INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division has ratified the five-year collective bargaining agreement reached with railroads represented by the National Carriers Conference Committee.
The tentative deal had been announced in September [see “SMART-TD reaches national tentative agreement …,” Trains.com, Sept. 16, 2025].
The agreement, covering SMART-TD members at BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, and some Class II and Class III railroads, was approved by nearly 70% of those who voted, the union said. It will provide compounded wage increases of 18.77% over the five-year life of the contract, with the first increase of 4% retroactive to July 1, 2025. It also includes improved medical, dental, and vision benefits, as well as improved vacation benefits.
“This contract represents a solid victory for our members,” SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson said in a press release. “We secured real wage growth, protected our work rules and crew consist agreements, enhanced our benefits, and achieved these gains without giving up a single concession or protection. Our members stood together and recognized the value and importance of this agreement, and it paid off.”
The agreement followed approximately nine months of negotiations.
