The tentative agreement with TCU covers 791 railroaders, providing them with “unprecedented certainty about upcoming enhancements to their pay, health care and vacation,” BNSF said. It includes a 3.5% average wage increase per year over the next five years and “more vacation earlier in their career,” for example.
According to the railroad, the National Carriers Conference Committee late last year announced the ratification of a national collective bargaining agreement with TCU’s clerical employees; BNSF’s new tentative agreement follows the same terms as the national pattern.
“We are pleased to have reached this tentative agreement recognizing the important contributions of our TCU intermodal team members, while also supporting our continued focus on safety and service,” BNSF President and CEO Katie Farmer said. “We appreciate the collaboration and ongoing support shown during this process with our labor leaders and look forward to what we can continue to accomplish together for our customers.”
“TCU is proud to announce a tentative agreement with BNSF, which covers our intermodal workforce,” TCU National Vice President Matt Hollis said. “This agreement is a direct result of the strength, hard work and commitment our members bring to the job every day. It delivers the same wage increases and vacation improvements secured across the railroad industry, while preserving existing health and welfare benefits with no changes. We’re proud of what our members do day in and day out and are proud of the hard work of our bargaining committee. We look forward to presenting this agreement for their consideration.”
In December, BNSF reported the ratification of a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
CSX was the first Class I railroad to reach a labor deal prior to the start of the 2025 round of national negotiations. Norfolk Southern and BNSF followed shortly thereafter, reaching several local agreements prior to the round beginning. BNSF tells Railway Age that it attempted to reach local agreements with its unions prior to the round beginning, but once the round began, it joined national handling with NS, CN and the other NRLC member railroads; the Coalition reached several agreements since entering national negotiations and remains committed to reaching pattern deals with the three unions yet to reach an agreement.
The last bargaining rounds, in 2020, led to the formation of a Presidential Emergency Board in July 2022. Nearly five months later, President Joe Biden signed into law a congressional resolution (H.J. Res. 100) imposing on four holdout rail unions a collectively bargained Tentative Agreement ratified by eight others.
Further Reading:
- BNSF, Yardmasters Ratify Labor Agreement
- BNSF Secures Agreement With IBB
- BNSF Ratifies Five-Year Agreements With ATDA, SMART-MD
- NS Extends Tentative Agreements to Nine Unions, BNSF to Six
- IAM Ratifies National Agreement With NCCC
- NCCC, IBB Ratify National Agreement
- NCCC, IBEW Vote to Ratify National Agreement
- NCCC, BMWED Vote to Ratify National Agreement
- SMART-MD Votes to Ratify National Agreement With NCCC
- NCCC, ATDA Ratify National Agreement
- NCCC, NCFO Ratify National Agreement
- NCCC Reaches National Agreements With TCU, BRC
