OMAHA, Neb. — The significant freight railways appear reluctant to offer track upkeep employees much more than they got in the preliminary agreement they declined last week, increasing the opportunities of a strike.
The railways took the uncommon action of providing a declaration late Wednesday declining the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union’s mostcurrent demand to include 7 days of paid ill time on top of the 24% raises and $5,000 in perks they got in the veryfirst five-year offer.
Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz stated Thursday that he believes the primary factor the BMWED turneddown its preliminary agreement last week was that the information of enhanced expenditure compensation in the offer were still being workedout at UP while employees were ballot. So it wasn’t clear precisely what those employees would get for their travel costs when they go on the roadway to repairwork tracks.
Six of the 12 railway unions that represent 115,000 employees acrossthecountry haveactually authorized their tentative arrangements with the railways so far, however all of them have to validate their agreements to prevent a strike. The unions have concurred to put any strike on hold till at least mid-November while the BMWED worksout a brand-new offer and the other unions vote on their proposed agreements. That suggests there’s no instant hazard the trains alotof services rely on to provide their raw products and completed items will stop moving. A railway strike might ravage the economy.
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