PORTLAND, Maine — Federal mediators certified union representation for two groups of workers at the Central Maine and Quebec Railway, giving 39 employees representation from the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.
The company’s 28 nonoperating employees and 11 train and engine service employees voted for representation through the transportation division of the union, which goes by the acronym SMART, earlier this year.
“Every department on this railroad that voted for representation: the carmen, maintenance of way, machinists, conductors and engineers bravely stood together and have chosen SMART TD as their representative,” SMART transportation organizer Larry Grutzius, said in a news release. “They believe that there is strength in numbers.”
The federal National Mediation Board certified representation for the nonoperating employees in late October and for the train and engine service employees earlier this month, according to agency records.
The National Mediation Board handles labor-management relations in railroad and airline industries. The board said the union sought help in August from the board to conduct votes on whether to unionize.
According to SMART’s website, the union is the largest in the North American railroad industry, with more than 500 local chapters. It represents other transportation sector employees, including bus and mass transit workers and various airline employees.
Central Maine and Quebec Railway purchased the assets of the bankrupt Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway in a bankruptcy sale following the explosive derailment in the Quebec city of Lac Megantic. The employees of Maine, Montreal and Atlantic were represented by a division of the Teamsters union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
A representative from the SMART union did not respond to a request for comment.