Unions, Metra reach tentative agreement on new contract

A coalition of nine labor unions last week reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with Chicago commuter railroad Metra.

The agreement follows a three-year period of tense negotiations, which included a strike threat. Metra workers last received a raise in 2018, according to the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED), which posted the news on its website.

Union members have yet to vote on the agreement, which calls for a 17% increase (not compounded) over seven years with full retroactivity back to 2019, according to the BMWED.

"Health and welfare benefits will remain in national handling, but the current cost sharing is frozen at its current level," union officials stated.

It is expected that the membership ratification process will begin soon, they added.

The other unions involved are the ARASA, BRC, IAM, IBEW, NCFO, SMART-ME, SMART-TD and TCU.