"The unions' decision they plan to announce Wednesday will make the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division two of the most prominent critics of the deal to create the nation's first transcontinental railroad. They join the American Chemistry Council, an assortment of agricultural groups and competing railroad BNSF in raising concerns that this combination would hurt competition."
"But the deal has picked up the support of the nation's largest rail union that represents conductors and hundreds of individual shippers as well as an Oval Office endorsement from President Donald Trump. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board will begin weighing the opinions of all those stakeholders to determine whether the merger is in the public interest once the railroads file their formal application, which is expected later this week."
"But the presidents of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division unions - which are both affiliated with the Teamsters - said that after months of meetings with Vena and other executives they have serious doubts about the potential benefits, and they said the promises Vena made to preserve jobs for all current employees aren't detailed enough to be counted on."
Two major unions representing over half of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern workers withdrew support for the proposed $85 billion merger, citing safety risks, higher shipping rates, consumer price increases and operational disruptions. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division oppose the deal and join industry groups and competing railroad BNSF in raising competition concerns. Some other stakeholders, including the largest rail union for conductors, hundreds of shippers and President Donald Trump, support the merger. The Surface Transportation Board will review stakeholder comments when the railroads file a formal application. Union Pacific says a transcontinental route would speed deliveries and better compete with trucking; unions say job-preservation promises lack detail and raise safety doubts.
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