Rail union negotiates more terms; some workers still disappointed

RICHMOND, Va. – Rail workers in a union with Virginia members reached a second tentative agreement with railroad corporations days ahead of another planned strike, though some members said they are still not happy with the new terms.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 19, or IAM District 19, rejected the initial tentative agreement made between President Joe Biden’s administration, labor unions, and top railroad corporations, including CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.

The initial agreement included pay raises, better health care, and an additional personal day of leave, according to an IAM District 19 press release. The negotiations helped stop a mid-September rail strike that would have shut down passenger and freight rail.

The new tentative agreement outlines additional benefits like health care cost caps, travel reimbursement and single room occupancy, and a study on overtime pay, according to IAM District 19.

According to the union’s website, IAM District 19 represents 92 chapter unions across the U.S. and Canada, including one in Richmond.

According to a statistic from the National Railway Labor Conference, 12 unions represent about 125,000 rail workers, and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee represents more than 30 railroads in the U.S..

IAM District 19 members will still need to vote on the most recent agreement, which also includes the terms negotiated earlier this month, according to Eric Peters, a member of the union and a CSX roadway mechanic.

According to Peters, some workers are still upset that this recent round of negotiations did not resolve the lack of sick days and days off, the request to accrue vacation time faster, and the overall feeling of not being recognized as hard workers.

Some of the terms in the new agreement have already existed, like the solo hotel room occupancy during travel, just not in writing, Peters said. “Mechanics have had that for 20 years for CSX.”

Rail workers are still pushing for more time off, although the agreements would mean “a healthy pay raise,” according to Peters. Workers would see a 24% general wage increase with a $5,000 service recognition bonus, according to the IAM District 19 press release. This includes retroactive pay up to almost $12,000 within 60 days of the agreement ratification date.

According to Peters, train conductors get about one day off a month when they aren’t on call.

“The rest of the time, they’re on a two-hour recall,” Peters said. “If they don’t make it, they get in trouble, and that’s not a positive way to live.”

Rail workers receive about three weeks of paid vacation, and senior workers receive about five weeks on average, according to the Association of American Railroads, or AAR. Sick-time policies and routine medical care are pressing issues, but additional sick time was not implemented during the union negotiations.

Rail carriers offer a “federal sickness benefit program” to workers under existing agreements, while the new agreements recognize time-off for routine and preventative medical care, according to the National Railway Labor Conference, or NRLC, which represents railroads.

“I have no sick days at all,” Peters said, who said he has worked for the company for approximately 12 years.

Peters feels like the new tentative agreement still does not address these concerns.

Peters said that rail companies need to catch up to the rest of society and offer better benefits.

According to Peters, IAM District 19 originally planned to strike on Sept. 29 if additional negotiations were not met. Workers are now in a “cooling off” period that expires Dec. 9. They cannot strike until that date. Peters said some members are not happy leadership agreed to the additional cooling-off period.

“The members feel like they voted to strike, they waited their time, and they should have been given the opportunity to strike and to use their voice,” Peters said.

Workers have waited three years to strike, he said.

“We were prepared and ready and have been waiting a long time for our voices to be heard,” Peters said.

Once the member’s votes are finalized, it will dictate whether IAM District 19 accepts or rejects the new terms.

According to Madison Butler, communications manager for the Rail Passengers Association, national rail companies are being blamed for the poor working conditions that push workers to the extremes of organized strikes. According to its mission statement, the association advocates for more rail services and quicker rides for passengers.

“There are fundamental rights that these workers should have, and given the profit margins that these [Class 1 freight] companies take home, there’s no reason not to return that to the workers,” Butler said.

Cliff Dunn is co-chair of Virginians for High-Speed Rail and a frequent train rider. Corporations cutting jobs by the thousands have led to a decrease in working conditions, Dunn said.

“In some ways, the bad working conditions themselves are a symptom of the head-count [attendance] problem,” Dunn said.

The Railway Labor Act was drafted in 1926 to allow workers to collectively bargain to fix labor issues and help ensure the continued transport of goods, according to the Federal Railroad Administration, the overseeing agency.

According to Dunn, freight railroads across the country started to shut down a day before the planned Sept. 16 strike.

“If everybody goes on a strike, they don’t want to have a bunch of freight trains going dead in the middle of nowhere,” Dunn said.

Amtrak, a national passenger railroad company that shares freight rail tracks along some routes, preemptively canceled all long-distance passenger trips prior to the tentative agreement, according to a media statement from Amtrak media spokesperson Kimberly Woods.

Butler said the Sept. 16 strike could have affected over 19 million rail travelers.

The first tentative agreement was nearly three years in the making and involved two major unions in the country: the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the SMART Transportation Division.

All unions are expected to ratify or reject the negotiated terms in the next few months, according to the NRLC.

By Adrianna Lawrence
Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.