Fourth union approves deal with railroads to get 24% raises
Another union has approved the deal it made with the major freight railroads last month that helped prevent a strike to secure 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses for the workers it represents
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Another union has approved the deal it made with the major freight railroads last month that helped prevent a strike to secure 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses for the workers it represents.
The American Train Dispatchers Association said Tuesday that 64% of its roughly 1,600 members approved the deal with Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, CSX, Norfolk Southern and other railroads. The union said dispatchers will receive an average payout of $17,500 when the five-year deal becomes final because it is retroactive to 2020.
Four smaller railroad unions have now approved their deals with the railroads, but the two biggest unions that represent engineers and conductors won't vote on their tentative agreements until mid-November. All 12 unions that represent some 115,000 workers have to approve these deals to prevent a strike, but much of the attention is focused on the engineers and conductors because they have some of the biggest concerns about schedules and working conditions.
Those two unions have said that the strict attendance policies some railroads have put in place after the industry cut nearly one-third of its jobs over the past six years make it difficult to take any time off and keep workers on call 24-7.
