Genesee & Wyoming train dispatchers have voted to join the American Train Dispatchers Association, the union said this week.
Based at the American Rail Dispatching Center in St. Albans, Vt., the 34 G&W dispatchers control railroad traffic in 43 states on more than 13,000 miles of shortline track. The center handles dispatching for nearly all of G&W’s short lines, with the exception of Pan Am Southern and G&W’s Canadian railroads.
“We are ready to sit down with G&W leadership and negotiate a historic first agreement for the ARDC train dispatchers. Furthermore, we are ready to build trust and a working relationship between their leadership and ours,” ATDA President Ed Dowell said in a statement. “Just as important, however, we are eager to build trust with the train dispatchers. They are now part of a fraternal organization of members across this great nation, doing the same job, facing the same struggles as they take care of their families, working to pay bills, and dealing with stressful work. From this day forward, we will stand with them in solidarity as we fight for better pay, better benefits, and better quality of life.”
