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| Did You Know |
On July 25, 1832, on the Granite Railway near Quincy, MA, Thomas B. Achus fell 35 ft to his death when a cable pulling a train car snapped sending the car downhill and launching Achus off a nearby cliff. His demise marks the first recorded rail fatality in US History.
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| Comparison of GWIs vs CPI |
Now that the final inflation data has been tallied for the last year of our recent 5-year agreement, it is a good time to reflect on how our general wage increases (GWIs) compared to the consumer price index (CPI). It is a commonly expressed sentiment by our members that they feel like our raises in recent years have not kept up with rising inflation.
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| Delay in Certification Timeline |
As alluded to above, the timeline as it relates to implementation of the FRA certification rule has now been extended by the FRA. As most are aware, the next step in the process to fully enact certification was for the Carriers to submit their certification plans to the FRA by the end of March 2025.
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| BNSF Lodging Per Diem Option |
For many years, the BRS has been attempting to bargain for an alternative to CLC lodging. The recent agreement signed on January 29, 2025, does not mark the end of those efforts; rather, it marks the beginning. On that date, we signed an agreement with BNSF to allow each member the individual choice to opt out of CLC lodging.
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| BNSF Historical Staffing Levels |
Do you feel like you are consistently being tasked with more and more work? All while feeling like there are fewer and fewer among us as time goes by. If so, that is because those are not just your personal perceptions — it is the unfortunate reality we face in the freight rail industry, and BNSF is not immune.
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| Spike in BNSF Injuries |
While it is truly unfortunate to have to report on this topic, it is no less necessary that we address a growing concern on the BNSF. What began last year as what was hoped to be a short-term anomaly in reportable injuries has continued as an alarming trend into 2025.
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| DTO Certification Plans to FRA |
The committee has received word from DTO that its final certification plans for Dispatchers have been finalized and are ready for submission to the FRA. Having worked directly with DTO on finalizing certification plans, we are confident that their Signal certification plans will also soon be ready for submission to the FRA.
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| Early Start to DTO Bargaining |
BRS members on the DTO received their final 4% raise under the current CBA on January 1, 2025. Under the terms of Article 3, the parties are precluded from serving notice of intent to amend the CBA until October 1, 2025.
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| MRL Probationary Rates Discontinued |
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.
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| CPKC Bargaining Begins |
As previously reported, bargaining with CP/KC for our next agreement is being handled locally since the Carrier opted not to be part of the NCCC. The BRS will be bargaining with CP/KC as part of a coalition with BMWE, ATDA, IBB, IAM and SMART-MD. Accordingly, the coalition had our first bargaining session with the Carrier in Kansas City on February 20, 2025.
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| CPKC Contractor Agreement to Expire |
In the summer of 2024, a temporary contracting agreement was reached with CP/KC. Under the terms of that agreement, a small group of contractors were allowed to work on the International Freight Gateway and Knoche Yard projects in the greater Kansas City area for a period of around 6 months.
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| 2025 BNSF Hiring Plan |
As many of you recall from last year, BNSF downscaled its hiring plans significantly as the year progressed. This was due to an alleged downturn in business and several other factors. The result was that we began 2025 with considerably fewer members on the rosters than we had in 2024. As a result of the disparity between attrition in 2024 and new hires for the year, we lost 2.
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| 2025 Healthcare Premium Reduction |
The annual healthcare plan meeting between the Rail Labor Organizations (CRLO) and the Carriers (NCCC) was held in October of 2024. This is the meeting at which plan rates are set for the following year. Upon reviewing the funding of the National Health & Welfare Plan, it was determined that, for the first time in recent history, there will be a decrease in plan contributions for 2025.
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| 2024 Discipline Review |
As we have for years, this committee continues to track the number of investigations scheduled and the discipline assessed to our members. It is our hope that bringing a heightened awareness to the number of incidents and the scenarios involved will serve to help reduce such occurrences in the future.
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BRS Efforts to Obtain Emergency Sick LeaveDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the lack of sick leave afforded our members, the Organization attempted to get out in front of the impending certainty coming our way – infections and/or exposure quarantines of our members.
GCA Letter to Carl Ice Re COVID-19 (3-16-2020) (1).pdf
