Congress intervened but Galesburg rail workers still have concerns over work conditions

GALESBURG — Members and supporters of local chapters of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union (SMART) gathered in the rain Tuesday afternoon for a rally in Galesburg’s central park.

The group of about 30 people included rail workers who assembled to raise awareness and show support for several quality-of-life measures that have been left out of their new labor agreement with BNSF, particularly paid sick leave and a change to the company’s attendance policy.

BNSF is Knox County’s largest employer with 999 full-time employees and one of over 30 freight railroad carriers who had been involved in a long-running contract negotiations stalemate with the country’s 12 rail unions.

That stalemate was “resolved” earlier this month after Congress intervened and approved a new labor agreement. Carriers and unions are mandated to comply with the agreement through the powers of the government’s 1926 Railway Labor Act.

According to the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, the new agreement will include a “24 percent wage increase, maintain platinum-level health care, add an additional day of paid time off, and address several craft-specific issues, including issues relating to quality of life.”

But for many at the rally on Tuesday, the new agreement lacks critical measures and the 24 percent wage increase only meets the rising cost of living.

"Yes we have a contract now, but by no means is our fight over,” Robert Guy, the Illinois state legislative director of SMART’s transportation division, told the crowd. He argued that if rail workers do not get the work-life balance they “deserve,” then the rail industry will continue to see a drop in the labor force which will impact services for shippers.

“We need cultural change, addressing sick days for rail workers, most importantly. Or more people are going to leave the industry and new hires aren't going to stick around 25 years, 30 years to get to retirement,” Guy said.

The Register-Mail reported in September that local rail workers were prepared to strike if an agreement with carriers was reached and Congress did not intervene. A rail strike of such magnitude has not been seen since 1991 and could have inflicted significant economic fallout if the country’s rail supply chain ground to a halt for even a short time.

The “Hi-Viz” attendance policy BNSF put into effect in February was one measure some rail workers hoped the new labor agreement would address. The policy gives workers “points” and each time a worker does not answer a call to work, the worker loses points. Once all points are deducted, the worker is fired.

“We shouldn't be polarized for taking off to take care of a sick kid and that's what's happening right now in most of these railroads,” Jordan Boone said at the rally, a BNSF-certified conductor of 18 years from Monmouth.

“On Thanksgiving, it cost me 10 points because it's a 'high impact day,' they call it,” Boone said. “I lost 10 points just for one day, and that's a third of my points on a day.”

Matt Wright, a rail worker for a subsidiary of the Union Pacific line, said he drove up for the rally from southern Illinois in order to show his support for the union efforts.

“I came out today just to show solidarity with my brothers here and make sure that everybody knows that just because we signed an agreement, or we had an agreement forced on us last week by Congress, doesn't mean we're done fighting. It doesn't mean that it was anything we would agree to,” Wright said.

Moving forward, Boone said the Federal Railroad Administration is holding a hearing Wednesday on whether two-person crews should be required for all conductors. Guy pointed out that the negotiations over a new contract will take place again in December 2024.

“Unfortunately, and this is why the American people need to know, this whole process is going to start again in two years,” Guy said. “So if they think it's going away, the need for sick days and some of these work-life balance improvements, it's not going away.”

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Rail labor rally in Galesburg addresses concerns in new contract