BMWED rejects tentative pact with freight railroads

Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) voted against ratification of the tentative agreement with the nation's freight railroads, union officials announced yesterday.

BMWED is the first major union to reject the tentative deal. The vote sends the two sides back to the bargaining table, resetting the countdown to a potential work stoppage, union officials said in a press release.

"Railroaders are discouraged and upset with working conditions and compensation and hold their employer in low regard," said BMWED President Tony Cardwell. "Railroaders do not feel valued. They resent the fact that management holds no regard for their quality of life, illustrated by their stubborn reluctance to provide a higher quantity of paid time off, especially for sickness."

The vote results indicate a lot of work is necessary "to establish goodwill and improve the morale that has been broken by the railroads’ executives and Wall Street hedge fund managers," Cardwell added.

The American Arbitration Association counted and verified the election results. In total, 11,845 BMWED members submitted ballots, 6,646 against ratification and 5,100 approving the tentative agreement. The remaining 99 ballots were submitted blank or voided for user error.

The membership voted in record numbers on the tentative agreement. Its rejection by BMWED results in a "status quo" period where the BMWED will re-engage bargaining with the Class Is. That status quo period will extend to five days after Congress reconvenes on Nov. 14. 

Assuming Congress returns to session on the 14th, there could be no "self help" until after Nov. 19, union officials said.

Four of the 12 unions that have been negotiating a new contract with the Class Is have approved the tentative agreement, which was announced last month.

The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) said it is disappointed with the BMWED's vote to reject ratification. The NCCC represents the freight railroads in national collective bargaining.

The tentative agreement (TA) "implemented the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board No. 250, including a 24% compounded wage increase and $5,000 in lump sum payments," NCCC officials said in a prepared statement.

"The TA also included significant increases to the national rules relating to reimbursements for travel and away from home expenses for the roughly 50% of BMWED members employed in traveling roles," they said. "Following conclusion of negotiations on the national rules on Sept. 10, several carriers also thereafter engaged in local discussions during the 21-day ratification period that just concluded regarding carrier-specific implementation of the new national travel and expense rules in the TA. Those local agreements, which would have gone into effect in conjunction with the TA, were not all reached until recently."