A Labor Coalition, consisting of TCU, IAM, BRC, ARSA, IBB, TWU, NCFO and SMART- Mechanical, came to an agreement with Keolis on Thursday October 4th. The new agreement will give TCU members a 16.5% wage increase over the course of 6 years, with full back pay. This includes TCU retirees and the beneficiaries of members who have passed away during the moratorium.
Along with the significant pay increase, the agreement also added the holiday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, beginning January 2019.
The coalition successfully negotiated a new health care plan, which will go into effect on April 1, 2019. The new health care plan will automatically be given to new hires but will be offered as an option to current employees in March of 2019 if they wish to transfer. The new plan includes the same network of providers as the current plan, yet there is NO coinsurance.
The new agreement also reduced the prescription copay, it is now up to 40% instead of the 50% in the current plan.
The agreement will be submitted to TCU Keolis members as soon as the ratification materials can be prepared.
“It was a two and a half year struggle,” said TCU Vice-President Arthur Maratea, “but the outcome exceeds the railroad industry average in wages and benefits.”