Norfolk Southern touches down in Minneapolis as rail labor talks resume

Norfolk Southern flew from Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta to Flying Cloud Airport in Minneapolis on June 2, a two-hour-and-four-minute hop aboard its Bombardier Challenger 605, tail number N157NS.

The trip lands the same week the railroad enters a critical round of collective bargaining with the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, per a June 2 company announcement. The talks, covering roughly 4,000 track workers across Norfolk Southern’s eastern network, are set to address wages and working conditions ahead of a contract expiration later this month. Minneapolis is a regional hub for the union’s midwest district.

The flight follows a pattern of Norfolk Southern’s frequent trips to labor-related destinations in the upper Midwest; over the prior two weeks, the aircraft visited Omaha, Nebraska, and Battle Creek, Michigan, both sites of earlier negotiating sessions. CEO Mark George has made labor stability a priority since taking the helm in late 2024.