CLEVELAND, December 18 — By nearly a 3-to-1 majority, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen yesterday ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with the BNSF Railway.
More than 3,500 engineers cast ballots on the contract, with 75 percent voting in favor.
The agreement will take effect January 1, 2010 and runs through December 31, 2014. The tentative contract settles wage and work rule matters, but health and welfare issues will be addressed in upcoming industry-wide negotiations.
The agreement totals general wage increases of 11 percent over the life of the contract. Engineers will also receive an increased 401(k) contribution from BNSF, and engineers with 25 or more years of service will receive an addition week of vacation for a total of six weeks.
“I am very proud of the high level of participation by the BNSF engineers,” said National Vice President Steve Speagle, who helped negotiate the contract. “More than 50 percent returned ballots. And the high percentage of those who voted in favor showed that the engineers recognize the value of the agreement in this economic climate. It also shows that they appreicate the hard work and dedication of their General Chairmen.”
BLET National President Paul Sorrow thanked Vice President Speagle along with General Chairmen Rick Gibbons (former STL-SF), Austin Morrison (former C&S/CRI&P/FWD), Pat Williams (former AT-SF) and Matt Wilson (BNSF-MRL) for their hard work in negotiating the agreement.
“Our BNSF membership has shown the kind of forward thinking that has made the Brotherhood the leading rail labor organization for nearly 150 years,” President Sorrow said. “The agreement provides engineers with the wage increases they deserve without any give backs or concessions.”