The BMWED and SMART-MD bargaining coalition held a mediation session with the National Carriers Conference Committee on Friday, September 10, 2021.  

Despite the BMWED and SMART-MD Coalition giving the carriers a comprehensive proposal on June 4, the carriers still refuse to meaningfully respond to such.  Instead, the Carriers continue to provide essentially the same Powerpoint presentations where they argue railroad workers are overpaid, undeserving of paid sick days, have too “rich” health and welfare benefits and that they make lazy, uneducated decisions about their use of those health insurance benefits.  

“For over 18 months, the railroads have repeatedly “thanked railroad workers” by giving them ‘at-a-boys’ for their tireless efforts to maintain the Nation’s infrastructure so that supplies keep moving across the country, BMWED President Freddie Simpson said. “We are tired of the cheap talk:  Give these men and women the wage increases, paid sick days and vacation days that they deserve, and quit trying to slash their healthcare benefits.  The only reason you suits can make money hand-over-fist and have your Zoom meetings in your corporate offices is because our members are real railroaders that actually know how to run the railroad and do the honest work that you have no clue how to do.  Cut the platitudes and start cutting backpay checks for these honest hard-working men and women.”

The parties are tentatively scheduled to convene for mediation during October and December.  Stay tuned to the BMWED social media pages and our website at bmwe.org for additional National Bargaining updates. Remember to sign-up for email News Alerts on the bmwe.org home page to have updates emailed directly to you.