented employees of NCCC carriers, significantly enhancing the overall predictability of schedules and quality of work-life balance for engineers and conductors across the freight rail industry.

  Rail Employment Remains Among the Best in the Nation The 2022 national agreements provided rail employees with a historic 24% pay increase, annual lump sum bonus payments, improvements to their world-class health care plans and additional paid time off.  At present, Class I rail employees earn, on average, more than $100,000 in annual wages and have a total compensation package (including health and retirement benefits) valued at more than $150,000 per year. This will grow to $160,000 by the end of the current agreement. For 2024, healthcare premiums under the National and SMART-TD Railroad Plans for unionized rail employees will remain the same as 2023, despite growing medical and pharmacy costs nationally. The total compensation package described above results from decades of collective bargaining and places Class I railroads in the top 10% of all U.S. industries. And the latest employment data demonstrates that the Class I railroads have continued growing the workforce to support the nationʼs supply chain and the American economy. In November 2023, Class I employment reached 122,356, marking a 9% increase since the beginning of 2022. The developments described above further reinforce what railroads and their employees have always known: railroading is valuable, skilled work that powers the economy. With great pay, leading health benefits, and a secure retirement, railroad jobs continue to be some of the best jobs in America.

[post_title] => RAILROADS CONTINUE TO ADVANCE EMPLOYEE PRIORITIES [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => railroads-continue-to-advance-employee-priorities [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-01-10 14:04:52 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-01-10 14:04:52 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2229 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2217 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2023-06-09 19:37:06 [post_date_gmt] => 2023-06-09 19:37:06 [post_content] => June 9, 2023 – Since the national bargaining round concluded in December 2022, each of the nation’s largest Class I railroads has been working closely with their local unions to move the ball forward on key issues that are important to rail employees and their families such as paid sick leave and scheduling flexibility. While work continues, good faith negotiations have already delivered wins and improved quality of life for rail employees and their families while positioning railroads to continue in their role as the backbone of the economy.   Individual Paid Sick Days Historically, some unions have negotiated for individual paid sick days while others have negotiated for a “Supplemental Sickness Benefit” that prioritizes generous long-term sickness benefits over payment for short-term absences. However, since the most recent round of national bargaining was concluded in December 2022, the carriers represented on the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) have reached more than 40 agreements to extend individual paid sick days to employees who previously did not have them. At present, most unions at the NCCC carriers, representing more than 60% of all craft employees, now have individual paid sick days in addition to pre-existing short- and long-term paid sickness benefits already in effect across the industry. While not all agreements are the same, they are all the result of bargaining, just as they should be – and bargaining with the unions that have not yet reached individual paid sick day agreements continues.   Scheduling Predictability While many operating craft employees already have highly predictable schedules that include designated work and rest days, the recent national agreements with BLET and SMART-TD also provide an opportunity for the parties to enhance quality of life for those conductors and engineers who do not enjoy the same level of predictability through local negotiations regarding job assignment and work schedule rules.  The Class I freight railroads and these two unions have made significant progress in their discussions – and several comprehensive agreements to modernize scheduling practices and provide employees with more predictable schedules have already been reached.   Hiring Beyond reaching new agreements, the latest employment data demonstrates that the Class I railroads have continued growing the workforce to support the nation’s supply chain and their employees. In April 2023, Class I employment reached 121,391 – marking an impressive 8.2% increase since January 2022 and the highest level since April 2020.   Rail Employment Remains Among the Best in the Nation The recent national agreements were historic, providing rail employees with a 24% pay increase, annual lump sum bonus payments, improvements to their world class health care plans, and additional paid time off.  At present, Class I rail employees earn, on average, $100,000 in annual wages and have a total compensation package (including health and retirement benefits) valued at approximately $145,000 per year. This will grow to $160,000 by the end of the current agreement. The developments described above further reinforce what railroads and their employees have always known: railroading is important, skilled work that powers the economy while also helping employees support a family with great pay, benefits, and a secure retirement. [post_title] => Progress Continues After National Round Ends [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => progress-continues-after-national-round-ends [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2023-06-15 17:26:35 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-06-15 17:26:35 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2217 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2149 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2022-12-01 23:28:06 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-12-01 23:28:06 [post_content] => Arlington, VA (December 1, 2022) – The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, today issued the following statement:

The round of national bargaining between the nation’s freight railroads and all 12 rail unions will be fully resolved tomorrow when President Biden is expected to sign legislation passed on an overwhelming bipartisan basis by Congress earlier today. This legislation will implement tentative agreements for the four unions that had not previously ratified their agreements. We are pleased that the railroads and rail employees will be able to continue providing uninterrupted service to customers, communities, and the public throughout the holiday season and beyond.

All of the more than 100,000 employees in the bargaining round will now be covered by new collective bargaining agreements based on the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board 250. The new agreements include a 24 percent wage increase, maintain platinum-level health care, add an additional day of paid time off, and address several craft-specific issues, including issues relating to quality of life.

The railroads value the vital contributions made each day by employees to keep our economy moving, and the service we provide to customers would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of the entire workforce. Many employees have already begun to receive the well-deserved compensation increases, bonus payments, and other benefits provided by these agreements, and we now will implement them across the entire workforce.

We look forward to using these agreements as a springboard for further collaboration with our unions regarding opportunities to enhance rail careers, promote safety, support the environmentally friendly and efficient transport of freight, and strengthen our role as the backbone of the U.S. economy. We have heard and recognize the deeply felt concerns regarding paid leave benefits and will work with rail union leaders in future bargaining rounds to assess the structure of these provisions.

We wish to thank President Biden and members of his administration – particularly Secretary Walsh and his team at the Department of Labor, Secretary Buttigieg, Secretary Vilsack, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, and the members and staff of the National Mediation Board – for their support of the Railway Labor Act bargaining process and the collectively bargained outcomes. We also wish to thank Congressional leaders and members for recognizing the criticality of freight rail service to the nation’s supply chain and economy and for acting quickly to avert a shutdown.

Finally, we wish to thank our colleagues at the rail labor organizations for their professionalism throughout the bargaining process and acknowledge their steadfast determination in representing their members.

[post_title] => FREIGHT RAIL NATIONAL BARGAINING CONCLUDED [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => freight-rail-bargaining-round-to-conclude [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-12-05 18:53:51 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-12-05 18:53:51 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2149 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2146 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2022-11-22 20:56:13 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-11-22 20:56:13 [post_content] => Arlington, VA (November 22, 2022) – The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, today issued the following statement:

The NCCC and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) have agreed to extend their existing status quo period until 12:01 a.m. on December 9, 2022. This means that the status quo periods for all unions that have not ratified agreements are now aligned.

Eight unions have set a clear pattern for resolution of the bargaining round by ratifying agreements based on the recommendations of three experienced arbitrators appointed by President Biden to Presidential Emergency Board 250.  Agreements based on these recommendations, which include the largest wage increases in nearly five decades and maintain employees’ platinum-level healthcare coverage, were resoundingly endorsed by the president as a “win for tens of thousands of rail workers.”

The four unions that have not fully resolved the bargaining round are SMART-TD (with respect to only one of its contracts), BMWED, BRS, and IBB. Although leaders of these unions initially endorsed the agreement, three of the unions continue to demand terms that were rejected by the PEB and that are in excess of the pattern accepted by all the other rail unions. They have threatened to strike if the additional demands are not met.

A national rail strike would severely impact the economy and the public.  Even the threat of one will require that freight railroads and passenger carriers soon begin to take responsible steps to safely secure the network in advance of any deadline.

The railroads remain willing to enter agreements that are based on the PEB-recommended framework. Should the unions without ratified agreements remain unwilling to do so, they are expected to strike and Congress may need to intervene – just as it has in the past – to prevent disruption of the national rail system.

For additional information about the bargaining round, including the status of all pending ratification votes, please click here. [post_title] => STATUS QUO PERIODS FOR ALL REMAINING UNIONS ALIGNED [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => status-quo-periods-for-all-remaining-unions-aligned [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-11-22 20:57:16 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-11-22 20:57:16 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2146 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [4] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2143 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2022-11-21 14:43:30 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-11-21 14:43:30 [post_content] => Arlington, VA (November 21, 2022) – The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, today issued the following statement:

BLET, which represents engineers and trainmen, has successfully ratified its recent collective bargaining agreement with the nation’s freight railroads, bringing the bargaining round to a close for more than 20,000 additional rail employees.

Membership voting results at SMART-TD, which holds two separate contracts, were split. With approximately two thirds of the membership participating, the first agreement, which covers about 28,000 employees in the conductor, brakemen, engine service, and yardmen groups, was not ratified by a margin of less than 1%. The second SMART-TD agreement, which covers approximately 1,300 yardmasters, was successfully ratified.

The SMART-TD national negotiating committee had unanimously and strongly recommended approval of the agreements.

Nine of thirteen agreements covering about half of all rail employees in the bargaining round have been successfully ratified and are now in effect. All of these agreements were based on the framework recommended by Presidential Emergency Board 250, which includes the largest wage increases in nearly five decades and maintains employees’ platinum-level healthcare coverage. President Biden resoundingly endorsed agreements based on these recommendations as a “win for tens of thousands of rail workers.”

The four unions that have not fully resolved the bargaining round – SMART-TD (with respect to only one of its contracts), BMWED, BRS, and IBB – are subject to an agreed-upon cooling off period until early December. Although leaders of these unions initially endorsed the agreements – and all the unions presented themselves as a unified group throughout the PEB process with common proposals – at least three of these unions now demand terms that exceed those recommended by the PEB and that have been accepted by all the other rail unions. They have threatened to strike if the additional demands are not met.

A national rail strike would severely impact the economy and the public. Now, the continued, near-term threat of one will require that freight railroads and passenger carriers soon begin to take responsible steps to safely secure the network in advance of any deadline.

The railroads remain willing to enter agreements that are based on the PEB-recommended framework. Should the unions without ratified agreements remain unwilling to do so, they are expected to strike and Congress may need to intervene – just as it has in the past – to prevent disruption of the national rail system.

For additional information about the bargaining round, including the status of all pending ratification votes, please click here. [post_title] => VOTING ON RAIL AGREEMENT CONCLUDES WITH BLET AND YARDMASTER RATIFICATIONS; FOUR AGREEMENTS REMAIN UNRATIFIED [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => voting-on-rail-agreement-concludes-with-blet-and-yardmaster-ratifications-four-agreements-remain-unratified [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-11-21 14:43:30 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-11-21 14:43:30 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2143 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [5] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2140 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2022-11-14 20:27:09 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-11-14 20:27:09 [post_content] => Arlington, VA (November 14, 2022) – The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, today issued the following statement:

We are disappointed that the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB), which represents approximately 300 rail employees out of the more than 100,000 involved in this bargaining round, has failed to ratify its recent tentative agreement with the nation’s freight railroads. This result will delay the benefits of the tentative agreement for IBB-represented employees, including an immediate 14.1% wage increase and substantial retroactive and lump sum payouts.

The NCCC and IBB previously agreed to maintain a cooling off period until December 9 in the event the tentative agreement was not ratified. As such, the failed ratification does not present the risk of any strike or job action taken by IBB and the potential for any resulting service disruptions. The NCCC will remain engaged with IBB throughout the remaining cooling off period and will continue to seek an agreement based on the framework recommended by Presidential Emergency Board 250.

On November 21, the two largest rail unions representing conductors and engineers – BLET and SMART-TD – will conclude their ratification processes and announce their vote. Combined, these two unions represent approximately half of all unionized rail employees.

For additional information about the bargaining round, including the status of all pending ratification votes, please click here. [post_title] => IBB AGREEMENT NOT RATIFIED; COOLING OFF PERIOD CONTINUES [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => ibb-agreement-not-ratified-cooling-off-period-continues [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-11-14 20:27:09 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-11-14 20:27:09 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2140 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [6] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2137 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2022-11-09 16:22:35 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-11-09 16:22:35 [post_content] => Arlington, VA (November 9, 2022) – The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation’s freight rail carriers in national collective bargaining, today issued the following statement:

The NCCC and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) have agreed that the current cooling off period, which had been set to expire on November 19, will be extended until at least December 4 and is subject to further extension to maintain alignment, if necessary, with other labor organizations. This extension eliminates the threat of a near-term freight rail service disruption.

The railroads will remain engaged with BMWED throughout the extended cooling off period and will continue to seek an agreement based on the framework recommended by Presidential Emergency Board 250. Agreements based on the PEB’s recommendations were endorsed by President Biden as a “win for tens of thousands of rail workers” and have been ratified by the members of seven other unions. Three unions have open ratification votes, and the cooling off period extension announced today will allow the members of these unions to complete their voting without disruption from the threat of a strike.

For additional information regarding national bargaining click here. [post_title] => BMWED COOLING OFF PERIOD EXTENDED [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => bmwed-cooling-off-period-extended [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-11-09 16:27:46 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-11-09 16:27:46 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2137 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [7] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2134 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2022-11-05 17:47:07 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-11-05 17:47:07 [post_content] => Arlington, VA (November 5, 2022) – The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, today issued the following statement:

We are pleased to announce that the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), and its approximately 5,000 rail members, has ratified its recent tentative agreement with the nation’s freight railroads.

The IAM agreement, like the agreements with six other rail unions that have already ratified, implements the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) No. 250, including the largest wage package in nearly five decades, maintains rail employees’ platinum-level health benefits, and adds an additional day of paid time off for IAM-represented workers.

The successful result announced today follows an initial unsuccessful ratification attempt by the IAM last month. The ratified agreement is consistent with the framework recommended by the PEB.

At present, seven labor organizations have ratified agreements to resolve the national bargaining round that are based on the PEB’s recommendations, and tentative agreements with three other labor organizations remain subject to ratification. The two remaining unions have failed to ratify agreements based on these recommendations and do not currently have a tentative agreement pending ratification. BMWED, one of these unions, has the earliest strike deadline and could initiate a work stoppage as early as November 19, before members of the two largest unions – BLET and SMART-TD – would even complete voting on their tentative agreements.

For additional information about the bargaining round, including the status of all pending ratification votes, please click here. [post_title] => SEVENTH RAIL UNION RATIFIES NEW LABOR AGREEMENT [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => seventh-rail-union-ratifies-new-labor-agreement [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-11-05 17:47:38 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-11-05 17:47:38 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2134 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [8] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2129 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2022-10-26 18:32:43 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-10-26 18:32:43 [post_content] => Arlington, VA (October 26, 2022) – The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, today issued the following statement:

We are disappointed that the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) has failed to ratify the recent tentative agreement with the nation’s freight railroads, delaying the benefits of the tentative agreement for BRS-represented employees and further extending resolution of the bargaining round with BRS.

The NCCC and BRS have agreed to maintain the status quo period until early December. As such, the failed ratification does not present risk of an immediate service disruption.

The tentative agreement, which implemented the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) No. 250, included the largest wage package in nearly five decades, maintained rail employees’ platinum-level health benefits, and added an additional day of paid time off.

At present, six labor organizations have ratified agreements to resolve the national bargaining round that are based on the PEB’s recommendations, and tentative agreements with four other labor organizations remain subject to ratification. BRS is one of the two remaining unions that have failed to ratify agreements based on these recommendations and do not currently have a tentative agreement pending ratification.

In its announcement regarding the ratification results, BRS asserts that the tentative agreement is inadequate because it does not provide for additional paid sick time. However, the vast majority of BRS members work predictable schedules and all have access to time off. Like other rail employees, they can and do take time off for sickness and already have paid sickness benefits beginning after four days of illness-related absence and extending for up to a year. The structure of these benefits is a function of decades of bargaining where the unions have repeatedly agreed that short-term absences would be unpaid in favor of higher compensation for days worked and more generous sickness benefits for longer absences. The three experienced arbitrators appointed to PEB 250 by President Biden thoroughly reviewed and rejected a union proposal to add paid sick time for short-term absences to the existing system, noting in their report that union concerns had been considered in formulating the PEB’s historic wage recommendation.

The PEB’s recommendations were crafted by a panel of experts, and they represent a carefully considered compromise of all parties’ interests.  They remain the framework for agreements with BRS and all other labor organizations in national bargaining.

For additional information about the bargaining round, including the status of all pending ratification votes, please click here. [post_title] => BRS AGREEMENT NOT RATIFIED; STATUS QUO MAINTAINED [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => brs-agreement-not-ratified-status-quo-maintained [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-10-26 18:32:43 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-10-26 18:32:43 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2129 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [9] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2125 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2022-10-19 23:47:47 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-10-19 23:47:47 [post_content] => Arlington, VA (October 19, 2022) – The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, today issued the following statement in response to the latest request from the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED):

The latest BMWED request for additional benefits is similar to a proposal which was carefully considered and rejected by President Biden’s Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) and comes weeks after the union entered into a tentative agreement that included the most generous wage package in almost 50 years of national rail negotiations.

At the time, BMWED leadership hailed the tentative agreement, saying that it would “substantially improve all BMWED Members’ wages and working conditions.” The agreement also included significant increases for travel expenses that were specifically requested by BMWED. Now, following an unsuccessful initial membership ratification process, BMWED leadership is asking for additional benefits and threatening to strike, this time based on the easily disproven premise that union workers are not allowed to take sick leave.

The health, safety, and wellbeing of rail employees is a top priority for all railroads. Rail employees can and do take time off for sickness and have comprehensive paid sickness benefits starting, in the case of BMWED-represented employees, after four days of absence and lasting up to 52 weeks. The structure of these benefits is a function of decades of bargaining where unions, including BMWED, have repeatedly agreed that short-term absences would be unpaid in favor of higher compensation for days worked and more generous sickness benefits for longer absences.

Six unions have already ratified the tentative agreements brokered through the facilitation of the Biden administration. The PEB’s recommendations remain the framework for an agreement. Now is not the time to introduce new demands that rekindle the prospect of a railroad strike. The carriers have advised BMWED that its latest proposal will not be accepted.

For additional information regarding national bargaining click here. [post_title] => NCCC RESPONDS TO BMWED [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => nccc-responds-to-bmwed [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-10-20 00:22:54 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-10-20 00:22:54 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://raillaborfacts.org/?post_type=news&p=2125 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => news [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) )

RAILROADS CONTINUE TO ADVANCE EMPLOYEE PRIORITIES

Updated Jan. 10, 2024 – It’s been one year since the most recent round of national bargaining concluded and progress in the freight rail industry continues on issues that matter for employees and their families. Over the past 12 months, each of the Class I freight railroads that form the National Carriersʼ Conference Committee (NCCC) has worked closely with their local unions to address topics such as paid sick leave and scheduling flexibility. These new agreements have already delivered wins and immediate quality-of-life improvements for rail employees while positioning railroads to continue powering the U.S. economy.

 

Individual Paid Sick Days

Since national bargaining concluded in December 2022, the NCCC carriers have reached more than 48 agreements to extend individual paid sick days to employees who previously did not have them.

Today, more than 90% of union-represented craft employees at the NCCC carriers now can use individual paid sick days, in addition to federal sickness benefits funded by the railroads that have long been available to all rail employees. About half of rail employees also possess a supplemental sickness benefit that pays benefits as soon as an absence exceeds three days. And excluding time off covered by sickness benefits, the average rail employee receives 25-29 days of paid time off depending upon craft, with the most senior employees receiving 37-39 days of paid time off.

These new sick leave agreements, which vary, are the result of good faith negotiations over how to advance employee priorities, and discussions continue with the few local unions that have not yet reached individual paid sick day agreements.

 

Scheduling Predictability

As provided to occur in the recent national agreements, most NCCC railroads have now negotiated and reached several comprehensive agreements with BLET and SMART-TD to modernize scheduling practices and provide engineers and conductors with more predictable work schedules. These agreements vary but now provide for available rest days for more than 80% of the approximately 48,000 BLET- and SMART-TD-represented employees of NCCC carriers, significantly enhancing the overall predictability of schedules and quality of work-life balance for engineers and conductors across the freight rail industry.

 

Rail Employment Remains Among the Best in the Nation

The 2022 national agreements provided rail employees with a historic 24% pay increase, annual lump sum bonus payments, improvements to their world-class health care plans and additional paid time off.  At present, Class I rail employees earn, on average, more than $100,000 in annual wages and have a total compensation package (including health and retirement benefits) valued at more than $150,000 per year. This will grow to $160,000 by the end of the current agreement. For 2024, healthcare premiums under the National and SMART-TD Railroad Plans for unionized rail employees will remain the same as 2023, despite growing medical and pharmacy costs nationally.

The total compensation package described above results from decades of collective bargaining and places Class I railroads in the top 10% of all U.S. industries. And the latest employment data demonstrates that the Class I railroads have continued growing the workforce to support the nationʼs supply chain and the American economy. In November 2023, Class I employment reached 122,356, marking a 9% increase since the beginning of 2022.

The developments described above further reinforce what railroads and their employees have always known: railroading is valuable, skilled work that powers the economy. With great pay, leading health benefits, and a secure retirement, railroad jobs continue to be some of the best jobs in America.

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