Under the terms of our Implementing Agreement with BNSF, a minimum force number must be maintained on the MRL for the duration of the ongoing PTC project.  As our recent disputes over that agreement would suggest, BNSF has had a difficult time meeting that mandate as it struggles to recruit new members to the MRL.

As a result of their struggles, we were able to forge a new agreement with the BNSF wherein newly hired MRL employees will receive their full hourly rate immediately upon hire.  Under the terms of the MRL agreement, newly hired members were previously subject to a 10% reduction in their rate until they completed 6 months of employment (or 122 working days). 

As of January 29, 2025, newly hired signal employees will no longer be subject to the 10% reduction outlined in Article 11(A) of the Master Agreement.  This agreement is additionally retroactively applied to any existing employee working under the reduced rate provision as of 1/29/25.