FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU) intermodal group have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract.
The tentative agreement, announced on Wednesday, covers 791 employees. BNSF now has reached ratified or tentative agreements with 10 of 13 unions representing 45% of the railway’s workforce.
“We are pleased to have reached this tentative agreement recognizing the important contributions of our TCU intermodal team members, while also supporting our continued focus on safety and service,” BNSF CEO Katie Farmer said in a statement. “We appreciate the collaboration and ongoing support shown during this process with our labor leaders and look forward to what we can continue to accomplish together for our customers.”
The tentative agreement provides a 3.5% average wage increase per year over the next five years. It also offers railroaders more vacation earlier in their careers.
“TCU is proud to announce a tentative agreement with BNSF which covers our intermodal workforce,” said TCU National Vice President Matt Hollis. “This agreement is a direct result of the strength, hard work, and commitment our members bring to the job every day. It delivers the same wage increases and vacation improvements secured across the railroad industry, while preserving existing health and welfare benefits with no changes. We’re proud of what our members do day in and day out and are proud of the hard work of our bargaining committee. We look forward to presenting this agreement for their consideration.”
Late last year, the National Carriers Conference announced the ratification of a national collective bargaining agreement with TCU’s clerical employees. This agreement follows the same terms as the national pattern.
