NOVI, Mich. — The union representing maintenance-of-way workers has penned a public letter of support for departed CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs, just days after SMART-TD general chairmen issued a statement critical of Hinrichs’ three-year tenure at the railroad.
“Recent articles have painted Joe Hinrichs harmful to both rail labor and the railroad industry,” the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes wrote in a Thursday statement. “We believe those portrayals are narrow, shortsighted, and ultimately serve as little more than disinformation. Our union has committed to being truthful and transparent with BMWED members, and that means giving credit where it is due.”
CSX announced on Monday that former Linde CEO Steve Angel had replaced Hinrichs. On Tuesday the four SMART-TD general chairmen on CSX claimed that Hinrichs’ effort to improve labor relations amounted to window dressing.
But BMWED said Hinrichs brought meaningful change.
“As a union, we seldom comment on leadership changes within Class I railroads. However, several developments during Joe Hinrichs’s tenure at CSX had a direct and positive impact on BMWED-represented members. Under his leadership, CSX became the first Class I carrier to voluntarily bargain and agree to provide paid sick leave to its unionized workforce,” the union said.
The union also praised Hinrichs for opening contract talks before moratorium deadlines tied to the 2022 national agreement. “Those early discussions laid the foundation for the 2025 agreements now in effect, which have delivered tangible benefits to our members and their families,” the union said.
The BMWED backed Hinrichs for making improved labor relations a cornerstone of a growth strategy that hinged on providing more consistent and reliable service.
“That vision, while unusual among today’s rail executives, may have been the source of tension within his own board,” the union said. “We believe that growth through expanded service is consistent with the railroads’ common carrier obligation and, when done responsibly, creates opportunities for both the industry and its workforce.”
The BMWED acknowledged that the union often had disagreements with Hinrichs on important issues, but said it hoped the railroad would be able to build on the gains Hinrichs made with labor.
Hinrichs, in a post on LinkedIn, thanked the BMWED for its support.
“Union employees at CSX know the progress we made and no politically-motivated attempts to rewrite history by a few local union leaders will change that,” Hinrichs wrote. “Four rail union presidents have reached out to me in the last couple days with the same acknowledgement and appreciation. My LinkedIn inbox is filled with thankful messages from union employees and local union leaders. Labor relations in the rail industry is very complicated. Hopefully the rail industry will continue to move forward in a positive direction.”
There was an outpouring of support for Hinrichs on LinkedIn this week, as CSX employees, customers, and rail partners wished him well and lauded the changes at the railroad over the past three years.
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.
Earlier this year, CSX officials said union employee satisfaction scores improved by 54 points since Hinrichs joined the railroad in September 2022.
In the current round of collective bargaining, the only major union not covered by a new contract or tentative agreement is SMART-TD, which represents trainmen and conductors. CSX is bargaining with SMART-TD to consolidate separate territories and workforces under a single-system collective agreement.
This week’s SMART-TD statement was a change in tone for the union. In August 2024, General Chairman Rick Lee praised Hinrichs after the two sides reached a tentative contract agreement. “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.
The SMART-TD general chairmen this week also claimed labor relations reached “an all-time low” under Hinrichs.
Asked if that meant the labor-management relationship was actually worse under Hinrichs than under E. Hunter Harrison — the controversial chief executive who led a blitzkrieg implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading at CSX in 2017 and shrank the railroad’s workforce by 22% — a SMART-TD spokesman said, “no.”
