LABOR

Railroad Union Agrees to Smaller Crews: Burlington Northern Railroad, operator of the nation’s largest rail system, and the United Transportation Union have signed an agreement to reduce train crew sizes. The company said the deal, which covers 5,100 union members, will allow it to be much more competitive in markets where it competes directly with trucks. Unionized crew sizes on the 16,400 miles of its system now covered by the agreement include a conductor and either one or two brakemen. Under the new agreement, there will be only a conductor on some trains and a conductor and one brakeman on others.