Freight Railroad Worker Stories

At a recent Virtual U.S. Freight Railroad Worker Town Hall, Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan introduced a group of workers who explained the challenges they’ve faced in their three-year fight for a new contract with U.S. freight railroad companies:

Since 2015, seven major railroad companies made $146 billion in net profits off the backs of these workers. That’s the most money they’ve ever made in the history of railroading—even more than the Gilded Era railroad robber barons. During this same time period, the companies eliminated 45,000 jobs from the industry. Instead of recognizing the value of these workers, the companies have enacted massive job cuts and offered the remaining workers a net pay cut and worse health care benefits than they have now. This is unacceptable.

Here are the profiles we’ve published so far:

• Rodney Neatrour of IAM
• Mike Gage of IBEW
• Justin Ratcliffe of BRS
• Reece Murtagh of IAM
• Kari Cecil of SMART-TD
• Luke Edington of SMART-TD
• Nick Greficz of SMART-TD
• Willette Thomas of TCU/IAM
• Brandon Redman of TWU
• Esmerelda Montelongo of TCU/IAM
• Eugene Martinez of the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers/SEIU
• Deven Mantz of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees

In the coming days, the AFL-CIO will share more stories of those workers. Check back here every day for more.