Employees of four railroads in Alabama and Florida have chosen the UTU as their bargaining representative.
On South Florida Tri-Rail, a commuter railroad where the UTU already represents both sides of the cab, employees of the operations center have chosen the UTU as their bargaining representative.
In Alabama, train and engine workers on Conecuh Valley Railroad, Three Notch Railroad, and Wiregrass Central Railroad voted “UTU, yes.” All are owned by shortline holding company Gulf and Ohio Railways.
UTU organizer Mike Lewis worked with employees of both railroads to explain the UTU’s history, structure and representation strength. Lewis praised the efforts of Local 762 (Montgomery, Ala.) Chairperson Toby Mullins and UTU Florida State Legislative Director Andres Trujillo for their assistance.
South Florida Tri-Rail operates over 71 miles for former CSX track linking West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Owned by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Tri-Rail is operated by Veolia Transportation.
Conecuh Valley Railroad operates over former Central of Georgia (now Norfolk Southern) track between Troy, Ala., and Gadsden, Ala.
Three Notch opeates from Andalusia, Ala., to Georgiana, Ala. over former CSX track.
Wiregrass Central operates between Enterprise, Ala., and Newton, Ala., over former CSX track.