WATERVILLE, Maine — CSX is moving 21 mechanical jobs at the former Pan Am Railways locomotive shop in Waterville to Selkirk, N.Y., and Cumberland, Md., leaving the current holders of those jobs to choose between transfer or leaving the railroad.
CSX said in a statement that the relocation is effective March 1 “to better utilize resources and personnel. Under the applicable labor agreements, all affected employees have the opportunity for continued employment with CSX to follow the work to these locations with CSX covering their moving expenses, or alternately to elect a separation allowance based on their years of service.”
An article on the Maine AFL-CIO website says most of the workers involved are members of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, but also include members of SMART-TD, SMART-MD (the Mechanical and Engineering Department), Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The union says about 90% of the workers involved are less than 20 months from retirement, with two less than a year away.
“A lot of the gentlemen that work here are all over 50, 55 years old, so for them to change careers at 55 years old isn’t really an option for these guys,” said Patrick Morse, chairman of IAM Local 318. “There’s no reason why they should be cutting workers when they’re still making billions in profits. That doesn’t make any sense.”
The Waterville Engine House and Back Shop complex dates to the late 1800s. It was included in the CSX purchase of Pan Am Railways approved by the Surface Transportation Board in April 2022 and effective that June [see “Regulators approve CSX Transportation’s acquisition …,” Trains.com, April 14, 2022]. In its merger application, CSX described the facility as one used by the Springfield Terminal Railway for major locomotive repairs and overhauls, along with car repairs, and said it planned to continue to operate the facility after the transaction.
The Maine AFL-CIO says five machinists and four electricians will remain at Waterville after March 1.
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