Members ratify new contract with Portland & Western
On January 11, BLET members ratified a new on-property agreement with the Portland & Western Railroad (PNW). The five-year contract governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for approximately 55 operating employees.
Members will earn general wage increases of 21.5% (23.4% compounded) over the life of the contract (6% in 2024, 3% in 2025, 3% in 2026, 4% in 2027 and 5.5% in 2028).
Other proposed contractual improvements include:
- Addition of Martin Luther King Day as an 11th holiday;
- One extra PL day and one additional day of vacation;
- Increased training pay from $9 to $35 per day;
- Basic day reduced from 10 hours to 8 hours, with overtime accumulating after 40 hours each week;
- Eliminated the 80% rate of pay for probationary employees, so all employees receive 100% rate of pay; and
- Increased PPE allowance to $300 per year.
The PNW members belong to BLET Division 416 and are a part of the BLET’s Union Pacific-Western Region General Committee of Adjustment. The negotiating team consisted of National Vice President Gary Best, General Chairman Steve Leyshon, Vice General Chairman Will Wallace, and Division 416 Local Chairman Matt Keene.
A Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary, the Portland and Western is a 516-mile Class II railroad that operates throughout Washington and Oregon. It interchanges with Class I railroads BNSF (at Vancouver, Wash. And Portland, Ore.) and Union Pacific (at Eugene, Ore. And Portland, Ore.).