CSX announces ratification of labor deal with locomotive engineers

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ: CSX) today announced that employees represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have voted to ratify the five-year collective bargaining agreement covering approximately 3,400 locomotive engineers. This is the first ratification reached by a Class I freight railroad with BLET.

“The ratified agreement demonstrates the value of our partnership with BLET, our CSX General Chairmen, and our shared commitment to improving the day-to-day experience for our locomotive engineers,” said Joe Hinrichs, President and CEO of CSX. “I want to thank our engineers for their unwavering dedication to our customers and the communities in which we live and work. This is a significant milestone for our people and the future of our railroad.”

The agreement mirrors the general wage increases, and health and welfare improvements from CSX's agreements with 13 other unions.

Locomotive engineers make up approximately 20 percent of CSX’s frontline workforce. To date, nearly 75 percent of CSX unionized workers are now covered by new agreements reached within the last 10 months.

The only remaining major workgroup at CSX not covered by new agreements or a tentative agreement are trainmen/conductors represented by SMART-TD. CSX is currently engaged in bargaining with SMART-TD to consolidate separate territories, workforces, and execute a single-system collective agreement.