GALESBURG, Ill. — Freight rail companies and the unions representing tens of thousands of workers reached a tentative agreement Thursday to avert a nationwide strike.
The unions and freight rail industry were under a federally imposed "cooling-off period" that was set to end on Friday, allowing workers to strike if no deal had been reached. The deal came less than 24 hours ahead of the midnight deadline.
It's now heading to union members for a ratification vote and the "cooling-off period" has been extended for that process.
Nearly a third of U.S. freight moves by rail. The Association of American Railroads estimated a strike would cost the economy more than $2 billion a day.
"I think a lot of guys were ready to show exactly how important we were to America and the carriers we work for by going on strike," Jordan Boone said.
Boone is the alternate State Director for the SMART-TD Legislative Board and a legislative representative for SMART-TD Local 445. He's also been a conductor for 18 years for BNSF.
BNSF workers in the Quad Cities area have been frustrated with a points-based attendance policy the railroad implemented earlier this year.
BNSF is the largest employer in Knox County, employing around 1,000 people.
Workers said it was already difficult to take time off, but the Hi-Viz policy made it nearly impossible.
In the tentative agreement, unions won the right to take unpaid time off to attend medical appointments without penalty. They also will receive an additional paid day off.
However, the one paid sick day is far short of the unions' goal of 15.
Union workers, including those in the Quad Cities, have yet to see the full deal yet.
One BNSF worker told News 8 that he feels like he has more questions than answers at this point. He's concerned about some of the wording and still thinks he'll be docked points if he wants to be home with his family during the holidays. If workers lose too many points, they risk termination.
"The devil's in the details with a lot of that stuff," Boone said. "For me where I work, does it go far enough? I don't know yet, because I haven't seen it."
The five-year deal, retroactive to 2020, also includes an immediate wage increase of 14%, as well as 24% over the next five years, dating back to 2020. They'll also receive annual $5,000 bonuses.
The same BNSF worker told News 8 the pay raise was "decent," but wages were never his main concern.
"If it doesn't get ratified by membership, we would have avenues to possibly strike again, so that option isn't off the table," Boone said. "But we literally need to see the agreement and make our own decisions as men and women of the railroad and go from there."
The tentative agreement was the result of more than 20 hours of negotiations ahead of the Friday deadline, but contract talks have actually been ongoing for more than two years. Workers were operating under a contract that expired in 2019.
"We have that Railway Labor Act that probably needs to be updated," Boone said. "It shouldn't be that long. It shouldn't be this hard to come to an agreement, but the railroads have weaponized that Railway Labor Act to a point where they just use it to their benefit."
The new deal also guarantees that health insurance premiums won't rise after the contract expires and union leaders and the railways negotiate a new one.
A spokesperson for BNSF told News 8 on Thursday the company was "pleased" to have reached a tentative agreement with its workers and that it will resume normal operations.
"BNSF team members drive our success, and we couldn't deliver the nation's goods without them. We appreciate their willingness to come to an agreement to avert the potential interruption of service and keep our rail network and our economy strong."
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