Second US Class 1 Freight Railroad Union Rejects Tentative Labor Agreement

The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) became the second US Class 1 freight railroad union to reject the tentative labor agreement, which representatives of the rail unions and the freight railroads had recently negotiated. Nearly 61% of the approximately 6,000 BRS members voted against the agreement. The BRS now joins the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division, whose members rejected the agreement earlier in the month.

The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC)—which represents the US Class 1 freight railroads—expressed their “disappointment” in the outcome, saying that the failure to ratify the agreement would delay the benefits of the tentative agreement for BRS members.

Both the NCCC and BRS have agreed to maintain the status quo until early December, which means any potential disruption of service would not occur before then. Both parties will be going back to the bargaining table for further contract negotiations.

Two of the largest unions which represent train engineers and conductors, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and SMART–Transportation Division, have yet to vote on whether to ratify their agreements. They are not scheduled to vote on the tentative agreement until Thursday, November 17, 2022.