SMART-TD and NS reach yardmaster sick leave deal; carrier completes negotiations with all unions

NS becomes first Class I railroad to negotiate paid sick leave for all craft railroaders

ATLANTA, and INDEPENDENCE, OH, June 5, 2023 – Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division (SMART-TD) announced today that they have reached an agreement with representatives for their final group of craft employees – yardmasters – to provide up to seven paid sick days per year.

The agreement will immediately provide nearly 300 Norfolk Southern yardmasters with four new days of paid sick leave per year while also offering them the flexibility to use up to three additional days of existing paid time off as sick leave.

With this agreement, Norfolk Southern is the first Class I railroad to have negotiated paid sick leave agreements for 100 percent of its craft workforce.

“This agreement will provide our hardworking yardmasters the time they need and deserve to take care of their personal wellbeing,” said Jeremy Ferguson, President of SMART-TD. “I want to thank Norfolk Southern for their partnership on this deal, and for leading the industry as the first railroad to sign sick leave agreements for every one of our dedicated union members. And most importantly, I want to thank our SMART-TD general chairmen, Joe Borders and Dan Weir, for negotiating this important new benefit for Norfolk Southern yardmasters.”

This final paid sick leave agreement for yardmasters builds on the momentum from the comprehensive quality-of-life package that NS and SMART-TD negotiated last month for another group of SMART-TD members – conductors and trainmen. The conductor and trainmen agreement, which included paid sick leave, was ratified by union membership last Friday.

“Following national labor negotiations, we committed to address quality of life issues for our craft railroaders. With today’s agreement, we make good on that promise,” said Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw. “I am proud of our team for working collaboratively with union leadership over the last four months to reach agreements that benefit all of our craft colleagues.”

Although this agreement is an important milestone for paid sick leave, Norfolk Southern remains actively engaged with all its labor partners to further explore and negotiate the quality-of-life benefits that will have the greatest positive impact for its employees and position Norfolk Southern as an industry leader and employer of choice.

Read a synopsis of the agreement.

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About Norfolk Southern

Since 1827, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight transportation network. Committed to furthering sustainability, Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid 15 million tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Its dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, and is the largest rail shipper of auto products and metals in North America. Norfolk Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., serving a majority of the country’s population and manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes. Learn more by visiting www.NorfolkSouthern.com.

About SMART-TD

SMART Transportation Division is comprised of approximately 125,000 active and retired members who work in a variety of different crafts in the transportation industry. These crafts include employees on every Class I railroad, Amtrak, many shortline railroads, bus and mass transit employees and airport personnel. More information about the union is available at www.smart-union.org.