BLET News
Keep up the pressure: Tell your Senator to reinstate full railroad unemployment and sickness benefits
BLET members have sent more than 2,500 messages in support of the bipartisan REEF Act (S. 1274) to members of the United States Senate since the bill was passed by the Senate Budget Committee on March 6. The Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness Act, or the REEF Act,...
Save the Date: 2024 BLET regional meetings
The BLET National Division is pleased to announce the dates and locations of this year’s regional meetings. The Western Regional Meeting will be held in Kansas City, Mo., from June 3-7 at the Marriott Kansas City Downtown (200 West 12th St., Kansas City, MO, 65105)....
Amtrak: East Coast service boost is welcome news, but BLET says other route improvements are necessary
In a report published by Reuters on March 4, Amtrak said it will boost passenger services on the East Coast as it aims to double ridership nationwide by 2040. BLET General Chairman Patrick W. Darcy Jr. welcomed the news but said improvements to the rest of Amtrak’s...
BLET Auxiliary raffle raises money for scholarships, other programs
The National BLET Auxiliary is offering a chance to win a Blackstone Portable Pizza Oven. Raffle tickets cost $5.00 each and the proceeds go to help support the annual BLET Auxiliary scholarship fund, the Care and Assistance Program, and many other programs that...
Celebrating Women’s History Month: Mary Elizabeth Walton’s inventions reduced air and noise pollution in early railroads
Mary Elizabeth Walton was a 19th century American inventor who was awarded with two patents that benefited the early railroad industry in the United States. In 1881, she created a method for reducing the environmental hazards of the smoke emitted from locomotives and...
New England: BLET members ratify new contract with Berkshire & Eastern
On March 7, BLET members ratified a new contract with the Berkshire & Eastern Railroad (B&E). The agreement governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for 32 members. It was ratified by a vote of 26 in favor, one against. Some of the contractual...
NJ Transit: BLET locomotive engineers make their case for fair treatment at public hearing on fare hikes
BLET members at a recent NJ Transit public hearing, from left: Mike Liffner, Division 53; Steve McCusker, Division 373; Pete McGinnis, Division 373 Vice Local Chairman; and Don Melhorn, Division 272 Secretary-Treasurer. __________ NJ Transit held the first of 10...
Act now! Tell your Senator to reinstate full railroad unemployment and sickness benefits
A BLET-backed bill currently making its way through the United States Senate would restore full unemployment and sickness benefits to all railroad workers. For more than 10 years now, individual railroad workers have unfairly had these benefits reduced by about $200...
Education & Training: Hybrid class hosted LM-2 filers in the classroom and via Zoom
The BLET Education & Training Department continues to leverage the technological advances incorporated into the National Division Training Center by expanding avenues to provide critical information to BLET officers. The Department hosted a hybrid training class...
STB’s Robert Primus: Deja vu, all over again
As yet another hedge fund seeks a hostile takeover of a Class I railroad, Surface Transportation Board Member Robert Primus condemned the “scorched-earth” cuts associated with Precision Scheduled Railroading in a guest column published by Progressive Railroading. He...
Organizing News: BLET Auxiliary welcomes new members in Wisconsin, Virginia
Above: Badger State Auxiliary No. 209 was officially organized in Green Bay, Wisconsin on October 14, 2023. Below: BLET Auxiliary 804 was organized in Richmond, Virginia on February 10, 2024. Several BLET officers were on hand at both ceremonies to lend support. The...
Celebrating Women’s History Month: During World War II, women helped to keep America’s trains moving
During World War II, women were called upon to enter to the workforce to keep the American economy moving as millions of men were called to serve in the armed forces. By the end of 1945, some 250,000 women were working on railroads throughout the United States. While...
BLET General Chairmen say proposed changes for Norfolk Southern by hedge fund Ancora are “bad for investors,” “reckless,” and “likely to lead to more train wrecks”
The BLET General Chairmen who represent members at Norfolk Southern (NS) have taken the side of current railroad leadership as hedge fund Ancora Holdings attempts to take over the company and double-down on Precision Scheduled Railroading. Earlier this month,...
Celebrating Black History Month: Labor leader and Civil Rights activist A. Philip Randolph founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
Asa Philip Randolph (1889-1979) was the founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first African American-led union to receive a charter from the American Federation of Labor (AFL). In addition to serving as a union leader, Randolph was a civil rights...
In the States: Two-person crew bill advances to Governor’s desk in Virginia; Ohio legislature takes up measure to honor fallen Brother Lou Shuster
Many BLET members were on hand along with Ohio Rep. Sean Brennan to throw their support behind HB 381 that would rename a northeast Ohio highway interchange to honor fallen Brother Lou Shuster. Ohio Ohio State Legislative Board Chairman John Esterly reports that the...
General Chairman Bunten talks C3RS on podcast
Want to know more about the BLET’s recently signed Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) pilot program with Norfolk Southern? Listen to a podcast featuring BLET General Chairman Scott Bunten (Norfolk Southern-Eastern Lines GCA). In the 10-minute discussion...
Woman killed by remote controlled locomotive in Buffalo, renews questions about trains operated without engineers in control
Last week, on February 16, a woman was struck and killed by a remote controlled locomotive (RCL) in CSX Transportation’s Frontier Yard in Buffalo, New York. This is at least the second time in the past year that a CSX RCL has been involved with hitting a local...
RRB announces Spring 2024 Pre-Retirement Seminars
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has announced its schedule of Pre-Retirement Seminars for Spring 2024. This popular program is a valuable resource for railroad workers, and advance on-line registration is required for those wishing to attend. Click here for...
In the States: Two-person crew bill advances in Virginia; Rail safety bill gets media attention in Colorado
Virginia BLET Virginia State Legislative Board Chairman Tim Craver reports progress on the state’s two-person crew bill. Both bills — SB 143 and HB 385 — have passed their respective chambers after their third reading earlier this month. Both are in the legislature’s...
Contract News: Ballots mailed to BLET members at three railroads to vote on tentative agreements
Ballots were mailed to BLET members this week for voting on tentative agreements at three railroads —Utah Railway, Missouri & Northern Arkansas (M&NA), and Berkshire & Eastern (B&E). Details are as follows: Utah Railway The five-year tentative...
Daily Headlines
Members of American Train Dispatcher Association protest at opening of CPKC stadium
The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) staged a protest outside the match at the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Stadium. ATDA shared its frustrations with CPKC sharing they are refusing to provide paid sick leave for employees.
STB to UP: Employment data must be public; Ancora responds to Oberman’s criticism
The Surface Transportation Board denied Union Pacific Railroad’s request to keep certain required, temporary employment-data reporting confidential.
Berkshire boosts pay of Warren Buffett successor to $20 million
Berkshire Hathaway said Warren Buffett raised the pay of his designated successor Greg Abel to $20 million last year, as the conglomerate posted a record operating profit.
A year after CPKC merger, Chicago-area mayors see more frequent and longer trains
One year into a hotly contested railroad merger, suburban leaders report lengthy and more frequent freight trains, and they’re preparing for a future deluge.
Ancora’s safety white paper can’t withstand a simple fact check: Analysis
Ancora is stuck on the misinformation highway with a safety white paper that makes several claims that can’t hold up to scrutiny.
Judge allows East Palestine residents lawsuit against Norfolk Southern to proceed
A class action suit accusing Norfolk Southern of negligence over the train derailment that released toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, last year can go forward, a federal judge determined Wednesday.
AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending March 9, 2024
Total carloads for the week ending March 9 were 214,585 carloads, down 3.7 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 258,077 containers and trailers, up 13.5 percent compared to 2023.
Union Pacific CEO defends safety practices without mentioning key critic
Jim Vena’s opening remarks Wednesday at the J.P. Morgan 2024 Industrials Conference could easily be seen as a rebuttal to one man: Amit Bose, the chairman of the Federal Railroad Administration.
Buttigieg scolds railroads for not doing more to improve safety since East Palestine
In a new letter to the freight railroads’ main trade group, Buttigieg said too often regulators encounter resistance when trying to get the industry to do more to improve safety.
BNSF eliminates management jobs amid uncertain freight outlook
BNSF Railway eliminated several hundred management positions at its headquarters and across the system last week as part of a belt-tightening move.