BLET News
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this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) asked for feedback on federal safety regulations that could be repealed or modified.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,...
BLET members ratify new contract with Terminal Railway-Alabama State Docks
BLET members on June 26 ratified a new five-year agreement with the Terminal Railway-Alabama State Docks (TRASD). The BLET represents 14 members at the railroad, and the vote was 10-2 in favor of the new deal. The contract provides retroactive pay dating to 2023 as...
“Big Beautiful Bill” passes
Rail workers got the short end of the stick when Congress passed the massive federal spending and tax package — known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB) — on July 3. The bill’s “No Tax on Overtime” provision (Section 70202) was crafted in such a way as to...
Texas: Investigation by CBS affiliate on “monster trains” exposes dangers to the public caused by extremely long trains
Eddie Strom, President of BLET Division 28, in his interview with television station KOLD News 13 in Tucson regarding train thefts and extremely long trains. ____________________ An investigative report by CBS Texas broadcast in June examines how the use of longer and...
Daily Headlines
TSA proposes new cybersecurity requirements for some railroads, other transportation systems
The TSA estimates that under the rule’s criteria, 73 of the approximately 620 U.S. freight railroads and 34 of approximately 92 passenger rail and transit operators would be subject to the requirements.
Norfolk Southern rule that rail cars be inspected in less than a minute sparks safety concerns
Railroad labor unions have been raising safety concerns for several years now about rushed train inspections after the industry implemented the lean Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model and eliminated one-third of all rail worker jobs.
BNSF reports Q3 2024 results
BNSF Railway’s profits, revenue, and volume all increased for the third quarter, thanks to surging intermodal and agricultural shipments.
FRA proposes automated track inspection regulations
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes applauded the proposed ATI rule.
FRA aims to tighten rules for waivers that allow railroads to experiment with safety technology
The proposal also seeks to preserve union jobs: It says the FRA will take a dim view of safety waiver requests that seek to reduce employment levels or the number of inspections performed by track and car inspectors.
FRA awards $2.4 billion in grants to 122 projects
This announcement is part of a series of investments the Biden-Harris Administration has made in nearly 300 rail projects and dozens of emerging passenger rail corridors across the country through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded FRA grant programs.
CN reports Q3 2024 results
CN today reported its financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, including operating income of $1.515 million.
CPKC reports Q3 2024 results
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) today announced its third-quarter results, including revenues of $3.5 billion.
Union Pacific reports Q3 2024 results
Union Pacific Corporation today reported 2024 third quarter net income of $1.7 billion, or $2.75 per diluted share. This compares to 2023 third quarter net income of $1.5 billion, or $2.51 per diluted share.
Norfolk Southern reports Q3 2024 results
For the quarter, income from railway operations was $1.6 billion and the operating ratio was 47.7%.
