Survey results from TCU and Brotherhood Railway Carmen Division representatives affirm wages and Health and Welfare as the top two issues going into National Bargaining.
We are in the process of preparing our Section 6 Notice for both Clerical and Carmen Crafts, to be served in November on the national rail carriers for the bargaining round beginning January 1, 2020.
In July, surveys were distributed to all Clerical and Carmen Local Chairpersons with members in National Handling. The surveys included multiple general bargaining categories that we believed to be the most important issues to focus on in National bargaining. Local Chairpersons were asked to survey their members at union meetings and by all other means available to them in order to gauge how issues should be ranked for this round of bargaining, and to report those results by submitting the survey by September 30th. Surveys were also posted on our website and Facebook page so that members could view them, and on these sites members were encouraged to contact their Local Chairperson and make their bargaining priorities known.
The results resoundingly put General Wage Increases and Health and Welfare as the main subjects that are of paramount importance. Accordingly, our Section 6 Notice will reflect this when we serve in November.
We anticipate a very difficult round of bargaining. While the National Negotiating Committee will focus on these two issues above all else, the other categories will be reached in order of importance to our membership as possible. Vacation, Sick leave benefits and personal leave days were the next three top issues ranked as most important to our membership.
Thank you to all that participated in this effort to ensure that the interests of our membership are best represented at the bargaining table.
What a Big Joke