National Carriers Conference Committee

While the current status of railroad labor negotiations remains in somewhat of a holding pattern, the National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC), an organization representing the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, said last week that the current status quo, or “cooling off” periods for unions that have yet to ratify terms of the tentative agreement between the unions and the railroads have been extended to 12:01 A.M. on December 9.

With the current state of negotiations based between the 12 United States railroad labor unions and the nation’s four Class I railroad carriers still playing out, the “cooling off period” for one of the unions— the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED)—was extended this week from November 19 to December 4, the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), an organization representing the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, said this week.

While more railroad unions need to come to terms on ratifying new labor agreements, another one did in recent days, with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) coming to terms with United States Class I railroad carriers and ratified its recent tentative agreement, according to the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), an organization representing the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining.

The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), an organization representing the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining, took the BMWED to task earlier this week, explaining that it was disappointed that BMWED declined to ratify the tentative agreement.

NCCC said that membership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ratified the recent tentative agreement between IBEW and U.S. freight railroads. And it added that IBEW represents the third union to “ratify an agreement resolving the current national bargaining round,” adding that “[t]entative agreements with nine other labor organizations remain subject to ratification.”

he NCCC said that the tentative agreements were struck with the following unions—the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the American Train Dispatchers Union—whom collectively represents around 6,000 freight rail employees. This follows tentative agreements struck with three other unions in late August: Transportation Communications Union/IAM; Brotherhood of Railway Carmen; and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers—whom collectively represent more than 15,000 rail employees.