BLET News
Federal rail safety reform legislation is overdue. “We want detectors, but not in place of inspectors,” is the message at rail safety roundtable.
Attendees at the Roundtable, from left: BLET Ohio SLBC John Esterly, BLET VP and NLR Vince Verna, Ohio U.S. Rep Mike Rulli (R-OH), and Division 255 LR and LC Bruce Tatgenhorst. ____________________ Leaders of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division...
BLET statement on proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — In response to today’s announcement by Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) regarding a proposed merger, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) issued the following statement on behalf of its members at both carriers:...
National President Wallace discusses cross-border rail issue with Mexico, rail safety, recent agreements and other topics in podcast interview
BLET National President Mark Wallace joined America's Work Force Union Podcast last week to discuss problems with crews from Mexico operating trains in the U.S. and why the practice, while currently limited, should be halted. President Wallace said the cross-border...
Unions, including BLET, urge Congress to add transportation workers to “no tax on overtime” provision
Teamsters Rail Conference affiliates BLET and BMWED have signed on to a labor-led letter asking Congress to swiftly correct a technical error in the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBA) that caused rail workers to be excluded from the bill’s overtime...
DOT launches “regulatory sprint,” but what’s at the finish line?
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched a “regulatory sprint,” a term that describes eliminating or changing nearly 200 safety regulations that provide safeguards for the rail industry, its workers, and the communities they serve. Under direction from...
Now you see it, now you don’t: Transportation appropriations bill would use other rail infrastructure money to fund Amtrak and FRA
House Appropriations Committee Republicans last week released the draft fiscal year 2026 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development (THUD), and Related Agencies funding bill. The BLET is keeping a close eye on the proceedings as the proposed legislation...
Keith Kerley reelected General Chairman of CSXT Western Lines GCA
Keith Kerley was reelected by acclamation to his third term as General Chairman of the BLET’s CSXT Western Lines General Committee of Adjustment at the GCA’s quadrennial meeting on July 16, 2025. The GCA represents more than 2,800 active and retired members from 25...
BLET, UP reach tentative agreement on 3% interim raise
The BLET has reached a tentative agreement with the Union Pacific Railroad that would provide a general wage increase of 3% to approximately 6,000 BLET members employed at UP, if ratified. The proposed “interim raise” is described in the balloting materials that are...
July 2025 RRB Q&A: Disability annuities for railroad employees
The Railroad Retirement Act provides disability annuities for railroaders who become totally or occupationally disabled. Medicare coverage before age 65 is also available for totally disabled employees and those suffering from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or...
AAR de-regulatory playbooks, part 5 in a series: Rail industry seeks to weaken safeguards for remote control operations
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) asked for feedback on federal safety regulations that could be repealed or modified. Class I railroads through their trade group, the Association of American Railroads (AAR,) jumped at the chance to put...
Seattle/Bellevue: July 21 is the deadline to make hotel reservations for BLET’s Western Regional Meeting
BLET members have until Monday, July 21 to make hotel reservations for the Western Regional Meeting, which will take place the week of August 18 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, 900 Bellevue Way NE, Wash., 98004, telephone (888) 959-9356. Meeting registration and hotel...
Amtrak: Hey y’all, after a 20-year absence, Mardi Gras service to resume along America’s Gulf Coast
Amtrak announced on June 30 that its Mardi Gras service between New Orleans, Louisiana. and Mobile, Alabama, with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula, Mississippi will resume on August 18. The twice-daily service will provide employment...
North Central Texas Council of Governments votes to secure funding for Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer for one year
P42 no. 176 pushes the Heartland Flyer north toward Tower 60 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Matt Shell ____________________ Thanks to the continued efforts of the BLET and Teamsters, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) voted on July 10 to fund...
Have You Registered? The deadline for the Western Regional Meeting is right around the corner
Mount Rainier is a must-see icon of the Washington landscape. Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level it is located less than 60 miles south of Seattle. ____________________ Registration continues for the BLET’s 2025 Western Regional Meeting in Bellevue, Wash.,...
June 2025 RRB Q&A: Understanding unemployment and sickness benefits for railroad employees
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) administers the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), which provides qualified railroaders with unemployment benefits when they become unemployed but are ready, willing, and able to work, and sickness benefits when they cannot...
AAR de-regulatory playbooks, part 4 in a series: Cutting corners on brake operability puts lives at risk
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) solicited public feedback on possible federal safety regulations that could be repealed or modified to achieve “meaningful burden reduction while continuing to meet statutory obligations and ensure the...
Educational loans from the BLET’s Greene Fund available to children of members in good standing
All BLET members with adolescent children going on to higher education, whether it be for trade school, associate, bachelor or graduate degrees, please take notice. The Franklin P. Greene Fund, established in 1956, is an educational loan fund set up to assist the...
BLET-produced video shows safety and security threats tied to plan by Class I railroads that allows Mexican engineers to operate trains in the USA
Division 566 Local Chairman Rick Perez (left) and UP-Southern Region GCA General Chairman Scott Alexander are interviewed in BLET's cross-border video. ____________________ The BLET has produced a short video outlining the safety and security threats that are linked...
Obituary: Former BLE International President Clarence Monin, 1940-2025
Former BLE International President Clarence V. Monin passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 26. He was 84 years old. He served in the union’s highest office from 1996-1998. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Monin family in their time of loss,” said...
Western Regional Meeting is coming soon. Have You Registered? Don’t Delay.
Registration continues for the BLET’s 2025 Western Regional Meeting in Bellevue, Wash., located across Lake Washington from Seattle. The meeting, scheduled for the week of August 18, will take place at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, 900 Bellevue Way NE, Wash., 98004,...
Daily Headlines
Supreme Court to hear argument on new U.S. rail line
The 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway would connect Utah oil fields to the national rail network, enabling up to 350,000 barrels of crude oil per day to travel on trains as long as two miles.
The decline of North America’s hump yards
Only 36 left, hump yards remain enormously important to the carload network
CSX’s appeal to Supreme Court tests reach of antitrust law
Freight rail giant CSX has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive its lawsuit accusing rival Norfolk Southern of denying access to a key East Coast terminal, costing CSX hundreds of millions of dollars in lost profits.
More people are riding Amtrak than ever before, and improvements are on the way
Amtrak said its goal is to double its ridership to 66 million passengers a year by 2040.
Amtrak notches ridership and revenue record for FY 2024
A 24% gain in ticket revenue from long-distance trains compared to 2019, in spite of constricted coach and sleeping car capacity, generated a 6% rise in total revenue.
BNSF wraps up Kansas double-tracking project, reaching milestone on Southern Transcon
The Kansas double-tracking project began in 2019 and continued the legacy of the Santa Fe, which in 1992 committed to adding a second main all the way from Los Angeles to Chicago.
STB scolds Union Pacific for lack of cooperation
The strongest words, however, come in a concurrence to the unanimous decision by Board Chairman Robert Primus.
NS makes deal with Ancora to prevent another fight for control of the railroad
Under the deal, Norfolk Southern will add another independent director to its board and work to further improve its operations.
DOT announces nearly $1.5 billion for 19 projects along Northeast Corridor
The NEC is one of the busiest and most economically significant rail corridors in the world, with hundreds of thousands of daily riders in a region that represents 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.
Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union has been unwilling to sign onto any of these early deals.
