Negotiations opened on Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Talks resumed where they had left off in the last meeting – with Article XVI (Transportation). The Union began by submitting its second proposal on this Article, followed by discussions. By the end of the day, the Union had not received a counter from the Company.
The Union Negotiating Committee is frustrated with the pace and progress of negotiations The Union Negotiating Committee feels that in order to place these negotiations on a positive and constructive track, the parties' current, Article-by-Article bargaining approach needs to be changed to a more phased approach, where the parties meet to hammer out multiple Articles that are inter-related. Accordingly, the Committee unanimously decided it would be a waste of time to proceed under the current process and advised the Company that it was canceling this week's second day of formal negotiations. Bargaining will resume next week on October 7th and 8th in Washington, D.C., at the IBT Headquarters.
The Company has emphasized that it is committed to negotiating a fair and equitable contract in a timely manner. The parties have agreed to regroup next week in Washington, D.C. and to work out the details of implementing a new bargaining approach as described by the Union Negotiating Committee.
