This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
4/27/2026
CPKC on Friday announced it reached new tentative agreements with the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Works-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).
The two pacts consolidate 11 existing contracts across the Class I’s U.S. network into two new long-term hourly agreements, CPKC officials said in a press release.
Each of the tentative pacts would be in effect for 2025 to 2034 and cover about 1,700 train and engine service (T&E) employees in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. The SMART-TD agreement covers conductors, brakemen and other T&E workers, while the BLET pact covers locomotive engineers and other T&E employees.
"These historic tentative agreements provide long-term labor stability while enhancing flexibility and bringing meaningful improvements in pay and quality of life for our railroaders," said CPKC President and CEO Keith Creel.
If the two agreements are ratified, CPKC would have labor contracts in place covering about 81% of its U.S. T&E workforce. A recently ratified Soo Line agreement with the BLET is not scheduled to reopen again for collective bargaining until 2029.