The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) and members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have voted to ratify a national collective bargaining agreement. This ratified national agreement is the seventh of the 2025 bargaining round, following the successful contract ratification by BMWED members last week.
The ratified IBEW agreement, NCCC says, “follows the pattern set by dozens of local and national agreements that have been ratified as part of the 2025 bargaining round.” The terms of these pattern agreements provide:
- Wage increases of 18.8% over five years. Based on current inflation projections, this, NCCC says, “will translate to real wage growth for covered railroaders along with pay certainty for the life of the contract.”
- Enhancements to world-class health and welfare benefits with no increase to the employee contribution rate. Employees’ 2025 health care premiums have decreased to about $277/month, well below the national average of more than $500/month for employer-provided family coverage.
- Access to more paid vacation time for employees earlier in their careers.
“With a second national agreement ratified this month, freight rail bargaining continues to deliver real results for employees. IBEW members now join thousands of railroaders who have secured increased wages and enhanced benefits,” said Jeff Rodgers, Chairman of the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) and the NCCC. “We thank IBEW’s leadership for working with us to reach a deal that provides certainty for employees and railroads.”
This week’s successful ratification brings the total number of ratified national contracts to seven following employees with SMART-MD, IBEW, NCFO, ATDA, TCU/BRC, and BMWED approving their agreements.
Background
Since the exchange of Section 6 notices on Nov. 1, 2024, this round has seen “historic collaboration between freight rail carriers and unions. Early local agreements set the stage for this momentum, establishing a clear pattern that prioritizes employee needs while strengthening the freight rail industry’s ability to provide safe, reliable service,” according to NRLC.
“The 18.8% wage increase in these pattern agreements build on the historic 24% wage increase from the 2022 bargaining round, which, taken together, are projected to increase wages for covered employees by nearly 50% (compounded) between 2020 and 2029.”
Additional information about the bargaining round is available here.
