Home » BLET signs new deal with Illinois & Midland

BLET signs new deal with Illinois & Midland

By Trains Staff | July 25, 2022

| Last updated on February 23, 2024


Union says five-year agreement includes 29% wage increase

Logo of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen unionINDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has ratified a new agreement with the Illinois & Midland Railroad, a Genesee & Wyoming short line in central Illinois.

The BLET said the agreement includes general wage increases of 29% over the five-year life of the contract, which runs through 20206, as well as a $5,000 signing bonus. There are no major work rule changes; the cost of employee health care will increase to about $300 per month.

“As with the recent [Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern] contract, the general wage increases in the Illinois & Midland deal reflect the fact that our members are essential to the railroad’s success,” BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce said in a press release.

The 154-mile Illinois & Midland operates between Pekin, Springfield, and Taylorville, Ill. It was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming in 1996.

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