Railroads and trucking companies have competed over freight for generations. That’s nothing new. But here’s a question that’s been kicked around railroad crew rooms for years: Can a rail union that’s ultimately part of an organization representing 20 Truckers for every one Railroader put our interests first?
The BLE-T represents a lot of railroaders. It’s the second biggest union in the rail industry behind SMART-TD. It isn’t a small labor organization by any standard, but it is part of the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).
Even counting every rail employee in the Teamsters Rail Conference, which includes the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE), railroaders make up only about five or six percent of the Teamsters’ total membership.
A recent Washington Examiner opinion piece explores that very question through the lens of the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger.
In a seperate news article out this week, Peter Roff of Real Clear Markets is asking the same exact question. Whether you agree with their conclusions or not, these articles raise a worthwhile conversation. Give them a read and decide for yourself.
For the Washington Examiner
READ: The Teamsters’ Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern opposition sacrifices the wrong members ►
For Real Clear Markets
READ: Union “NIMBY-ism” Shouldn’t Deter the Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern Combination ►
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