Updated agreement includes sick time and pay increases

January 15, 2025 (BOSTON) - Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the MBTA’s operating and maintenance partner for the Commuter Rail, has reached a tentative agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET). The agreement, pending ratification by union members, will be retroactive to July 1, 2023, when the contracts became amendable.

“Keolis is pleased to have reached an updated agreement with BLET,” said Abdellah Chajai, CEO and General Manager of Keolis Commuter Services. “We’re proud of the agreements we’ve now reached with eleven of our fourteen unions. As one of the largest employers in Massachusetts, we want to ensure that the railroad continues to be a place where people are proud to work and develop a career."

“This tentative contract which is subject to formal ratification by the BLET members ensures that our members will continue to receive the pay and benefits they deserve for the important work they do for the passengers of the Commuter Rail every day,” said BLET General Chairman Pat Darcy. “We’re proud to have reached this strong agreement on behalf of our members and their families.”

Among other provisions, the five-year agreement includes: paid sick leave, annual wage increases, unmatched health benefits, enhancements to the bereavement and vacation policy, and the addition of Juneteenth as a paid holiday.  

With this agreement, Keolis has reached tentative agreements with the following unions: Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), American Railway and Airway Supervisors Association (ARASA), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED), Brotherhood of Railway Carmen (BRC), Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen (BRS), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB, Transportation Communications Union (TCU), Brotherhood of Railway Carmen (BRC), and National Conference of Firemen and Oilers (NCFO).  

The International Association of Machinists (IAM) and SMART Sheetmetal have both ratified their updated agreements with Keolis. Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) has ratified and settled their updated agreement.

This brings the total number of unions under agreement to eleven of fourteen.

Keolis Commuter Services has operated and maintained the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail system, the sixth largest commuter rail operation in North America, for over ten years. KCS is a subsidiary of Keolis North America (KNA), both headquartered in Boston, and employs approximately 2,500 people throughout the region. KCS and KNA are part of Keolis Group, an innovative global leader in transit services with more than a century of passenger transportation experience and operations in 13 countries.  

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