September 15, 2025
September 13, 2025 – American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) members from the Genesee & Wyoming System (G&W) have voted in overwhelming favor of ratifying their first Collective Bargaining Agreement. Ninety-five percent of the votes favored ratifying the Agreement, which will significantly raise member wages, establish an array of work rule protections, and preserve key existing benefits. Following the G&W Train Dispatchers’ successful vote to unionize with ATDA in September 2024, the Organization has been negotiating toward this moment ever since.
While the comprehensive new agreement will provide a wide range of protections for the G&W members, wage improvements are one of the most important. Addressing that critical issue are scheduled wage increases that will provide an average raise of 13% immediately, then another across the board increase of 7% just a few months later, on January 1, 2026. Along with additional scheduled increases over the next several years, the Agreement represents the initial steps toward obtaining fair compensation that G&W Dispatchers deserve.
Given that this is a first Agreement for the new ATDA members, it will also mark the first time that G&W’s Train Dispatchers benefit from such critical components of representation as seniority, seniority-based job bidding, order of call, the right to appeal discipline, and much more.
During this process, ATDA’s bargaining team was comprised of President Ed Dowell, Vice President Barry Cross Jr., and Vice President Colin Thurman.
Commenting on the significance of the Agreement, President Dowell said, “The G&W Train Dispatchers organized with ATDA because they had serious concerns about their jobs. This Agreement answers many of those concerns, but there’s still work to be done. It’s a landmark moment for them and a real step forward, but our job representing them is only just beginning.”
Vice President Barry Cross Jr. also commented on the Agreement as a mark of significant progress, by saying, “After a long process, I’m pleased that we were able to achieve a TA (tentative agreement) for the G&W members. It provides important progress toward fair compensation and provides some nice arbitraries as well. The members have decided on this contract, and I think it’s a good step toward capturing the equity they deserve.”
Vice President Colin Thurman agreed, while also looking forward to other beneficial changes that unionizing will provide, “Our G&W members have faced tremendous adversity and have expressed their frustration with wages and working conditions. This first contract is a big step towards much-needed improvements in those areas. For most of them, this is their first experience as union members, and I’m really looking forward to providing further explanation about the protections they’ll now be afforded when working under a CBA.”
