Rail labor groups seek mediation in Class I contract talks

A coordinated bargaining group comprised of six rail unions representing more than 58 percent of the workforce has applied to the National Mediation Board for the assignment of a federal mediator to assist with current negotiations with railway employers.    Rail labor unions are asking the National Mediation Board (NMB) to step in as negotiations with Class I railways has “completely stalled,” according to a statement from the unions.
   A coordinated bargaining group comprised of six rail labor unions representing 85,000 workers, more than 58 percent of the total workforce, has applied to the NMB for the assignment of a federal mediator to assist with current negotiations with railway employers, the group said.
   Members of the group include the American Train Dispatchers Association; the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (a Division of the Rail Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters); the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen; the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, and Helpers; the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers/SEIU; and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.
   The group said the recent slowdown in negotiations is “very disappointing,” following two years of voluntary settlement talks. During those two years, initial carrier employer demands were “unacceptable to our bargaining team, and would be found equally unacceptable by our collective membership,” the group said.
   “Nevertheless, the Unions went to the table last week with the intention of reaching a satisfactory voluntary settlement that would fairly address the needs of both sides, but that did not happen,” the group added. “Unfortunately, the railroads apparently believe that the national elections in November have tipped the labor-management balance in this country heavily in their favor, as they made clear that no reasonable and fair resolution is any longer in the offing.”
   The unions said the railroads continue to demand “extreme concessions that would erode our members’ standard of living and earned benefits.”
   “We cautiously anticipate that the involvement of the NMB will cause the industry to refocus on addressing the legitimate needs of the men and women whose labor generates their positive financial returns,” the group said.
   Reached for comment, the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents the thirty-four railroads in this round of national bargaining with the thirteen rail unions said its members “welcome the NMB’s assistance in helping the parties bridge their significant differences in how to address the formidable challenges facing the freight rail industry and its employees in the current round of national bargaining. The railroads will continue to make every effort to reach voluntary agreements.”