A national railroad strike has been averted for now after railroad labor unions and management reached a nearly 11th hour tentative agreement on a new contract.
The tentative agreement was announced by President Joseph Biden early Thursday morning.
Details about the agreement are not yet available but a statement issued by the Association of American Railroads indicated that the pact adopted the recommendation of a presidential emergency board of a 24 percent compounded wage increase over the five-year length of the contract.
This includes an average of $11,000 in back pay per worker upon ratification of the agreement, AAR said.
The tentative agreement runs from 2020 through 2024.
The AAR statement said nothing about work rules, particularly time off. A report on the website Politico quoted House Transportation Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) as saying unions were seeking an additional five unpaid sick days.
The Biden administration had been working throughout the week to head off a potential strike and/or lockout that could have occurred as early as Friday morning.
In announcing the agreement, Biden said it, “will keep our critical rail system working and avoid disruption of our economy.”
The tentative contract would still need to be ratified by the unions involved and it is not clear if the rank and file will do so.
On Wednesday members of the Transportation Communications Union/IAM, and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen said their members had approved tentative agreements reached earlier with the National Carriers Conference Committee, which represents railroad management.
However, on that same day the The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 19 said its members rejected a tentative agreement with NCCC.
Through Wednesday, nine labor unions had reached tentative agreements with NCCC and statements issued by both sides indicated that those agreements generally adopted the recommendations of the presidential emergency board that Biden had appointed earlier this summer to investigate the contract dispute.
Contract negotiations have been dragging on for more than two years with the two sides stalemated over wages, benefits and work rules.
In recent days, the president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Dennis Pierce, had said that work rules and not wages were the primary sticking point preventing an agreement.
The unions have for months been bitterly complaining about what they termed “draconian” attendance policies imposed by Class 1 carriers, particularly BNSF and Union Pacific.
In announcing the tentative agreement, Biden said, “these rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned.”
He added that the agreement “is also a victory for railway companies who will be able to retain and recruit more workers for an industry that will continue to be part of the backbone of the American economy for decades to come.”
Tags: contract negotiations, Joseph Biden, labor agreements, Labor contracts, labor disputes, labor unions, railroad labor contract talks, railroad labor force, Railroad union contracts
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