INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – On Jan. 11, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new agreement with the Portland & Western Railroad. A tentative agreement was reached in December 2023.
The five-year contract governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for approximately 55 operating employees. A Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary, Portland & Western is a 516-mile Class II railroad that operates in Washington and Oregon. It interchanges with BNSF at Vancouver, Wash. and Portland, Ore., and Union Pacific at Eugene and Portland, Ore.
BLET members will earn general wage increases of 21.5% over the life of the contract. The contract also includes:
- Addition of Martin Luther King Day as an 11th holiday;
- One extra Personal Leave day and one additional day of vacation;
- Increased training pay from $9 to $35 per day;
- Basic day reduced from 10 hours to 8 hours, with overtime accumulating after 40 hours each week;
- Eliminated the 80% pay rate for probationary employees, so all employees receive a 100% pay; and increased PPE allowance to $300 per year.
