A DC Journal article examines why rail labor organizations have taken different positions on the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern combination, including questions about how a more competitive transcontinental railroad could affect freight that moves by truck today.

The future of freight rail also shapes the future of railroad careers.

The proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern combination has earned support from SMART-TD, the nation’s largest rail union, after the union secured written career-long job protections for its members. Teamsters-affiliated rail unions remain opposed, reflecting a broader debate about the future of freight transportation and how a more competitive rail network could affect long-haul trucking.

The differing positions underscore an important fact: organized labor does not speak with one voice on the combination. They also focus attention on the employee protections and growth opportunities associated with the transaction.

SMART-TD reached its position after negotiating a written jobs-for-life agreement with Union Pacific. The agreement guarantees job protection for SMART-TD members working in train and yardmaster service for the length of their careers, subject to the usual requirements for continued employment. SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson called the agreement a way of “protecting jobs, protecting families” while advancing the industry.

Those protections extend beyond SMART-TD. Union Pacific has committed that every union employee working at Union Pacific or Norfolk Southern when the companies combine will have a job for life, regardless of whether their individual union has entered a separate agreement. The commitment supplements the traditional New York Dock labor protections associated with major railroad combinations, which generally provide income protection for a limited period to qualifying affected employees.

That commitment reflects the larger economic case behind the combination: growth creates railroad jobs.

A single-line transcontinental network will eliminate unnecessary interchange points and make rail more competitive for freight that moves by truck today. In addition to the jobs-for-life guarantee, the combined railroad anticipates adding approximately 1,200 net new union jobs by year three to handle expected volume growth.

Other labor organizations have reached agreements securing career-long job protections as well. The American Train Dispatchers Association became the sixth national union to reach such an agreement with Union Pacific, joining SMART-TD and other crafts that have negotiated protections for their members.

Different unions will continue to bring different perspectives to the future of freight rail. What employees can evaluate for themselves are the commitments in writing: career-long job protection for union employees working when the companies combine and a plan for additional union employment as the railroad grows.

Read the full DC Journal article here.