Two More US Freight Railroad Unions Reach Tentative Agreements; 7 Remain at Bargaining Table

On Friday (9-2-22), two more railroad unions announced that they had reached a tentative labor agreement with the US freight railroads.

The two unions represent approximately 6,000 freight rail employees. They are the international Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA). Both union organizations said the labor agreements are based on the recommendations from the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB), a three-person independent committee appointed by President Biden that sought to produce ways that the unions and the railroads might settle their differences.

Previously, three other unions, which represent a total of more than 21,000 employees, reached a tentative agreement with the US freight railroads. They are the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), which bargained as a coalition.

So far, 5 out of the 12 US freight railroad unions have reached a tentative agreement. The 5 unions with a tentative agreement represent approximately 15% of the over 140,000 employees at the bargaining table.

Per the Railway Labor Act, the remaining unions would be able to legally stage a work stoppage or strike after a cooling-off period ends September 16th.