National Conference of Firemen & Oilers

What National Conference of Firemen & Oilers does

National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO) is a U.S. labor union founded in 1898 and headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with additional offices in Washington, D.C. and Louisville, Kentucky. The union is organized as a district local within SEIU 32BJ (Service Employees International Union), which has 2.1 million members, and operates autonomously under its own elected Executive Board. NCFO represents workers across freight and passenger railroads — including bargaining units at BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, CN Railroads, and Amtrak — as well as commuter rail (MTA Metro North and Long Island Railroad) and a diverse set of private and public-sector roles in distilleries, chemical processing, manufacturing, racetracks, housing authorities, and Jefferson County Public Schools. Its core business is collective bargaining representation, grievance handling, labor dispute resolution, and political advocacy for transportation infrastructure, particularly high-speed rail.

NCFO's product surface is modest and oriented toward member service rather than technology monetization. The flagship digital product is NCFO ENGAGE, an internal member-engagement platform hosted at engage.ncfo.org that equips chapter leaders with email, text, social media, and calls-to-action tools. Additional member-facing resources cover organizing support, healthcare and family-issue benefits, and workplace representation. NCFO is one of ten unions inside the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition, which collectively bargains with the National Carriers Conference Committee on behalf of more than 105,000 railroad workers, and is an executive committee member of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Coalition. It also holds a Trustee seat on the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust.

The union is funded entirely through member dues and has 11–50 employees. It does not publicly disclose specific dues amounts or financial statements. Recent strategic activity centers on a leadership transition (Michael Pistone replacing Dean Devita as President effective late 2023), a successful round of national freight rail tentative agreements in August 2024, and high-profile advocacy for federal high-speed rail funding including the $6.1 billion announced in December 2023 for Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail.

Name

National Conference of Firemen & Oilers

Legal name

National Conference of Firemen & Oilers District, Local 32BJ, SEIU

Website

https://ncfo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NCFO is a 125-year-old U.S. labor union and SEIU 32BJ district local that represents freight, passenger, and commuter railroad workers alongside private- and public-sector employees, providing collective bargaining, contract negotiation, and political advocacy through multi-union coalitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Representation Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLAJAEAL

Interagency Coordination & Multimodal Integration (Adjacent Railways, Metro, Freight, Ports)

Transportation & Logistics/Transportation Infrastructure & Operations (Roads, Rail Networks, Traffic Management)/Rail Operations Control & Dispatch (Network Control Centers)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining
• Railroad worker advocacy
• Union organizing services
• Worker rights protection

Headquarters

HQ city

Falls Church

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: Labor union funded through membership dues. Revenue supports collective bargaining, member representation, organizing efforts, political advocacy, and union operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NCFO is a labor union that represents workers in collective bargaining negotiations with their employers. The union primarily represents freight, passenger, and commuter railroad workers (BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, Union Pacific, CN, MTA Metro North, MTA LIRR) and workers in distilleries, chemical processing, manufacturing, racetracks, and public sector roles. It also operates NCFO ENGAGE, a member engagement platform enabling chapter leaders to communicate with members via email, text, and social media.

Product overview

The National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO) is a labor union affiliated with 32BJ SEIU (Service Employees International Union). The organization offers a suite of member services including NCFO ENGAGE (a member communication and engagement platform), union organizing services to help workers form and join unions, member benefits programs, and family issues resources. NCFO primarily represents workers in the railroad industry (freight and passenger), as well as workers in various private and public sector occupations throughout the United States. The union's core offering is collective bargaining representation and labor advocacy for its members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 17.5% General Wage Increases over 5 years in tentative agreements with Norfolk Southern and BNSF
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (NRRIT)minorOthers · 31 December 2023Trust established under Railroad Retirement and Survivors Improvement Act of 2001, allowing railroad employees to retire at age 60 with 30 years of service. NCFO President Dean Devita elected as Trustee replacing George Francisco.
• U.S. High Speed Rail CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2023Alliance of unions, businesses, and public servants advocating for federal and state funding for high-speed rail. NCFO is an executive committee member. Co-chaired by Ray LaHood, Anthony Foxx, and Rod Diridon. Advocated for $12 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program.
• High-Speed Rail Labor CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2023Coalition of 13 rail unions representing 160,000+ freight, regional, commuter, and passenger railroad workers. Negotiated landmark agreement with Brightline West for union labor to operate and maintain the Las Vegas-Los Angeles high-speed rail system.
• 32BJ SEIU (Service Employees International Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCFO is an affiliate of 32BJ SEIU. SEIU has 2.1 million members dedicated to raising industry standards, making life better for working families and building a fair economy. 32BJ represents property service workers and is one of the largest unions in the SEIU.
• Coordinated Bargaining Coalition (CBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 10 rail unions representing 105,000+ railroad workers. Members include ATDA, BLET, BRS, IAM, IBB, NCFO, IBEW, TWU, TCU, and SMART-TD. Bargains collectively with National Carriers Conference Committee for national freight rail agreements.
• Transportation Trades Department AFL-CIO (TTD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederation of transportation unions providing advocacy and political support. TTD President Greg Regan works with NCFO on rail labor issues. Collaborated on high-speed rail advocacy and infrastructure investment.
• Cooperating Railway Labor Organizations (CRLO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail labor umbrella group overseeing health plan administration with NRLC. Includes 12 rail unions including NCFO. Successfully arbitrated to preserve railroad workers' right to choose medical networks.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SEIU (Service Employees International Union): SEIU is the parent federation of SEIU 32BJ, which NCFO is affiliated with. Comparable as a broader labor organization with which NCFO has a direct parent-affiliate relationship providing 2.1M members of collective scale.
• AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO is the largest U.S. labor federation, with affiliate unions including many of NCFO's direct rail peers. Comparable as a broader umbrella organization in the labor movement that NCFO and its partners engage with through TTD and other channels.

Direct peers

• American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA): ATDA represents train dispatchers in freight and passenger rail and is a fellow Coordinated Bargaining Coalition member. Directly comparable as a niche rail labor union with similar size and scope to NCFO.
• Transport Workers Union (TWU): TWU represents transit, airline, and rail workers and participates in the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition. Comparable as a transportation-sector labor union with overlapping passenger rail representation (including LIRR/MTA workers).
• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB): IBB represents metal workers including those in rail and heavy industry, and is a Coordinated Bargaining Coalition member. Comparable to NCFO as an industrial/railcraft trade union engaged in the same national freight rail negotiations.
• Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS): BRS represents railroad signalmen and is another member of the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition. Directly comparable in scope, scale, and rail-specific collective bargaining function as NCFO.
• International Association of Machinists (IAM): IAM represents machinists and aerospace workers and is a key member of the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition. Comparable as a larger industrial/rail labor union with overlapping freight rail representation.
• Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET): BLET is a rail labor union representing locomotive engineers and trainmen, and a fellow member of the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition alongside NCFO. Directly comparable as a railroad-specific collective bargaining union operating in the same freight rail contract negotiations.
• Transportation Communications Union / IAM (TCU): TCU/IAM represents railroad clerical, communications, and maintenance workers and is a fellow Coordinated Bargaining Coalition member. Directly comparable as a rail labor union operating in the same national bargaining framework as NCFO.
• SMART-TD (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, Transportation Division): SMART-TD represents conductors, brakemen, and transportation workers on freight and passenger railroads. It is a core member of the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition and a direct peer in rail collective bargaining.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Conference of Firemen & Oilers