DITTLINGER, Texas — The UTU has reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with shortline Western Rail Road on behalf of train, engine and mechanical workers who now will vote on ratification.
The negotiations were led by UTU General Chairperson Doyle Turner (GO 347), who heads the UTU’s shortline outreach program.
Western Rail Road employees selected the UTU as their collective bargaining agent in February after meeting with UTU organizers Rich Ross and Mike Lewis.
This tentative agreement, as with others negotiated with shortlines, is intended “to bring parity in wages, benefits and work rules to the thousands of employees in the shortline railroad industry, along with the many other protections offered by union membership,” Turner said. “The seniority, scope and discipline rules these members now enjoy are what makes union membership valuable.”
Western Rail Road connects a quarry and cement plant at Dittlinger with Union Pacific’s Austin, Texas, subdivision. Dittlinger is four miles south of New Braunfels and about 50 miles south of Austin.
Related News
- Better Short-Term Disability Benefits Coming in 2026
- 2025 Tentative Agreement Reached Between SMART-TD and Union Pacific
- Stand with Sister Nydia Sandoval on Monday!
- SMART Transportation Division Members Ratify New Five-Year Agreement with 18.77% Wage Increases and Enhanced Benefits
- Union Leadership Meets with New N.S. Trainees in McDonough, Georgia
- CSX Asks to keep Safety Reports out of the Crew Rooms, Injuries are Up, Fatalities Continue, and Transparency is Down
- WE WILL NOT “SHUT THE !#*$ UP AND DRIVE”!
- Railroad Retirement Benefits Set to Increase in January
- Semi Crushes Member in Decatur, Ill.
- Long-time Union Ally Mikie Sherrill Runs for New Jersey Governor