BLET’s CN/WC Divisions Ratify Agreement
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
(Photo by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659; Courtesy of BLET)
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s (BLET) nine CN/Wisconsin Central (CN/WC) divisions have voted unanimously in favor of a new “quality of life agreement” covering roughly 600 engineers, the union reported in the May 3 edition of its weekly email newsletter.
CN/WC members on April 24 voted on the tentative agreement, which was reached in late March. CN acquired WC in 2001.
The goal was “to attract, retain, and offer a better overall quality of life to CN/WC locomotive engineers,” said Eric Hau, who was recently reelected to a second term as BLET’s CN/WC General Chairman. Now that the agreement has been ratified, the union will “begin working with CN to make sure that there is a smooth rollout of the changes, he said.
According to the union, highlights of the agreement include:
- “Improvements to the traditional seniority system.
- “Engineers would no longer be forced to locations more than 100 miles away to protect their engineer seniority.
- “All extra board positions would become a standard five days on and two days off, with a 9.2 basic day biweekly guarantee, bid by seniority.
- “Increased pay for extra board engineers to time and one half (over and above guarantee payments) for working on their rest days.”
In related news, BLET in March reported ratifying new contracts with Genesee & Wyoming subsidiaries Utah Railway, Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad and Berkshire & Eastern Railroad.
