National Carriers Conference Committee announces labor pacts with TCU, BRC

The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) yesterday reached tentative national collective bargaining agreements with the Transportation Communications Union (TCU) and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen (BRC).

Reached on behalf of the NCCC-represented railroads who had not earlier reached local pattern agreements with the aforementioned unions, the agreements are subject to member ratification on those railroads, according to a press release from the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC).

Reflecting terms consistent with those pattern agreements, the tentative national agreements were entered just days after the parties exchanged notices on Nov. 1 to begin the national bargaining round and build on the progress made across the industry over the past several months, NCCC officials said. 

“The NCCC is encouraged to see this progress so early in the national bargaining round,” said Jeff Rodgers, chairman of the NRLC and the NCCC. “These agreements address employee priorities, providing an 18.8% wage increase over five years, enhancing health and welfare benefits at a lower cost and giving railroaders access to more paid vacation earlier in their careers."