CLEVELAND, August 27 — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have signed a new five-year contract with Tacoma Rail, retroactive to July 1, 2012.
This agreement covers about 20 locomotive engineers and contains a signing bonus and significant wage and paid time off improvements, as well as health and welfare benefits equal to other city workers in Tacoma, Wash. The agreement also provides (for the first time) regular 5-day bid assignments, a job application method of assigning work, a displacement rule, set lunch periods and an extra list with a 48 hour guarantee. In addition, the agreement has improved discipline, claims, and grievance rules.
BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce recognized the negotiating team of General Chairman Ron Mills and Vice Chairman Marcus Mazique, who were assisted by National Vice President Mike Twombly, for a job well done.
“I thank these Brothers for their hard work in obtaining a superior contract,” President Pierce said. “Tacoma Rail is unique in that it is owned by the City of Tacoma and operated as a public utility by the city and the state of Washington.”
Vice President Twombly said, “This outstanding agreement is the byproduct of good faith bargaining on both sides of the table and recognizes the leadership and hard work of BLET General Chairman Ron Mills and his committee.”
General Chairman Mills said, “Vice President Twombly’s vast knowledge of all the past contracts that he has settled was the key to putting this contract together. His professionalism and insight into the changes that we were making were invaluable. We couldn’t have done this without Mike’s help.”
BLET’s Division 238 in Tacoma, Wash., represents members from both the BNSF Railway and Tacoma Rail. Tacoma Rail engineers ratified and signed the agreement on June 10, 2013, at the carrier offices at the Tide Flats yard facility in Tacoma, Wash.
Tacoma Rail has more than 100 employees and operates 14 locomotives over 200 miles of track in greater Tacoma and Olympia, Wash. The railroad services three major ports, K-Line, Hyundai, and PCT Evergreen container freight, and interchanges with the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific.