BNSF Railway worker strike could cause more shortages. A judge in Fort Worth will decide
A federal court in Fort Worth will decide Tuesday whether to block a threatened Feb. 1 strike by two unions representing BNSF Railway conductors and engineers.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) have threatened to strike over a new attendance policy they say will penalize workers for missing work.
The Fort Worth-based railway said the policy is needed to ensure workers are available, and it would be put at a competitive disadvantage without it. A lawyer representing BNSF also disputed in court Monday the unions’ claim that the new policy punishes workers for taking sick leave.
“It couldn’t come at a worse time,” said U.S. District Court Judge Mark Pittman during a hearing Monday, noting the supply chain issues that have resulted in shortages for retailers and industry across America.
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