The general chairmen representing the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen on Norfolk Southern have criticized tentative contract agreements that the railroad has reached with nine unions — and say they’ll never support a similar deal for engineers.
The SMART-TD union that represents conductors was among the unions to reach tentative contract deals with NS. The BLET general chairmen, in a Labor Day letter to their members, claim that the SMART-TD tentative agreement is “a pattern agreement negotiated on another railroad that was then adopted by the other Class Is and presented to the various labor organizations.”
“The BLET will not agree to a pattern agreement, negotiated on another railroad, that does not address the issues affecting our members ON THIS RAILROAD!” General Chairmen Dewayne Dehart, Scott Bunten, and Jerry Sturdivant wrote.
The engineers’ union has been conspicuously absent as BNSF Railway, CSX, and NS have announced tentative agreements with multiple unions over the past two weeks. The tentative agreements were made four months before the next round of collective bargaining can begin.
“Economic security, inexpensive comprehensive health and welfare benefits, lifestyle enhancement elements, and improved safety are our goals for a tentative agreement,” the general chairmen wrote.
“It is important for you to know that Norfolk Southern has reached a TA with 9 of the 12 craft organizations based upon this pattern agreement,” the general chairmen wrote. “In effect, the other organizations have ‘boxed’ this organization into a corner as it relates to the TA on the table. Transportation employees are faced with challenges that do not affect the non-operating crafts and this pattern agreement does not address those differences.”
The BLET leaders claim that the tentative agreements reached with other unions will open the door to tiered health and welfare benefits package, although the deals do include benefit improvements to “somewhat offset” tiered benefits.
“SMART-TD is, in effect, working in concert with NS through this pattern agreement to undermine the current status quo health and welfare menu,” the general chairmen claimed.
The general chairmen said they continue to negotiate with NS, and met with the company in Atlanta last week.
One has to wonder why the non-operating crafts and SMART-TD have negotiated on an individual company basis (not industry wide) months early, with a 5 year contract (historically 3 years). Has inflation ended? It is hard to construe this as anything but a sell out of workers. This is the same union misleadership crap I saw in the late 70s and early 80s when I worked at Conrail. The handwriting was on the wall that concessions lead to more give-backs and more job cuts. The “SMART-TD” is the same union that has agreed to “mobile conductors” on the Union Pacific, a prelude to one man crews. It should be called STUPID-TD.