Twelve of 13 Unions Now Have Ratified Contracts; Railroads, Remaining Union Continue Negotiations

WASHINGTON (Feb. 2, 2012) – Members of the American Train Dispatchers Association and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen have ratified new contracts with the nation’s largest freight railroads. The unions, which together represent approximately 8,600 employees in this bargaining round, began negotiations with the railroads’ bargaining representative, the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), in January 2010.

The 12 ratified agreements cover more than 107,000 employees, or more than 80 percent of all employees covered in the current round of national bargaining. The railroads are making every effort to reach an agreement with the last union, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, before the current “cooling off” period ends on Feb. 8.

The NCCC represents more than 30 railroads, including BNSF, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific in national bargaining with the 13 major rail unions.

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