BMWED members vote to ratify national agreement with NCCC

The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) today announced that members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED-IBT)—the industry’s second-largest labor organization—have voted to ratify a national collective bargaining agreement. This agreement, covering approximately 8,000 railroad employees at NCCC-represented carriers, solidifies the momentum of the current bargaining round and reinforces the industry’s commitment to providing competitive pay and benefits.

"This ratification marks a significant moment in this bargaining round, demonstrating once again that collaboration by railroads and unions delivers real results for employees. Thousands of railroaders will soon benefit from the higher pay, enhanced benefits and stability that this agreement provides,” said Jeff Rodgers, chairman of the NRLC and NCCC. "We appreciate the engagement from BMWED and its members that led to this agreement.”

The BMWED agreement follows the framework established by the dozens of agreements to resolve the 2025 bargaining round that have been reached at both the national and local levels.

The terms of these pattern agreements provide:

• Wage increases of 18.8% over five years. Based on current inflation projections, this will translate to real wage growth for covered railroaders along with pay certainty for the life of the contract.
• Enhancements to world-class health and welfare benefits with no increase to the employee contribution rate. Starting this year, health care premiums are decreasing to about $277/month, well below the national average of more than $500/month for employer-provided family coverage.
• Access to more paid vacation time for employees earlier in their careers.

Historic Progress in National Bargaining
BMWED is the largest rail union to date to ratify a national agreement to resolve the 2025 bargaining round. It is the sixth national agreement ratified, following contracts approved in recent months by employees by SMART-MD, IBEW, NCFO, ATDA, TCU, and BRC. An additional national agreement with IBEW remains subject to ratification.

Since the exchange of Section 6 notices on Nov. 1, 2024, this round has seen historic collaboration between freight rail carriers and unions. Early local agreements set the stage for this momentum, establishing a clear pattern that prioritizes employee needs while strengthening the freight rail industry’s ability to provide safe, reliable service.

These agreements build on the historic 24% wage increase from the 2022 bargaining round, which taken together are projected to increase wages for covered employees by nearly 50% (compounded) between 2020 and 2029.