(NDAgConnection.com) – The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the third largest railworkers’ union in the country, on Monday rejected a tentative labor contract brokered between the rail carriers and workers’ union representatives, marking the first union to say no to a deal help brokered by the Biden administration.

POLITICO reports that dragged out negotiations and an impending strike nearly brought the railroads to a screeching halt last month, which would have a tremendous impact on the agriculture industry.

The deal would result in a 24 percent wage increase for workers over a 5-year period.

The BMWED-IBT union voted down the deal 6,646 to 5,100.

BMWED President Tony Cardwell said that workers “resent the fact that management holds no regard for their quality of life, illustrated by their stubborn reluctance to provide a higher quantity of paid time off, especially for sickness.”

The union will now reengage in negotiations with the carriers, which will reset the countdown clock on a potential strike. The union said it will delay any strike until five days after Congress reconvenes on Nov. 19.

Four other railroad unions approved the tentative agreements with the freight railroads, but every one of the 12 unions representing freight rail employees must ratify their contracts to prevent a strike. Voting for other unions will be completed by mid-November.