What can the ACRE membership actually expect from another ACRE contract?

During the bargaining phase of ACRE's current contract, ACRE officers offered varying commitments or statements to ACRE members about what the organization would obtain for a contract to the present membership. These comments were made without any background information to present to the member. No cost factors were offered, no plans or projections were offered, how any bargaining goals would be obtained, or what benefits or work rules might have to be addressed to pay for any collective bargaining provisions requested. The same scenario is being repeated this bargaining session.

Recently ACRE's primary officers have offered conflicting versions of the health and welfare issue for the next contract. Bottalico informs, or rather misinforms, members to expect lifetime medical coverage in the next agreement. Doyle states to his members that the lifetime medical cannot be obtained because the benefit is too expensive. How would Doyle know the benefits cost factor without an actuarial report? Accepting the MTA's cost analysis without an independent study is how ACRE “negotiated” the current contract. The result was ACRE overpaid for their “historic agreement”. We must remember that ACRE was the only union in the entire railroad industry that agreed to a co-payment of health and welfare costs without being involved with a strike, mediation or an arbitration award.

Whatever the actuarial cost for the lifetime medical benefit is, a fair contract will not be obtained by ACRE without addressing the overpayment of ACRE's current agreement. ACRE cannot and will not admit they overpaid for their contract, without an independent analysis of benefits that are on the bargaining table, expect a repeat performance of ACRE's first contract. Bottalico and Doyle accepted and will agree with the MTA's cost factors at face value in the next contract.

Metro-North's Coalition still refuses to accept ACRE's contract. ACRE has again attempted to interfere with the Coalition's collective bargaining process. The most recent attempt occurred on March 23rd & 24 th in Baltimore. ACRE approached National Mediation Board (NMB) representatives and attempted to convince these representatives not to release the Metro-North Coalition from mediation because they “expect” to have a contract signed by the end of the year. Thankfully, ACRE has no influence or creditability with the NMB.

ACRE's goal remains the same as the current agreement. Their objective is not to obtain a fair contract for their membership, but determine how to sell whatever contract is negotiated to the ACRE membership.

The officers of Local 77