CLEVELAND, October 19 — BLET members working on the Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern (CF&E) Railroad recently ratified their first union contract.
The four-year contract covers all 30 employees who work as locomotive engineers along the railroad’s 276 miles from Crestline, Ohio to Tolleston, Ind.
“This is a great first contract,” said John Mullen, the BLET’s Director of Short Lines. “Our members now have the security of a collective bargaining agreement in place for the first time. There will be a 3 percent increase in wages for each year of the contract, plus our members will now have access to a 401k plan, profit sharing, personal leave days and other benefits.
“Our members at CF&E no longer are at-will employees,” he said. “They are starting to get the respect they deserve from the rail carrier.”
RailAmerica acquired the CF&E short line railroad through a lease agreement with CSX and began operations on August 1, 2004. The BLET first organized the property on Sept. 28, 2005. The BLET is a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference.