Description: January 5, 2001 Bargaining Update

Immediately after the carriers presented their outrageous demand on June 28, 2000, calling for the unilateral right to subcontract any and all railway construction work, the BMWE requested a proffer of arbitration from the National Mediation Board.

Even though it was clear that bargaining was deadlocked, the NMB refused to proffer abitration. Instead, after almost four months, the NMB scheduled bargaining sessions on November 14 and 15 and December 11 and 12. Despite these meetings and the virtually indisputable deadlock, the NMB continued to serve the carriers' interest by not proffering arbitration.

The Board's inaction puts the fate of the 45,000 members of the BMWE and the rest of rail labor in the hands of the new anti-labor Bush Administration. The last Bush Administration's presidential emergency board was PEB 219 which every BMWE member knows was disastrous, causing incredible suffering and deterioration of conditions.

The UTU agreement with the carriers reached on September 22 has yet to be sent out for ratification. It is the BMWE's understanding that it has still not been sent out for ratification because of differences between UTU and the carriers regarding various details of the agreement. As reported earlier, because of the nature of the issues resolved it has no application to the BMWE.