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.