Union Pacific (UNP) Signs Paid Sick Leave Deal With BLET

UNP CNI NSC

Union Pacific Corporation (UNP - Free Report) entered a tentative agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), aimed at offering up to seven paid sick days per year to BLET members. This deal will offer five new days of paid sick leave per year to UNP locomotive engineers. Further, it will provide them with the flexibility to use up to two additional days of existing paid time-off as sick leave.

The deal covers almost 5,600 locomotive engineers employed by the railroad. Effective Aug 1, 2023, this deal marks Union Pacific’s sick leave agreement with 12 of its 13 labor unions. It includes almost 68% of UNP’s craft employees.

Prior to this, UNP entered a tentative agreement with BLET, aimed at improving the quality of life for Union Pacific’s locomotive engineers and their families by offering them better working schedules.

Such deals reflect UNP’s employee-friendly attitude through which it tries to maintain cordial relations with its employees and the unions representing them, thereby providing a healthy work atmosphere at UNP. It should also help UNP progress efficiently with its employees by retaining and recruiting more employees.

Chairman, president and chief executive officer of UNP, Lance Fritz, stated, "The well-being and quality of life for all employees are critically important to us. We want to thank BLET union leadership for their valuable collaboration. This agreement marks another step forward in Union Pacific's ongoing commitment to fostering a supportive work environment that prioritizes the health and well-being of all employees."

Notably, companies in the Zacks Transportation – Rail industry are entering collective deals with the unions. To name a few, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC - Free Report) announced that it entered an agreement with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, Transportation Division, aimed at offering up to seven paid sick days per year for all craft employees. 

This deal will offer four new days of paid sick leave per year to almost 300 Norfolk Southern yardmasters. Further, it will also provide them with the flexibility to use up to three additional days of existing paid time off as sick leave. This deal makes NSC the first Class I railroad to offer paid sick leave facility for its entire craft workforce.

Canadian National Railway Company (CNI - Free Report) recently announced that its collective agreement with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) has been ratified. The union represents almost 6,000 Canadian National locomotive engineers, conductors, yard conductors and yard coordinators working in Canada.

Tracy Robinson, president and chief executive officer of CNI, stated, “We are pleased that TCRC members have ratified the collective agreement reached earlier this year. We thank the TCRC leadership for their engagement throughout this process.  We remain committed to working with this important group to ensure continued service for our customers and improved working conditions for our team members."

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