The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen has expanded its reach, according to a Progressive Railroad Article (Rail News - BLET gains OmniTRAX short line, reaches tentative pacts with Watco, Keolis. For Railroad Career Professionals).
First up is the 25-mile Northern Ohio & Western (with the notable reporting mark "NOW"), operator of a former PRR line between Tiffin and Maple Grove, OH and interchanges with both CSX and Norfolk Southern, which now has operations employees represented by the BLE&T. NOW is part of the OmniTrax portfolio of shortlines.
Next, are the dispatchers at WATCO, which boasts more than 5,000 employees and operates carriers such as the Wisconsin Southern and Ithaca Central. Of note, WATCO's President is former MLB southpaw Dan Smith. This is the first foothold for organized labor at the firm.
Finally, engineers working for Keolis's Virginia Railway Express contract operation reached an agreement with the BLE&T.
While representation at an operator such as Keolis is not new, the pace of expansion at the shortline carriers is noteworthy. NOW is the 16th shortline to join the BLE&T in the last three years, while the introduction of a union presence at WATCO is sure to bring a new dimension to its business model. This means that existing shortline operators will not automatically be able to rely on lower labor costs as a business case for taking over routes and operations that are not viable for Class I carriers.