Signalmen on Union Pacific Vote for Agreement

August 5, 2025, FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA — Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) President Michael Baldwin announced today that members working on Union Pacific Railroad have voted to ratify the Tentative Agreement reached on July 17, 2025.

This Agreement, affecting more than 1,600 Signalmen, followed a continued break from the traditional national bargaining structure, and allowed for a focus on local level negotiations tailored to the needs of this specific property.

The results are as follows:

1,649 members were balloted.

1074 (65.1% participation) ballots were received with the following results:

• 581 (54.1% of Ballots Received) Yes, Approve.
• 493 (45.9% of Ballots Received) No, Do Not Approve.
• 0 (0% of Received Ballots) Spoiled Ballots.

The five-year Agreement provides general wage increases totaling 17.5% (18.77% compounded) over the life of the contract. It includes changes to health and welfare benefits such as a maintained cap on employee contributions at 15% of the carrier’s payment rate, enhancements to dental and vision coverage, increased opt-out payments, and the addition of a reduced-rate, HSA-eligible employee-only coverage option. Other updates include accelerated vacation accrual schedules, new vacation eligibility for recent hires, receiving the IRS mileage rate for travel, and the ability to carry over up to 32 hours of unused sick leave in any calendar year.

While the Agreement offers improvements in multiple areas, the vote also reflected that members continue to place a high value on securing meaningful time off to care for their health and well-being.

President Baldwin stated, “This agreement reflects careful work by our bargaining team to secure what was possible under the circumstances, including timely raises, some long-sought adjustments to work rules, and steps toward improving daily conditions on the job.”

The members comprising the BRS/UP Bargaining Committee were: BRS President Mike Baldwin, Vice President West Cory Claypool, and General Chairman Aaron Carter.

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