JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The SMART-TD union today welcomed the departure of CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs, saying the appointment of Steve Angel as chief executive is an opportunity to improve the labor-management relationship.
“With the appointment of Steve Angel as CSX’s new Chief Executive Officer, SMART TD hopes that this change can mark the beginning of a true reset in the relationship between CSX management, the union, and the employees we represent. The men and women who keep CSX running every day deserve more than slogans and public relations campaigns. They deserve honesty, respect, and meaningful investment in their future,” the union’s general chairmen, Rick Lee, Brian Killough, Joe Bennet, and Travis Raynes, said in a statement.
Hinrichs, who was replaced yesterday, made improving the company’s relationship with employees a cornerstone of a growth strategy that hinged on providing more consistent and reliable service.
But the union leaders criticized Hinrichs, claiming that he did not live up to his commitments to collaborate with labor on critical matters such as changes to crew pool assignments. The general chairmen also were not happy that CSX sent some issues related to the 2022 national contract agreement to arbitration.
“Meanwhile, day-to-day disputes over overtime, switching limits, and a wide range of existing agreement provisions that CSX continues to arbitrarily challenge have only continued to pile up without resolution,” they said. “The employees we represent — thousands across the CSX network — have been misled, stonewalled, and treated as obstacles rather than valued partners.”
The union said that efforts like One CSX Family Day events across the system were “a symbolic gesture that concealed rather than resolved the deepening divide between CSX management, SMART TD, and the employees we represent. The reality is that under Hinrichs’ tenure, the relationship between CSX management, SMART TD, and the employees we represent sank to all-time lows.”
Earlier this year, CSX officials said union employee satisfaction scores improved by 54 points since Hinrichs joined the railroad in September 2022.
But union leaders said the labor-management relationship at CSX was broken.
“We welcome Mr. Angel to his new role and urge him to break this cycle. Repairing the fractured relationship between CSX management, SMART TD, and its workforce cannot be an afterthought,” the union leaders said. “The ball is now in CSX’s court: if there is to be a truly collaborative initiative, it must begin with repairing trust and delivering on commitments, not empty slogans.”
The SMART-TD statement is a change in tone for the union. In August 2024, Lee praised Hinrichs after the two sides reached a tentative contract agreement. “To that effect, as other discussions on national bargaining items quickly broke down, we were pleased to find that CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs and his team at CSX were willing to step up to the plate and not play games,” Lee said at the time.
A CSX spokesman declined to comment on the union’s statement.
There was an outpouring of support for Hinrichs on LinkedIn yesterday, as CSX employees, customers, and rail partners wished him well and lauded the changes at the railroad during Hinrichs’ three-year tenure.
Among the comments: Conductors, represented by SMART-TD, and other union members thanking Hinrichs for restoring employee pride in the railroad and taking the time to listen to employees’ concerns.
So who’s telling the truth?
I don’t know what the union’s issue is with Hinrichs. I’m fairly confident that they’ll come to miss Joe a whole lot after getting to know the new guy.