General Chairpersons Francis Ariola (GO 663) and Rick Pauli (GO 769), who handle the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers’ (SMART-TD) Amtrak properties, on Aug. 23 announced a new tentative agreement with Amtrak. Ariola and Pauli’s committees represent more than 2,100 Amtrak employees.
According to the union, the seven-year tentative agreement includes:
- “A substantial general wage increase: short crew payments are included; retroactive to July 1, 2022.
- “Substantial paid parental leave.
- “Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.
- “Bereavement pay includes three workdays instead of three consecutive days off.
- “Overtime for employees who are on three- and four-day yard assignments on their relief days.
- “Increased training pay.
- “Compensation for deadheading to classes.
- “Increased new hire training per diem.
- “Increased conductor certification pay.
- “Pay protection for emergency annulments.
- “Dropped the ‘90% of the 75% and 80%’ when working in the yard.
- “Current employees can keep AmPlan I health coverage.
- “Increased away-from-home expenses.”
Details of the agreement, SMART-TD says, will go out to membership for ratification within the next few weeks. The balloting process will be conducted by TrueBallot, Inc.
