Shortly after the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition (STRMC) showed that unions representing 66 percent of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s unionized workforce oppose their proposed merger, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) announced today that it, too, is opposing the deal.
IBEW, which represents more than 10,000 railroad workers across the industry, said it reached its decision after engaging Union Pacific in discussions over protections for its members. “The IBEW engaged Union Pacific in good-faith discussions designed to protect IBEW members, preserve craft jurisdiction, prevent forced relocations, address contracting and subcontracting, and provide stability for workers who have dedicated their careers to the railroad industry,” the IBEW said in its announcement. “Despite these efforts, Union Pacific declined to make meaningful commitments on virtually every significant issue.”
The announcement comes after STRMC fact-checked Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s claim of “majority” union support, finding that the six unions then publicly opposing the merger (BLET, BMWED, BRS, IAM, TCU/IAM, and TWU) represented 26,402 of the 39,828 unionized workers at the two railroads: 66.29 percent. With IBEW now joining the opposition, organized labor’s rejection of the UP-NS merger has only grown stronger.