Metro-North workers reach new contracts

[Omaha Steve]

Metro-North workers reach new contracts

New York – The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Friday reached tentative agreements with unions representing 17 of the 18 classifications of employees at Metro-North Railroad. These agreements cover approximately 4,200 maintenance, operating, clerical, supervisory and administrative personnel. About 560 Maintenance of Way employees represented by Local 808, Teamsters, have not reached agreement and negotiations with them continue.

Although details of the agreements will not be released until the union ratification process is underway, the tentative contracts extend until June 15, 2010. For most of the employees, terms are retroactive to January 1, 2003.

Agreements with Engineers, Conductors, Rail Traffic Controllers and Signalmen had been reached in 2004 that expired at the end of last year. All the agreements provide for the same responsible wage increases while also addressing the longer term financial challenges facing the MTA. Although different, these agreements are consistent with the earlier cost structure established by the arbitration panel which resolved the TWU negotiations in 2006.

MTA expects to reach agreement with the Teamsters prior to the expiration of the federal cooling-off period in the summer.

The agreements are subject to ratification of the various memberships and the approval of the MTA Board.

BTW I'm a train NUT. I live less than 50 yards from the Burlinton Santa Fe main line in Bellevue, Ne. After 50 years in Omaha, we moved over the county line in Nov. last year.