Potential for US Class 1 Freight Railroad Strike Pushed to Early December

FreightWaves is reporting that the Brotherhood of Maintenance Way–Employee Division (BMWED) announced on Wednesday (11-9-22) that it will not go on strike after November 19th, opting instead to hold off any potential work stoppage action until early December. The BMWED says the date change will enable the railroads to come up with their best offer without the threat of a looming walkout.

The period that BMWED members must maintain the status quo at their respective sites will be aligned with the three other unions that have yet to vote on the ratification of the labor agreements. Those three unions are the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division (SMART), and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signal Men (BRS).

This status quo period is also known as a “cooling-off period,” and during this time neither the unions nor the railroads are allowed to engage in any work stoppage or self-help measures, per federal law.

The status quo periods for the BLET and SMART-TD are in place until just after midnight on December 9th, so BMWED’s period to maintain the status quo will end then as well. The BMWED had said previously that the status quo would end after November 19th. The BRS’ status quo period lasts until December 4th, but there is a clause that the period could slide back to December 9th should ratification fail for one of the operating crafts, according to the American Association of Railroads.