Metro-North Labor Protests Against COVID Schedules

Metro-North’s conductors and engineers are refusing to sign up for their upcoming shifts in an escalation of a labor dispute that threatens to disrupt service on the commuter rail in the weeks to come, The Journal News/lohud.com has learned.

Late last week, the railroad’s engineers refused to participate in the twice-annual selection of rail assignments, prompting a stern response from Metro-North.

“Metro-North Railroad considers this behavior as a deliberate and concerted violation of the collective bargaining agreement and a violation of the union’s obligations under the Railway Labor Act,” Andrew Paul, the railroad’s vice president for labor relations, wrote in a letter to the Association of Commuter Rail Employees (ACRE).

On Monday, the railroad’s conductors backed the engineers by also refusing to sign up for shifts, according to their union head Eddie Valente.
...