COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. (KMTV) — This week the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division rejected a tentative agreement with freight carriers.
Members say they are unhappy with the terms of the agreement, such as the lack of paid sick time off. Union members say if they are sick railroad workers still have to work or must use vacation time.
It's taken a toll on families like Paul and Karin Bellows. Paul has been working on the railroad for 16 years with the majority of his time spent away from his wife and two kids. He could be gone a week and then home a week.
"Basically, I am parenting by myself because he's gone. He misses out on so much of the kids' activities, performances, just general life events," Karin said.
Ten years ago, Karin gave birth to a child who passed away six days after birth. Paul only got three days of bereavement leave. If he didn't return to work right away, he'd have to use the little vacation time he had left or not get paid.
"Trying to be the strong person as a male. You try to be there for everybody, try to be the strong person. But just me personally, it hit me further down the line once everything settled down and I ran into a lot of issues not dealing with it right away," Paul said.
Conditions like these are why thousands of union members voted "no" on the tentative agreement with freight carriers.
The contracts have 24% raises and cash bonuses. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen's Pat Pfeifer calls it the "best contract" he's ever seen, but it's their quality of life that matters more.
"You make all the money you want but if you can't spend that with your family, it don't matter," Pfeifer said.
Pfeifer is proud of those who voted for and against the agreement because they are taking control of what's most important.
"A union is a participation sport, it's not a spectator sport and they control their own destiny," Pfeifer said.
That's something the Bellows family is doing, by taking their lives back.
"Paul's out on the road, working hard to provide for his family and the carriers are just. They're not recognizing everything these guys are putting out there," Karin said.
Without a deal, a strike could happen but not until Nov. 19. There are two other unions also still waiting to vote.
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