(INDEPENDENCE, Ohio) – Florida Gulf & Atlantic (FG&A) Railroad workers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) of the Teamsters Rail Conference have ratified their first contract. The FG&A Railroad operates 430 miles of track running in Florida and Georgia.
“Railroaders at FG&A wanted union representation to address issues related to safety, working conditions, wages, and other compensation with their employer,” said Randy Fannon, Vice President and Organizing Director of the BLET. “With ratification of their first contract, our FG&A members now have an established policy, structure, and guidelines to hold management accountable.”
The five-year agreement secures key priorities for this group of more than two-dozen train and engine service workers. Before they joined the Teamsters, these workers could be disciplined and discharged however and whenever management wanted, but now they have protection from at-will employment.
In addition, FG&A workers are guaranteed an 18.3 percent raise over the length of the contract as well as the right to earn overtime pay. The agreement also increases their paid personal time off, formalizes a grievance procedure and protections from discipline, and establishes a seniority system with prior rights protections.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
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