BLET News
Senator Bernie Sanders to address BLET members on July 29
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will address BLET members during a welcome reception at the union’s Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday, July 29. If time permits, the Senator plans to engage in a question and answer session. Senator Sanders...
Operation RedBlock reaches 40-year milestone anniversary
Over the last four decades, Operation RedBlock has proven essential, especially given the highly unpredictable nature of employee schedules in the rail industry. ____________________ The railroad industry’s leading peer-based substance abuse prevention program turns...
Daughter of BLET member a candidate for Congress in Maryland
Sarah Elfreth (center) meets with BLET Director of Political Affairs Brendan Sullivan (left) and BLET VP and NLR Vince Verna (right) ____________________ The BLET is backing the candidacy of Sarah Elfreth — the daughter of a retired BLET member — in the upcoming...
PEB 251 established to settle ongoing BLET-NJ Transit contract dispute
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. appointed Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) No. 251 to investigate the collective bargaining dispute between the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and New Jersey Transit (NJT). Pursuant to the Railway Labor Act...
Take Action! Don’t let the budget axe fall on Railroad Retirement
BLET members and their families are urged to keep the pressure on Congress to avoid potentially catastrophic budget cuts to the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). Please use the Take Action area of the BLET website to contact Congress today, especially if you are...
Amtrak: BLET says carrier should put money into repairs, not executive bonuses
Days before widespread failures at Amtrak this summer, it was revealed that top executives received millions in bonuses in 2023. Photo courtesy of Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659 ____________________ It’s been a rough summer for Amtrak. Major electrical problems in the...
Capitol Hill: Rail safety bills back in the spotlight
The nomination of Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) as the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States has put the Railway Safety Act (S. 576) back into the spotlight. Meanwhile, new legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would make C3RS...
Ohio: Division Legislative Representatives complete training
From left: Sam Schatz, Div. 447; John Peter, Div. 894; Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (District 23, Lakewood); John Esterly, Ohio SLB Chairman; Bruce Tatgenhorst, Div. 255; and Kevin Helton, Div. 292. ____________________ During the week of June 24-28, the...
Jim and Debbie Keele mark 50-years of membership
Jim and Debbie Keele at the 2024 BLET Western Regional Meeting in Kansas City. ____________________ Congratulations to retired BLET member Jim Keele and his wife Debbie, who are celebrating three milestone anniversaries this year: Brother Jim is a 50-year member of...
Breaking News: BLET members ratify new contract with SEPTA
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen today ratified a new three-year contract with SEPTA. An impressive 87 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, with 94 percent voting in favor. The contract provides numerous improvements for BLET...
Ohio: House of Representatives votes unanimously to advance bill honoring fallen BLET Brother Lou Shuster
Ohio Rep. Sean Brennan is the sponsor of HB 381 and is pictured here addressing BLET members in 2023. ____________________ By a vote of 87-0, the Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill that would rename a northeast Ohio highway interchange to honor fallen BLET...
Congress: Budget proposal would gut Railroad Retirement Board
If you think phone wait times are bad now when calling the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), think again. They could get much worse if proposed budget cuts are allowed to happen. RRB Labor Member John Bragg announced on June 26 that the House Appropriations...
NTSB derailment investigation renews concerns about detectors, tank cars and Norfolk Southern
The National Transportation Safety Board’s daylong hearing on what caused the disastrous East Palestine train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last year gave the community, railroads and policymakers plenty to think about.
NMB news: Sweatt assumes Chairmanship, UNITE/IBT employees released from mediation
In a brief published on July 1, the National Mediation Board announced that Loren Sweatt, a Republican, has assumed Chairmanship. Deirdre Hamilton and Linda Puchala, both Democrats, will remain as Members of the Board. The NMB also confirmed on July 1 that, pursuant...
California: BLET members ratify new agreement with PHL
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), Division 214, and Pacific Harbor Line, Inc. (PHL) have overwhelmingly ratified a three-year extension to their current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) well ahead of any deadline. The agreement...
Nevada: Union Pacific’s remote control locomotives are a threat to public safety
Just days after an explosive New York Times investigative report exposed the dangers of remote control technology, the Union Pacific launched a wide-ranging initiative to implement remote control locomotives (RCLs) in Las Vegas. Brother Matt Parker, Chairman of the...
BLET, BMWED members participate in Teamsters Women’s Conference
More than 1,500 Teamster Sisters attended dozens of workshops to empower workers and better advocate for their fellow members on the job during the Teamsters Women's Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 23-26. Topics included union bylaws, heat stress, internal...
Excessive train length: Rail industry is still lobbying against safety rules
A recent article published at Jacobin.com examines how the railroad industry has continued to aggressively lobby against federal safety regulations since the 2023 East Palestine disaster, even as new data suggests that increases in train length have made derailments...
Act now! SEPTA, PHL members should request a replacement ballot ASAP
Pacific Harbor Line intermodal train. Photo courtesy of Jason Burke ____________________ Balloting is currently underway on tentative agreements at two BLET-represented railroads — SEPTA and Pacific Harbor Line (PHL). Eligible members who have not received a ballot...
Ohio Senators ramp up pressure to pass Railway Safety Act
U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and J.D. Vance (R-OH) are pressuring Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and skeptical Republicans to pass the Railway Safety Act. The NTSB’s damning investigation of Norfolk Southern’s toxic 2023 train derailment in East...
Daily Headlines
Norfolk Southern reports Q2 2024 results
Operating income was up 96%, to $1.1 billion, as revenue grew 2%, to $3 billion.
Union Pacific reports Q2 2024 results
Quarterly operating income increased 9%, to $2.4 billion, as revenue grew 1%, to $6 billion. Earnings per share rose 7%, to $2.74. UP’s operating ratio improved 3 points, to 60%.
Vance pick for VP muddies push for rail safety bill
Election-year politics combined with a tight legislative schedule are complicating the effort to pass rail safety legislation stemming from last year’s East Palestine, Ohio, derailment.
NJ Transit strike averted for now
BLET Vice President Jim Louis explains what engineers are seeking in a contract settlement.
NJ Transit — almost on brink of a rail strike — asks Biden to intervene
NJ Transit officials asked President Joe Biden to form a Presidential Emergency Board, a move heading off a potential rail strike by locomotive engineers and trainmen that could have crippled the daily commute.
Teamsters endorse Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024
“The Teamsters Union proudly support the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act, and the essential requirements it includes,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien.
Lawmakers introduce new bipartisan bill to push rail safety after East Palestine
The legislation was introduced by Railroads Subcommittee Chair Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and includes U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, as a co-sponsor.
Rushed railcar inspections and ‘stagnated’ safety record reinforce concerns after fiery Ohio crash
Major freight railroads are rushing railcar inspections, reinforcing known safety concerns raised by unions for years, but at a House hearing Tuesday they’ll present new evidence from federal inspectors that railcar checks are routinely less than two minutes per car.
NTSB releases final report on Lou Shuster fatality
NTSB determined that the probable cause of the March 7, 2023, Norfolk Southern Railway employee fatality was the crew not following Norfolk Southern Operating Rule 120 requiring a member of the crew to be on the ground at the private highway-railroad grade crossing to warn traffic.
BNSF accuses teenage rail enthusiast of derailing train, filming it
The teenager allegedly filmed the derailment as it happened and later posted it on YouTube.
