Today, our members at the Wheeling & Lake Erie secured an important victory.
At noon, they carried out our strike exactly as planned. Confidential preparations were paramount, every picket line was manned, and our members stood together with discipline and unity.
The railroad agreed to honor our contractual protections and stop using managers in place of union conductors. The dispute was resolved without court intervention
The opportunity to strike under these circumstances is rare. The Railway Labor Act places strict limits on our ability to strike. In the earlier W&LE case, a federal appeals court had already determined that replacing union conductors with managers presented a major dispute and violated the railroad’s obligation to maintain existing working conditions. That established legal foundation was critical to our ability to act.
Our members and officers were prepared, and their solidarity secured this result. When we are legally able to exercise our right to strike to defend our agreements, we will not hesitate to do so.
I am proud of everyone who stood together to protect our members’ work and uphold our agreement. It was my honor to walk on the picket lines with them today.
Mark L. Wallace
National President
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen