Railroads in National Bargaining

Health care costs are rising dramatically; without changes, by 2015 the railroads would have paid $3 billion for medical, dental, and vision benefits for employees and their families, tripling the railroad’s costs per employee since 1999. The new agreements will bring the health care plan closer to the mainstream, while continuing to provide excellent health care benefits at below-average cost to employees. Read more.

Railroads must continuously invest in rail infrastructure and service to meet customer demands. Unlike trucks, barges and airlines, freight railroads run almost exclusively over a network that they build and maintain. Rail labor and management must work together to manage labor costs to ensure that the railroads can continue to make critical investments vital to the industry’s future success. Read more.