October marks the opening of the bargaining round for our members on the DTO. Having an agreement under the NLRA means we have a 90- day timeframe to work with – quite different than the RLA. We have been preparing for these 90 days for well over a year. We have captured the needs and desires of all crafts represented by the BRS over that time. Those needs and desires are represented in our initial proposal to the Carrier and mark our starting point for negotiations. We intend to capitalize where we can on the leverage the shorter timeframe provides, while understanding that any bargaining process is transactional. In the end, both parties have to agree to what they are receiving and what they are conceding in that transaction. One thing we can commit to is that we will do our best to leave nothing on the table in this round and push for much needed improvements in all areas of the DTO Agreement.
