The BLET last week joined farmers, railroads, and shippers in opposition to the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, calling it “a bad deal for America.” The groups, representing a broad cross-section of business, labor and consumers, have joined together to form the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition.
Founding members include: the Teamsters Rail Conference (BLET and BMWED), the American Chemistry Council, the American Farm Bureau Federation, BNSF Railway, CPKC Railway, Alliance for Chemical Distribution, National
The announcement was made on April 29, just prior to the merger resubmission by UP and NS to the Surface Transportation Board. In January, the STB rejected their initial merger application as incomplete.
The coalition joins a growing group of more than 100 state and federal policymakers, including attorneys general and agriculture secretaries, who are urging the Surface Transportation Board to hit the brakes on this unnecessary merger.
“Union Pacific has yet to make the workforce commitments necessary to maintain network reliability or protect the communities and customers that depend on this rail system,” said Mark Wallace, BLET National President and President of the Teamsters Rail Conference. “Merging two Class I carriers of this scale without binding employment guarantees is not a business decision. It is a gamble with the nation’s supply chain and the workers who keep it moving that ultimately the American taxpayer will have to bail out. The Teamsters Rail Conference will not stand aside while railroad executives hollow out the workforce and wreck our national freight rail system and call it progress while Americans suffer the consequences.”
A recent national poll found overwhelming public opposition to the unpopular merger, with nearly 71 percent of those surveyed opposing the merger. Americans are concerned the merger could increase shipping costs and raise prices on everyday goods. Americans surveyed also expressed concerns about monopoly power of the combined railroad. A summary of the poll results can be seen here (PDF).
BLET has taken a number of actions in its campaign to stop the proposed merger of the two Class I railroads. In addition to visits with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, leaders of the BLET and BMWED recently met in New York City with approximately three dozen Wall Street analysts and investors who study the Class I railroad industry to discuss potential ramifications of the proposed merger and the Teamster Rail Conference’s opposition. Last December, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters published a joint statement with BLET and BMWED announcing their strong opposition to the merger.
For more on the anti-merger coalition and the resubmission of the UP-NS merger application, read these stories in Axios and Reuters:
- Axios — Union Pacific resubmits Norfolk Southern merger application
- Reuters — Coalition opposes Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern rail merger
Locomotive photos by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659