After five and a half years of negotiations nearly 7,800 IAM members employed at Class 1 Railroads of the National Carriers’ Conference Committee ratified an agreement on August 30, 2005.

Re: National Agreement Ratification Vote

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

Please be advised that the tentative National Railroad Agreement has been ratified by the IAMAW membership. After all the votes were tabulated the final count was as follows:

                                            Total Ballots Cast                                             4772

                                            Total Votes to Accept Agreement                     3096

                                            Total Votes to Reject Agreement                      1650

                                            Total Ballots Deemed Invalid                                26

In an effort to keep the membership up to date with as much information as possible, we have prepared a spread-sheet shown below which will give each member a clear view of the vote returns.

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every member who participated in the voting process, regardless if your vote was to accept or reject the Agreement.

It has taken us a long time to get to this point, however, through working together and standing strong we were finally successful. Further, we may have been the last Craft in finalizing an Agreement, but we should all be proud that our Organization obtained and ratified an Agreement without any assistance from the National Meditation Board.

Again, I want thank you for your patience and support through this entire process. Further, I want to thank the entire staff of District Lodge 19 and General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. and his staff for all their assistance in bringing this round of negotiations to a conclusion.