Tom Buffenbarger, an independent labor voice, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the tentative collective bargaining agreement reached between the railroads and rail workers' unions, which he called the best CBA he has seen in his lifetime.
Buffenbarger is the former President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
Buffenbarger allowed that there is always room for improvement in any contract and that, ultimately, the decision to ratify is in the hands of the rail workers’ union membership. He outlined the voting process for the unions, and said he does not expect an outcome until mid-November. If members turn down the agreement, Buffenbarger fears the matter will go before the U.S. Congress, with U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) already signaling he would seek a concessionary agreement.
Buffenbarger then talked about a strike of more than 1,100 IAM District W24 members against Weyerhaeuser, after workers overwhelmingly turned down a contract due to pay, vacation time and healthcare premium increases.
Lastly, he spoke about an upcoming unionization vote for JetBlue’s ground operations workers to join the IAM.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.