April 28, 2026
CPKC reaches tentative collective agreements with U.S. network unions
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) announced it has reached new tentative collective bargaining agreements with the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Works Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) consolidating 11 existing contracts across the company's U.S. network into two new long-term hourly agreements.
Each of the tentative agreements has a term from 2025 to 2034 and covers approximately 1,700 Train & Engine (T&E) service employees across 11 states Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana.
The SMART-TD agreement covers conductors, brakemen, and other train service employees, while the BLET agreement covers locomotive engineers and other T&E employees, bringing railroaders previously covered under multiple agreements into a modern, streamlined labor framework aligned with CPKC's integrated North American network.
The ratification of these two long-term hourly agreements, combined with the recently ratified Soo Line BLET agreement, would represent the conclusion of negotiations for approximately 81 percent of CPKC's U.S. T&E workforce. The Soo Line BLET agreement ratified in December 2025 is not scheduled to reopen again for collective bargaining until 2029.
Source: CPKC