INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen will hold a strike authorization vote, the organization’s president announced in a Wednesday conference call with other union officials.
Even if members authorize a strike, a walkout is not likely to occur soon. Unions and railroads entered a 30-day cooling-off period on June 17, after the National Mediation Board released the labor organizations from mediation required under the Railway Labor Act. The two sides were then offered arbitration, but unions said they would reject that offer [see “Mediation ends in rail contract negotiations …,” Trains News Wire, June 15, 2022].
By the time the cooling-off period ends on July 18, President Joe Biden is expected to have appointed a Presidential Emergency Board, which would investigate the two sides’ inability to reach an agreement and issue settlement recommendations. In the interim, a strike or lockout would be prohibited.
“While we anticipate that President Biden will appoint a Presidential Emergency Board near the deadline, we must be prepared for all eventualities,” BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce said in a press release. “BLET members have been without a contract raise for nearly three years. The strike vote is an opportunity for all BLET members to deliver a unified message to the carriers that we deserve significant pay increases that recognize the essential contributions we make to their ongoing record profits.”
The union said additional details on the planned vote will be announced soon.
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