Norfolk Southern is proud to announce that members of the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers (NCFO) have voted to ratify a new agreement with Norfolk Southern Corporation well in advance of the start of the next collective bargaining round.

The ratification by NCFO follows successful ratification votes by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA), the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers - Mechanical Department (SMART-MD), the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division/TCU (BRC), and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU). To date, Norfolk Southern has reached tentative agreements with 10 of its 13 unions, covering approximately 67% of its craft workforce. Covered employees will enjoy significant improvements to pay, health care, and vacation in the upcoming year.

“The continued early progress we’ve made with our labor unions on ratifying new collective bargaining agreements give our craft colleagues peace of mind around wages and benefits,” said Mark R. George, Norfolk Southern President and CEO. “We would like to thank the leadership of the NCFO for their strong partnership in helping us reach this agreement for the benefit of our dedicated craft employees.”

The newly ratified agreement provides a 3.5-percent average wage increase per year over the next five years. It also offers Norfolk Southern railroaders more vacation earlier in their career and makes significant improvements to an already robust suite of health care benefits.

In addition to NCFO, BMWED, ATDA, BRC, SMART-MD, and TCU, Norfolk Southern has reached similar tentative agreements, which are still subject to ratification, with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers - Transportation Division (SMART-TD), the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division Yardmasters (SMART-TD Yardmasters), and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and Blacksmiths (IBBB).