(Reuters) – A union representing employees who build and maintain tracks said on Monday its members rejected an interim contract with a committee representing major U.S. freight railroads.
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWED), which represents more than 11,000 workers, said the rejection results in a “status quo” period during which the union will renegotiate with Class I freight carriers.
The union said the vote “signals that more work needs to be done to build goodwill and improve morale that has been damaged by railroad executives and Wall Street hedge fund managers”.
Last month, President Joe Biden announced that other unions, including those representing thousands of workers, and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) had reached a tentative agreement, averting a costly strike. which could damage US supply chains.
So far, only four of the 12 unions have ratified the agreement.
Rail parties agreed to a cooling-off period, a standard part of the ratification process in case the vote fails to avoid any shutdown, Reuters reported last month.
In September, a division of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reached an improved interim contract with the NCCC after its members rejected it earlier.
(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)