December 16th, 2023, ATDA Vice President Colin Thurman and General Chairman Andy Brewer conducted meetings in Hugo, OK and Ashdown, AK where ATDA members working on the Kiamichi RR ratified new agreements covering both Trainmen, Engineers and Yardmasters (TEY) and Maintenance of Way (MoW) employees.
The new agreements provide historic General Wage Increases (GWIs), as stipulated:
- January 1, 2024: 8%
- January 1, 2025: 5.5%
- January 1, 2026: 4%
- January 1, 2027: 4%
- January 1, 2028: 5%
Both the TEY and MoW agreements achieved significant work rule improvements, including:
- An additional 3 days of vacation leave for employees with 10 years of service (for a total of 20 days)
- An additional 5 days of vacation leave for employees with 15 years of service (for a total of 25 days)
- The ability to use 3 personal leave days as sick days for which employees will not be subject to discipline or absenteeism policies
- An increase in the yearly boot allowance to $250 (was $175)
The TEY agreement also addressed work rules specific to that agreement, including:
- Weekly vacations will begin at the conclusion of the employee’s rest days (formerly vacations began on Monday, regardless of work schedule)
- Guaranteed Extra Board employees that work beyond 0400 on a scheduled rest day will not be required to commence work prior to 0600 on their first assigned work day (formerly GEBs were subject to call at 0001 on the day following their rest days)
Vice President Thurman said, “These agreements made immense improvements to work rules and wages and were overwhelmingly ratified by our members. Our success at the bargaining table would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of General Chairman Andy Brewer and ATDA Director of Research Paul Arden. I congratulate and thank them both for their assistance in negotiations which resulted in these landmark agreements.”
“Having agreements negotiated and overwhelmingly ratified within 2 months is a testament to the advance research that was done by our ATDA bargaining team. General Chairman Brewer provided an accurate pulse on what the members wanted and/or needed in an agreement and Paul Arden provided research on what was achievable,” President Dowell said. He further said, “Vice President Thurman was elected mid-October and within a week he began negotiations on the Kiamichi. His T&E background and experience on CSXT played a valuable role in getting this agreement done.”