The Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad’s two largest unions have decided to go to arbitration rather than appealing a court order preventing them from striking over the railroad’s strict new attendance policy.
The unions, who represent 17,000 BNSF workers, say they decided arbitration will provide the quickest resolution to the dispute.
They claim the policy, which took effect February 1, puts employees on call 24-7 and pressures them to show up when they are sick or fatigued by penalizing them for missing work for any reasons.
The Burlington Northern says the new policy is better than the old one for both sides because it gives employees a clearer idea of where they stand than the old system did while ensuring the railroad has enough workers available to operate its trains.