UP, SMART-TD reach agreement to keep two-person crews

Union Pacific Railroad and its largest union have reached a tentative agreement that would maintain two-person train crews.

The agreement with the General Committee 953 of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD), makes no changes to the current conductor position staffing each train as part of a two-person crew, provides long-term job protection to current employees and gives the railroad more flexibility to deploy brake or switch persons to work either in or outside the yard, UP officials said in a press release.

If ratified, the proposed agreement closes UP’s current Section 6 Notice to redeploy conductors. In December 2022, UP had announced a four-phase pilot project that would have redeployed traditional conductors as ground-based "expeditors." The project remained on hold as UP and SMART-TD continued negotiations and mediation on the proposal.

"We are pleased that Union Pacific is focusing on quality of life for our conductor workforce," said Jeremy Ferguson, president of SMART-TD. "Along with the scheduling enhancements, which were part of last year’s national agreements, we have an opportunity to positively impact our conductors by giving them fixed days off and greater certainty about their weekly assignments."

The tentative agreement affects UP’s Eastern District, Pacific Northwest and Idaho territories, UP spokeswoman Robynn Tysver told The North Platte Telegraph.

"This agreement with SMART-TD reflects Union Pacific's commitment to enhance the quality of life for our employees through predictable, scheduled shift work while giving us greater scheduling flexibility that will also improve customer service," said Beth Whited, UP executive vice president of sustainability and strategy and chief human resources officer. "We are working to finalize the contract details as quickly as possible."