BNSF reaches tentative collective agreements with SMART-TD Trainmen and Yardmasters

Announcement marks eight tentative union agreements, covering more than 46 percent of BNSF’s union workforce

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 19, 2024 – BNSF Railway, one of North America’s leading transportation companies, today announced it has reached tentative, five-year collective bargaining agreements with The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD), including the union’s Yardmasters (SMART-TD-YDM). 

The news marks eight tentative agreements in less than one month’s time, representing more than 15,000 employees and more than 46 percent of BNSF’s union workforce, three months before the opening of the next collective bargaining round. 

If ratified, the agreements will provide a 3.5-percent average wage increase per year over the next five years. They will also offer railroaders more vacation earlier in their career and meaningful enhancements to an already robust suite of health care benefits.

“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. Today’s agreement sets our entire team up for future success in serving our customers while securing jobs for our employees.”

“If ratified by SMART-TD members working for BNSF, this tentative agreement (TA) will increase members’ paychecks by a compounded 18.77% over the next five years,” said SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson. “It also offers improvements to their quality of life, and H&W benefit enhancements. I’m proud of our team of BNSF General Chairpersons for the work they did on this agreement on behalf of our members.”  

“We’re looking forward to presenting this agreement to our members, who will review and vote on whether to approve it,” SMART-TD general chairpersons said in a joint statement. 

Contact:
Kendall Kirkham Sloan
Director, External Communications
Media@BNSF.com