Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Union Pacific will support paid sick leave for its 5,600 locomotive engineers

Deal is latest move by Class 1 rail companies to meet union demands for better working conditions since strike was narrowly averted.

UP rail Screen Shot 2023-06-05 at 5.00.46 PM.png

Union Pacific Railroad (UP) will provide paid sick leave to the approximately 5,600 locomotive engineers employed by the railroad, marking the latest move by Class 1 rail companies to meet contract demands that nearly led to a nationwide strike seven months ago.

The lack of paid sick was the main sticking point that led some unions to reject a White House-negotiated contract deal in December 2022, bringing the nation’s freight rail network to the brink of a freeze until Congress voted to impose the previous deal. 


Since that time, negotiations have continued, last month leading UP to an agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) to provide more predictable schedules for workers.

As promised at that time, the two sides also continued to work out a deal on paid sick leave, which they announced today. Under the new terms, BLET members will have up to seven paid days to use in the event of illness. Five days will be considered paid sick days with the ability to convert two additional paid leave days for use as paid sick time. The new agreement is effective Aug. 1.

“This agreement is really about health and safety,” BLET National President Eddie Hall said in a release. “It’s not in our members’, the public’s or the railroad’s best interest for engineers to be operating trains when they’re sick. Congratulations to our BLET General Chairmen and Union Pacific’s management who reached this agreement at the bargaining table.”

Union Pacific now has sick leave agreements in place with 12 of its 13 labor unions, covering approximately 68% of Union Pacific’s craft employees. "The well-being and quality of life for all employees are critically important to us," UP’s chairman, president, and CEO Lance Fritz said in a release. "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.”
 
 

 

The Latest

More Stories

autonomous tugger vehicle

Cyngn delivers autonomous tuggers to wheel maker COATS

Autonomous forklift maker Cyngn is deploying its DriveMod Tugger model at COATS Company, the largest full-line wheel service equipment manufacturer in North America, the companies said today.

The deal was announced the same week that California-based Cyngn said it had raised $33 million in funding through a stock sale.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Study: Industry workers bypass essential processes amid mounting stress

Study: Industry workers bypass essential processes amid mounting stress

Manufacturing and logistics workers are raising a red flag over workplace quality issues according to industry research released this week.

A comparative study of more than 4,000 workers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia found that manufacturing and logistics workers say they have seen colleagues reduce the quality of their work and not follow processes in the workplace over the past year, with rates exceeding the overall average by 11% and 8%, respectively.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo of a cargo ship cruising

Project44 tallies supply chain impacts of a turbulent 2024

Following a year in which global logistics networks were buffeted by labor strikes, natural disasters, regional political violence, and economic turbulence, the supply chain visibility provider Project44 has compiled the impact of each of those events in a new study.

The “2024 Year in Review” report lists the various transportation delays, freight volume restrictions, and infrastructure repair costs of a long string of events. Those disruptions include labor strikes at Canadian ports and postal sites, the U.S. East and Gulf coast port strike; hurricanes Helene, Francine, and Milton; the Francis Scott key Bridge collapse in Baltimore Harbor; the CrowdStrike cyber attack; and Red Sea missile attacks on passing cargo ships.

Keep ReadingShow less
diagram of transportation modes

Shippeo gains $30 million backing for its transportation visibility platform

The French transportation visibility provider Shippeo today said it has raised $30 million in financial backing, saying the money will support its accelerated expansion across North America and APAC, while driving enhancements to its “Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platform” product.

The funding round was led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, with participation from existing investors: Battery Ventures, Partech, NGP Capital, Bpifrance Digital Venture, LFX Venture Partners, Shift4Good and Yamaha Motor Ventures. With this round, Shippeo’s total funding exceeds $140 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cover image for the white paper, "The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: expectations for 2025."

CSCMP releases new white paper looking at potential supply chain impact of incoming Trump administration

Donald Trump has been clear that he plans to hit the ground running after his inauguration on January 20, launching ambitious plans that could have significant repercussions for global supply chains.

With a new white paper—"The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: Expectations for 2025”—the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) seeks to provide some guidance on what companies can expect for the first year of the second Trump Administration.

Keep ReadingShow less