BLET News
Eastern Regional Meeting begins this week
We will be reporting to you this week from Chicago, the site of the BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting. Last-minute registrations for meals and events will be accepted online or in person at The Drake Hotel as late as Tuesday morning, August 25. Open and members-only...
BLET members are a key part of peer-to-peer Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program
BLET members regularly operate freight trains carrying some of the most toxic and deadly substances known to man. Those looking for ways to stay safe on the job need look no further than their fellow BLET members who work as peer instructors for the Rail Workers...
The 2026 BLET Convention website is live
The BLET Sixth National Convention will be held at the Horseshoe Hotel in Las Vegas from October 13-15, 2026, and the new convention website is now live at bletconvention.org. Visit the site for convention information, a tentative agenda, hotel and convention-area...
Amtrak suspends Seattle-Portland service indefinitely after warehouse fire
Several BLET members are temporarily out of work for an unexpected reason: Amtrak was forced to halt service through Portland, Oregon, after a major warehouse fire earlier this month. A 100-year-old brick and stone warehouse is still standing but suffered catastrophic...
BLET members overwhelmingly ratify new contract with Illinois Railway
BLET members have overwhelmingly ratified a new five-year agreement with the Illinois Railway (IR). Ballots were tabulated on August 14. There are no concessions in the new contract, which provides full retroactive pay from March of 2025, a $1,000 signing bonus, and...
Replacement ballots available in tentative agreement with Carrollton Railroad
BLET members at the Carrollton Railroad are currently voting on a tentative agreement. Ballots were mailed earlier this month and are due on August 27. Eligible members who have not yet received a ballot should call the BLET National Division’s dedicated voicemail...
Teamsters Rail Conference demands independent review after BNSF automation failure puts train and worker on collision course
The Teamsters Rail Conference is demanding that BNSF Railway take immediate corrective action to better protect the safety of its workforce and the public, following a serious safety lapse involving the railroad’s automated dispatch systems. In a near-catastrophic...
National Health & Welfare Plan Benefits: Comprehensive benefits guide available for your smart phone
The Railroad National Plans — Health & Welfare Benefits are designed to help BLET members and their families live their healthiest lives. Currently available to members is a valuable guide that provides at-a-glance summaries to help you understand the...
National Convention Delegates: Deadline to make hotel reservations is September 4
September 4 is the deadline for delegates to make their hotel room reservations for the BLET’s Sixth National Convention. The Convention will be held at the Horseshoe Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Delegates are encouraged to make their reservations soon, as rooms may...
Registration now open for upcoming rail hazmat/chemical emergency response training programs
The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is hosting four in-person rail worker training sessions in late 2026 and early 2027 in Houston during the weeks of October 4-9, 2026; January 10-15, 2027; February 21-26, 2027; and March 14-19, 2027. The 40-hour...
BLET applauds Trump Administration’s successful defense of two-person crew rule
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) applauds the Trump Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, and Federal Railroad Administration for successfully defending the federal Crew Size Rule against the railroad industry’s effort to...
Replacement ballots available in tentative agreement with Illinois Railway
BLET members at the Illinois Railway (IR) are currently voting on a tentative agreement. Ballots were mailed in late-July. Eligible members who have not yet received a ballot should call the BLET National Division’s dedicated voicemail line to have a replacement...
BLET Education and Training Department: Training classes for Local Chairmen, Secretary-Treasurers set for September
The BLET Education & Training Department will conduct comprehensive training classes for Local Chairmen and Secretary-Treasurers during September at the BLET National Division Headquarters in Independence, Ohio. Both classes will be offered in a hybrid format,...
BLET reaches tentative agreement with Carrollton Railroad
Ballots were mailed this week to BLET members voting on a tentative agreement with the Carrollton Railroad, located in Kentucky. If ratified by the members, the tentative deal would represent the first BLET-negotiated contract at the property after Carrollton workers...
Arbitration win at BNSF is about more than a single case; It shows what BLET can accomplish when we work together
Brothers and Sisters, On August 6th, the BLET achieved an important victory for engineers working in pool service on the former Montana Rail Link territory. Public Law Board No. 8083 ruled that BNSF’s attempt to use the Enhanced Customer Service (ECS) provisions of...
Rhode Island governor signs BLET-backed two-person crew bill
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed a BLET-backed two-person crew bill into law on July 23. The bill reads in part: “No train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight may be operated unless it has a crew consisting of at least two persons.”...
Arbitrator sides with the union: BLET wins case where the BNSF tried to eliminate rest options for locomotive engineers
BILLINGS, Mont. — On Thursday, August 6, in an important decision for railroad workers, an arbitrator ruled in favor of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), blocking BNSF Railway from eliminating contractually-negotiated rest periods under the...
President Wallace on Senator Andy Kim: “He gets it when it comes to AI and automation”
BLET National President Mark Wallace and First Vice President Gary Best met with Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) as part of their series of high-level meetings on Capitol Hill. Wallace and Best went to Capitol Hill late last month to advocate on behalf of BLET members and the...
Expanded programming set for next month’s Eastern Regional Meeting
Registration is still available for the BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting in Chicago in August. As with the Western Regional Meeting in New Orleans earlier this month, the Chicago regional meeting will offer expanded programming in addition to the slate of traditional...
President Wallace on Senator Bernie Moreno: “He’s our guy on introducing cross border legislation in the Senate”
BLET National President Mark Wallace and First Vice President Gary Best again met with Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) as part of their series of high-level meetings on Capitol Hill in July. They met with Senator Moreno back in January as well. Wallace and Best went to...
Daily Headlines
Trump administration pushes tougher English rules for Mexican train crews crossing into U.S.
Mark Wallace, the national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union, has been raising concerns about this practice of using Mexican train crews for several years because of safety, security and job concerns.
House bill would block Mexican rail crews from operating trains into U.S.
Mark Wallace, president of the Teamsters Rail Conference and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said the bill addresses “a critically important issue. … In repeated visits to the southern border, I heard one consistent message from BLET members: railroad jobs in America should be done by Americans.”
BNSF reports Q4, full year 2025 results
For full-year 2025, BNSF reported total revenue of $23.4 billion, about the same as the previous year, and net income of $5.5 billion, up 9%.
Second PEB finds for unions in dispute with LIRR
A second Presidential Emergency Board has sided with a coalition of unions in their ongoing contract dispute with the Long Island Rail Road — but the LIRR rejected the board’s recommendation, setting the stage for a strike or lockout in May.
CN announces Q4, full-year 2025 results
CN reported revenues of C$4,464 million and operating income of C$1,733 million.
Norfolk Southern reports Q4, full-year 2025 results
For the fourth quarter of 2025, NS reported revenue of $3.0 billion and income from railway operations of $937 million.
CPKC reports Q4, full-year 2025 results
CPKC announced its fourth-quarter 2025 revenues of $3.9 billion.
Union Pacific reports Q4, full-year 2025 results
UP reported 2025 fourth quarter net income of $1.8 billion
CSX announces Q4, full-year 2025 results
CSX Corp. announced fourth quarter 2025 operating income of $1.11 billion and net earnings of $720 million.
Railroads thwart safety fixes, costing lives
Fatigue-related accidents killed at least nine people and injured over 300 from 2015 through 2024, the Howard Center’s analysis of NTSB investigation reports found.
