ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Carriers Conference Committee, the negotiating arm of the organization representing Class I railroads in labor matters, has reached a tentative agreement for a new contract with the American Train Dispatchers Association.
It is the fifth such agreement reached by the national group since the latest round of national bargaining, building on several agreements reached by individual railroads before national bargaining began.
The NCCC has previously announced agreements with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers; the Transportation Communications Union; Brotherhood of Railway Carmen; and International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Mechanical Department. All are subject to ratification by union members.
“This agreement marks another step forward in our ongoing work to address employee priorities and strengthen the freight rail industry,” said Jeff Rodgers, chairman of the NCCC and the parent National Railway Labor Conference. “Our goal in these negotiations is to build on the industry’s core strengths: safe, high-paying jobs for employees, reliable service for customers, and ongoing reinvestment in infrastructure and innovation. The agreement with ATDA helps achieve these goals and builds on the pattern established by earlier agreements, laying the groundwork for further progress.”
The agreements reached by the NCCC have followed the pattern set by some of its members, which involved five-year agreements including an overall 18.8% pay raise, improvements to health and welfare benefits with no increase to employee contributions, and access to more vacation time earlier in the worker’s career.
