INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a five-year contract with Genesee & Wyoming’s Berkshire & Eastern Railroad, the union announced this week.
The contract, ratified unanimously, includes wage increases totally 22.5% over the life of the contract: 5% at signing, 5% in 2025, 4% in 2026, 4% in 2027, and 4.5% in 2028. It also includes new rest rules and includes increased meal allowances. The contract covers 32 workers.
The B&E was created in 2023 as part of CSX’s purchase of Pan Am Railways, serving as neutral operator on Pan Am Southern, the joint venture created by Pan Am and Norfolk Southern in 2009 and now jointly owned by rivals CSX and NS. Berkshire & Eastern began operations in September 2023 [see “It’s official: Berkshire & Eastern to take over …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 29, 2023].
GE C40W-s 7881 has been orange-ified this fall and 7876 is in a fresh camo livery honoring vets while 7879 is in a G&W heritage scheme,
I hope that NS and CSX give the B&E enough money to paint all the JUNK engines they inherited from Pan AM. Ironically most of them are old CSX units.