As previously reported — after three long and contentious years of negotiations, TCU Carmen, Clerks, On-Board Service Workers and Supervisors have reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) with Amtrak, together with our coalition partners, IAM, IBB, IBEW, SMART Mechanical, NCFO, TWU and UNITE-HERE. Subsequently, SMART-Transportation (formerly UTU) has also initialed a similar agreement. The TA now covers 70% of Amtrak employees.
We are in the process of preparing the ratification material for mailing to each member. The mailing of a comprehensive ratification package to each Amtrak member is set for February 1st, 2018, with a final ballot return date of February 27th. After the ratification package is received by the members, the agreement will be posted on this website.
Each ratification package is TCU craft specific. Each TCU craft is a separate ratification process. Ballots will be mailed to the members’ addresses of record. There will be a procedure in place for any member who does not receive a ballot for any reason in order to obtain one. There will also be a member hotline for inquiries.
“I’m very proud to say that the TCU negotiating team – National Vice Presidents Arthur Maratea and Jack Dinsdale, Carmen Assistant General President Carl Tingle, and National Representatives Charles Jackson and Michael Miller – did an outstanding job under the most difficult of circumstances,” Said TCU President Bob Scardelletti.
“Our members will soon have before them an agreement that will provide substantial percentage wage increases – thousands upon thousands of dollars – NO lump sums. Our healthcare has been fully protected including our early retirement medical benefits, and finally, all work rules have been protected. NO changes.”
TCU Reaches Agreement on Amtrak – Jan 8, 2018
After three long and contentious years of negotiations, TCU – Carmen, Clerks, On-Board Service Workers and Supervisors, reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) with Amtrak. TCU together with our coalition partners: NCFO, IBB, IBEW, TWU, IAM, SMART Mechanical and UNITE-HERE – representing 12 crafts – 57% of all Amtrak employees, met repeatedly with Amtrak officials to hammer out a contract that included meaningful wage increases.
For years Amtrak insisted on one-time lump sums instead of actual percentage increases and savage decreases in our health care benefits. TCU and our coalition partners held the line – the TA provides for significant percentage wage increases and our health care benefits have been protected. Full Agreement details will be provided to each member in a comprehensive ratification package, expected to be in the mail in the next few weeks. Thereafter the full agreement will be posted on the TCU website.
TCU President Bob Scardelletti said, “I want to thank everyone that held firm, so that we can provide a solid contract that every hard working member on Amtrak deserves.”