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8/3/2023
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) last week sued BNSF Railway Co. in federal court over the Class I's reductions in its maintenance-of-way workforce.
In its filing, the union claims that by reducing its MOW workforce by 19% since 2016, while increasing its contracting-out of MOW work, the railroad has "failed to exert every reasonable effort to maintain its agreements with BMWED, and failed to deal with the union in good faith" in violation of the federal Railway Labor Act.
As of February, BNSF employed 5,760 active MOW workers, down from 6,446 in 2019 and 7,122 in 2016. The number of bridges and structures owned and maintained by BNSF has not materially changed since 2016, which means about 82% of the 2016 workforce oversees the same infrastructure, the union’s claim states.
Since 2016, BNSF has "significantly increased" how much MOW work it contracts out, with the amount increasing every year, according to the complaint. In 2016, the railroad contracted out 263 projects; in 2019,495 projects; in 2022, 595 projects; and as of June 2023, 275 projects.
BNSF did not respond to requests for comment as of press time. The union’s full complaint can be read here.