By Justin Franz
WASHINGTON — Montana Rail Link engineers are asking the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to protect their benefits in the event that the federal regulator does indeed fast-track BNSF Railway’s acquisition of the regional railroad.
Last week, MRL engineers and members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen Division 232 submitted letters to the STB outlining their concerns. In those letters, the engineers wrote that while their pay may increase per shift, overall they would be compensated less by BNSF because of the many benefits MRL provided to its employees. Among the benefits MRL railroaders stand to lose or see reductions in include long-term disability, short-term disability, life insurance, profit sharing, vacation time losses and more. MRL engineers are also concerned that many will lose seniority because some will be forced into conductor positions or yard jobs. Currently, MRL has a system where both crew members on trains are qualified engineers, something BNSF does not do.
While MRL engineers approved an implementation agreement with BNSF last year, the union members said that the process was flawed and confusing. To make up for these issues, the engineers would like the STB to force BNSF to maintain MRL engineers’ current level of compensation and benefits as part of its ruling on whether or not to let MRL discontinue service. The STB has said it would rule on the matter on or before March 8.
Soon after, MRL and BNSF responded in published filings that were posted to the STB website on Monday. In those filings, attorneys for MRL said that the railroad had gone above and beyond what was required of it to ensure its employees could maintain their current jobs. The railroad asked the STB to disregard the union’s request.
Last year, MRL announced that it was terminating the long-term lease of its main line across Montana and Idaho and that BNSF would soon resume operations. MRL’s parent company, Washington Corp., leased the former Northern Pacific from Huntley, Mont., to Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1987 for 60 years. MRL and BNSF mutually decided to end that agreement after just 35 years.
