INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, March 23 — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) achieved a significant milestone with the ratification of their first-ever union contract with the Illinois Railway (IR) on March 21, 2016. More than 80 percent of members who cast a valid ballot voted in favor of the agreement.
Train and engine service employees at the formerly non-union railroad voted to join the BLET in August of 2014, and negotiations began shortly thereafter. The new four-year deal governs about 32 members and establishes hourly wage rates, overtime, and the concept of a basic day, which guarantees members a minimum of eight hours pay for each tour of duty. The contract runs through January 1, 2020.
The newly ratified agreement establishes a seniority system for job bidding and placement, making job assignment a purely objective function. This is significant as it addresses the concerns of many IR members who were upset with how they were assigned to positions, especially when they saw an employee who was hired after them assigned to a position they themselves deemed more desirable.
The new contract also establishes a discipline rule to ensure job security, an invaluable employment right. It protects members from arbitrary treatment and requires the Carrier to establish just cause for any disciplinary action it may attempt to initiate against BLET members. This protection extends all the way through final and binding arbitration under the Railway Labor Act.
IR workers hold membership in BLET Division 682 (Hammond, Ind.) and belong to the BLET’s Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) General Committee of Adjustment. BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce thanked former IHB General Chairman Chris Cundari for his efforts to initially organize the IR property and for his work to negotiate the tentative agreement. President Pierce also recognized current IHB General Chairman Steve Short and National Vice President Marcus J. Ruef for their work in negotiations and throughout the ratification process.
“We are very pleased that we were able to satisfy the major concerns that led the Illinois Railway employees to designate BLET as their collective bargaining representative,” President Pierce said. “Their first-ever union contract is a significant milestone, and I thank our Illinois Railway membership for participating in the ratification vote. We look forward to negotiating more refinements and improvements during the next round of contract talks. I also recognized and thank Vice President Ruef, General Chairman Short and former General Chairman Cundari for their selfless and tireless efforts to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion.”
IR is comprised of four track segments aggregating 113 miles of track located just west of the Chicago suburbs. IR services what is often called “the Sand Capital of the World” in northern Illinois.