Labor Negotiations Update: BMWED Cooling Off Period Extended

Currently, members of seven of twelve unions have ratified agreements based on the PEB’s recommendations. While ratifications are underway, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED), one of the unions that has not yet ratified, has agreed to extend their cooling off period until at least Sunday, December 4. This extension eliminates the threat of a near-term freight rail service disruption.

Our goal from the start has been to provide our craft railroaders with pay and benefits that keep them among the highest compensated workers in the nation.  Although the recommendations of President Biden’s Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) significantly exceeded what the railroads had proposed, including the largest wage increase in the history of rail labor negotiations, we agreed to use the PEB as the basis for new contracts.

Three unions have open ratification votes, and the cooling off period extension announced on November 9 will allow the members of these unions to complete their voting without disruption from the threat of a strike. For further information on the status of the labor negotiations and latest updates, please visit the National Railway Labor Conference’s website.