BLET News
Illinois State Legislative Board conducts training for Division Legislative Representatives
Seated, from left: Brandon Stewart, Div. 96 and Illinois SLB 1st Vice Chairman; Cory Martin Illinois SLB Chairman; Reggie Hill, Div. 131; and Al Denton, Div. 118. Standing, from left: Chez Walker, Div. 404; Anthony Davis, Div. 815; Chuck Grigsby, Div. 602 and Illinois...
Workers Memorial Day 2025: Commemorating workers who died on the job, including two BLET members
Each year on April 28, unions including the BLET recognize Workers Memorial Day and remember American workers who have suffered and died on the job. On Workers Memorial Day the BLET honors two of our members who tragically passed away while on the job in the past...
Register today: Hotel reservations for Daytona Beach regional meeting must be made by May 14
“Start your engines…” Daytona Beach, Florida — famous for wide beaches and auto racing — is the site of the union’s 2025 Eastern Regional Meeting. BLET members are encouraged to make their reservations as soon as possible for the meeting, which is scheduled for the...
Utah: Tariff war with China hurts BLET members at UP, PHL after closure of iron ore mine
Citing the recent tariff trade war with China, an iron ore mine in Utah closed so suddenly that workers found out on Facebook that they no longer had jobs. The mine had supplied Chinese steelmakers with iron ore. The indefinite closure of Iron Ore LLC’s mine in Cedar...
Breaking News: Eddie Hall to retire as BLET President effective May 1; First Vice President Mark Wallace to become National President, VP Gary Best elected First Vice President
Eddie Hall is retiring as National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) effective May 1, 2025. In accordance with the BLET Bylaws, First Vice President Mark Wallace will assume the office of National President upon Hall’s...
Arizona: BLET Division 28 hosts annual Spring BBQ and Old Timers Picnic
Old friends reconnected and new memories were made on Saturday, April 12, as members of BLET Division 28 hosted their Spring BBQ and Old Timers Picnic in Tucson, Ariz. The annual event brought together over 200 family members, friends, and guests who celebrated the...
Arizona: Darice Gilliam elected chair of Arizona State Legislative Board
From left: Vince Verna, BLET VP&NLR; Tommy Perez, Div. 647; Manny Perez, Div. 647; Robert Lopez, Div. 134; Consuelo Hernandez, Arizona State Representative; Eddie Strom, Div. 28; Kevin Onnembo, outgoing Arizona SLBC; Darice Gilliam, new Arizona SLBC; Brendan...
Nevada: Members urged to make their voices heard as new rail safety bill advances
BLET Nevada State Legislative Board Chairman Matt Parker testifying in favor of Nevada Assembly Bill 466 ____________________ As a major railroad safety bill makes its way through the state legislature in Nevada, the BLET’s Nevada State Legislative Board is asking...
RRB field offices will stay open after Teamsters Rail Conference and BLET campaign
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) was recently informed that the decision to close upwards of 40 field offices has been reversed and that the nine RRB field offices that had their leases scheduled to be terminated will stay open. This news follows a meeting that...
April 2025 RRB Q&A: Railroad Retirement survivor benefits
Each month, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) publishes a list of questions and answers (Q&A) to highlight and explain the various benefits available to railroad workers and their families. This month’s Q&A examines railroad retirement survivor benefit...
Locomotive engineers at NJ Transit overwhelmingly reject tentative contract setting in motion a possible strike next month at the nation’s third largest commuter railroad
Unless NJ Transit offers its engineers wage improvements that close the gap with engineers at other commuter railroads, “self-help” where union members can strike or NJ Transit can call a lockout could begin on May 16. NEWARK — Locomotive engineers at NJ Transit,...
BLET Education and Training Dept.: 25 GCAs represented at well-attended Local Chairman class
The BLET Education and Training Department conducted a three-day Local Chairman training class April 8-10, with over 70 Local Chairmen and Vice Local Chairmen from 25 General Committees of Adjustment (GCAs) participating both in-person and via Zoom. This comprehensive...
As the U.S. threatens to privatize Amtrak, the UK begins to renationalize passenger rail after 30 years of a failed experiment with privatization
While the Trump Administration and billionaire advisor Elon Musk are talking about privatizing passenger rail here in the USA, in the UK, they’re going in the opposite direction. Next month, on May 25, the British will begin nationalizing passenger rail after decades...
Goodbye railroad, hello retirement: Metra and Union Pacific honor BLET’s Doug Davidson
Then and now: Davidson in the cab of a C&NW locomotive in the late 1980s (left) and Metra's C&NW heritage locomotive on March 31, 2025 (right). ____________________ Both Metra and Union Pacific gave the BLET’s Director of Arbitration Doug Davidson a nice send...
BLET UP-Southern Region GCA conducts training for new Local Chairmen
The BLET Union Pacific-Southern Region General Committee of Adjustment (GCA) held a training session on March 25-26 in Burleson, Texas, for recently elected or newly appointed Local Chairmen. The session was specifically designed for those taking office for the first...
Reminder: Deadline to apply for Teamsters Scholarship Fund is May 1
BLET members are reminded that the Teamsters Scholarship Fund (TSF) will award 600 one-time $2,000 awards for the upcoming school year. To apply, please visit the TSF website (aim.applyists.net/TSF) and create an account. The deadline is May 1. For more information,...
BLET members ratify quality of life agreement with Belt Railway of Chicago
For the first time, BLET members will have paid sick days and access to the company’s 401k program under the new quality of life agreement.BLET members ratified a new quality of life agreement with the Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC) in late March. ____________________...
Arizona: Excessive train length a factor in recent train heists, President Hall says in television interview
In a recent television interview, BLET National President Eddie Hall said excessive train length is a factor in the ongoing problem of train robberies in the American southwest. In an interview with television station Fox 10 News in Phoenix, President Hall said that...
Texas: BLET delivers expert testimony on grade crossing separation bill
BLET Texas SLB Chairman Ben Wright prepares to deliver testimony in favor of Texas Senate Bill 1555. ____________________ The BLET is working with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Texas to make railroad grade crossings safer following the death of a Houston high...
Nevada: BLET State Legislative Board Chairmen wrap up 50th annual meeting
Members of the BLET’s National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen (NASLBC), meeting in Las Vegas, concluded their 50th annual meeting On April 3rd. The NASLBC has met each year since 1975 to hear from each State Chairman about railroad-related safety and...
Daily Headlines
UP explains absence from early contract agreements with organized labor
UP has sought to renegotiate the scheduling deal it reached last year with the BLET, under which engineers work 11 days and then have four days off. That prompted the union to sue the railroad this summer because it had yet to implement the scheduling agreement systemwide.
NTSB identifies probable cause of close-clearance death of CSX conductor trainee
“In this accident, a conductor trainee was fatally injured when he rode a shoving movement through a close clearance — a 7-inch gap — between his train and a series of parked locomotives. The conductor, riding a different ladder on the same railcar through the same gap, was not injured,” the NTSB said.
STB urges BNSF and UP to be prepared for West Coast container surge
Specifically, Primus asked the railroads for their plans to provide reliable service, how they will allocate resources to West Coast ports, and how the railroads are sharing information with port officials.
Biden-Harris administration calls on Class I freight railroads to guarantee paid sick leave and get to 100% worker coverage
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Department of Labor Acting Secretary Julie Su today sent letters to the CEOs of three Class I freight railroads – CPKC, CN, and CSX – calling on them to guarantee paid sick leave to all of their employees.
Regulators scrutinize trends on second day of rail growth hearings
At the opening of today’s Surface Transportation Board hearing on the lack of rail freight volume growth, Vice Chair Karen Hedlund said she was still struck by what she heard the day before from analysts and shippers and Class I railroad executives.
Railroads and regulators must address the dangers of long trains, report says
The report said there is a clear correlation between the number of derailments related to in-train forces and the long trains that routinely measure more than a mile or two long.
Norfolk Southern CEO fired for “consensual relationship” with railroad’s chief legal officer
A statement from the company on Wednesday said that Shaw had been dismissed “for cause,” which could prevent him from collecting the kind of exit package that CEOs often receive when shown the door.
Safety concerns are at the heart of the TCRC-CN/CPKC dispute as arbitration decision draws near
A major issue in the ongoing negotiations is fatigue safety. According to the union, the railway companies are seeking to weaken protections around rest periods, shift length and scheduling.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw to step down amid misconduct probe, sources say
The Wall Street Journal reported that the railroad’s board opened a probe into him late Sunday over an alleged affair with an employee.
Amtrak and partners break ground on new Connecticut River Bridge
The new bridge will support a maximum train operating speed of 70 mph, a 55% increase from today’s maximum speed of 45 mph.
