North Texas-based rail company reaches agreement with union workers
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth-based railway company has reached a tentative agreement with its workers.
BNSF Railway announced Thursday it reached a five-year collective bargaining agreement with The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD).
According to the company, it has reached eight agreements with unions representing over 15,000 of its employees within the past month.
BNSF said the agreements will give workers a 3.5-percent average wage increase annually over the next five years.
"Thank you to our leaders who have worked collaboratively with us to reach these tentative agreements," said BNSF President & CEO Katie Farmer. "We are proud to be able to give our employees this unprecedented certainty over enhancements to their pay, health care and vacation in advance of the next round."
The agreement comes as BNSF has been working to make workers more comfortable reporting safety issues.
