U.S. Moves Closer To Rail Strike: Union Votes To Reject Labor Deal As National Strike Looms

Large rail union SMART-TD votes to reject labor deal as national strike moves closer

Lori Ann LaRocco

SMART-TD, one of the largest railroad labor unions, voted down a tentative agreement with rail management, raising the likelihood of a strike in December. The BLET, the other largest union, voted to ratify the labor deal but said it will honor the picket line.

“It’s now back to the bargaining table for our operating craft members,” said Jeremy Ferguson, president of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division. “This can all be settled through negotiations and without a strike. A settlement would be in the best interests of the workers, the railroads, shippers and the American people.”

“We stood shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in SMART-TD and others in rail labor throughout this process and we will continue to stand in solidarity with them as we approach the finish line in this round of negotiations,” said Dennis Pierce, president of BLET, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. 

The BMWED, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, is scheduled to strike Dec. 5 with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, or BRS. But BMWED announced it would extend its cooling-off period if one of the larger unions voted not to ratify the tentative labor deal. The BRS has not indicated whether it will extend its deadline for talks.

SMART-TD, BMWED and BRS represent more than 50% of all rail labor.

The rail industry has estimated the impact of a strike at $2 billion per day. A strike would affect all of the major rail operators, including Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern and CSX.

BMWED and BRS have another round of talks with railroad carriers Monday afternoon on federal sick pay.

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UPDATED 1:53 PM EST -- Very Big Catalyst Today: Possible U.S. Rail Strike

H Turner

SMART-TD, one of the largest railroad labor unions, voted down a tentative agreement with rail management, raising the likelihood of a strike in December. The BLET, the other largest union, voted to ratify the labor deal but said it will honor the picket line.

The BMWED, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, is scheduled to strike Dec. 5 with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, or BRS. 

A rail strike would impact approximately $2.8 billion in chemical cargo that is moved weekly, with a month-long strike resulting in an overall hit to the economy of $160 billion, or one percentage point of GDP, and rise in a key inflation index, the Producer Price Index, of 4%

 Railroad strike, diesel fuel shortage, and the fall harvest stuck in the mud of the Mississippi.......