In accordance with Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, the BLET and the rail carriers exchanged notices last month, and national negotiations with the Class I carriers and other railroads are now in progress. The BLET National Wage Team aims to build on the momentum from the previous round of negotiations and secure an agreement that will be acceptable to the members.
The BLET Bylaws outline a democratic process for electing the National Wage Team. This team is composed of the National President, two members of the Advisory Board (elected by the Advisory Board), and three General Chairmen (elected by the National General Chairmen’s Association).
On the other side of the table, the following railroads are represented by the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) and are participating in this round of national negotiations:
- The Belt Railway Company of Chicago
- BNSF Railway Company
- Canadian National
- Consolidated Rail Corporation
- Canadian Pacific Kansas City*
- Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company
- Longview Switching Company
- Norfolk Southern Railway Company
- Metra*
- Portland Terminal Railroad Company
(*) Denotes: Health and Welfare only
For the first time in over 60 years, Union Pacific Railroad (UP) intends to negotiate the upcoming agreement on property, also referred to as “local handling.” In a manner similar to the previous round of national negotiations, CSX has not yet joined the BLET at the national table.
It is important to note that BLET UP and CSX General Chairmen have designated the National President and Wage Team to represent their members on health and welfare, while wages and work rules changes remain under the jurisdiction of each CSX and UP General Chairman.