BLET News
Railroad safety: BLET participates in FRA’s Rail Share meeting
FRA Administrator Amit Bose (center) with BLET members, officers, and staff at the FRA's Rail Share meeting. ____________________ Representatives from the BLET’s National Legislative Office, along with a large contingent of BLET State Legislative Board Chairmen,...
Health & Welfare: GA-46000 lifetime maximum adjusted for 2025
The lifetime maximum benefit for the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit Plan (also known as ERMA or GA-46000) will increase from $195,100 to $202,900 on January 1, 2025. At the end of 2001, Labor and Management agreed on various...
BLET Education & Training Department: Secretary-Treasurer refresher courses available via Zoom in December
The BLET National Division Education & Training Department is pleased to announce an End-of-Year Secretary-Treasurer refresher training class. The class will provide a valuable opportunity to review end-of-year reporting and compliance due dates. In addition, we...
Ballots mailed for vote on tentative contract with Indiana Southern Railroad
Ballots for the five-year tentative contract with Indiana Southern Railroad are due back to the National Division by December 5. Photo: courtesy of Grady McKinley ____________________ The BLET has reached a tentative contract with the Indiana Southern Railroad (ISRR)....
Ballots mailed in tentative agreement with Huron and Eastern Railway
TThe ballots for the five-year tentative contract with the Huron and Eastern Railway are due back to the National Division by December 5. Photo: courtesy of Thomas Kurecka ____________________ he BLET has reached a tentative contract with the Huron and Eastern Railway...
BLET family needs your generosity as BNSF locomotive engineer recovers from brain surgery
Thanksgiving is a time for appreciation and gratitude, and there were many expressions of profound thanks as two BLET members were reunited yesterday for the first time since one Brother helped save the other’s life. On October 27, the quick-thinking and decisive...
President Biden orders second PEB in BLET-New Jersey Transit contract dispute
On Thursday, November 21, President Biden appointed a second Presidential Emergency Board — PEB No. 252 — to investigate the ongoing years-long collective bargaining dispute between the BLET and New Jersey Transit (NJT). The report of PEB 251, appointed in July, was...
BLET Short Line Department: Florida, Gulf & Atlantic members ratify first union contract
Railroad workers at the Florida, Gulf & Atlantic Railway (FG&A), who joined the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to gain collective bargaining rights, have ratified their first-ever contract. This marks a significant milestone for train and...
Take action and tell the House to act on Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024 before Congress adjourns
The BLET is urgently working to secure passage of the House Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024 (H.R. 8996) before Congress adjourns. In a Take Action alert issued today, BLET members and their families are asked to use the Take Action tool on the BLET National...
2025 is right around the corner; Order your Time Book today
The BLET National Division is now taking requests from members who wish to receive a new Time Book for 2025. These books will only be distributed to members upon request. To receive a Time Book, members must first log in to the Members’ Area of the BLET National...
FIRST IN A SERIES: Understanding collective bargaining under the Railway Labor Act. Part 1 — “Section 6 Notices”
To better understand how rail labor and management reach agreements on rates of pay and work rules, the BLET has produced a series of briefs, Understanding collective bargaining under the Railway Labor Act, explaining how the Railway Labor Act of 1926 works. This...
ATTENTION FLORIDA, GULF & ATLANTIC MEMBERS: If you haven’t received your ballot you can still request a replacement
Ballots have been mailed to Florida, Gulf & Atlantic Railway members who are voting on a tentative contract with the short line railroad. If ratified, this will be the first union contract for operating employees at the formerly non-union company. Ballots are due...
Save the date for 2025 BLET regional meetings in Daytona Beach and Bellevue/Seattle
PLANNING YOUR CALENDAR AND DAYS OFF FOR NEXT YEAR? The BLET’s 2025 Eastern Regional Meeting will be held in Daytona Beach, Florida, the week of June 16. The 2025 Western Regional Meeting will take place in Bellevue/Seattle Eastside, Wash., the week of August 18....
Florida: National Mediation Board formally recognizes Brightline as a rail carrier
The National Mediation Board rejected Brightline's anti-union stance and directed a representation election to take place in the coming months. ____________________ The Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) secured a victory for Rail Labor on November 12 when the...
In Memoriam: Former Amtrak General Chairman Mark B. Kenny, 1951-2024
Recently retired BLET General Chairman Mark B. Kenny, who served the Amtrak/KCS/VRE/Caltrain General Committee of Adjustment for over 26 years, passed away on November 12. He was 73 years old. Brother Kenny was elected to seven consecutive terms as General Chairman...
New Mexico: State Legislative Board members lobby for rail safety legislation, conclude quadrennial meeting
Left to right: Steve Seale, Gil Tafoya, Gilbert Montiel, Christy Smith, Ryan Snow, Clem Harris, Charlie Jeffcoat, Vince Verna, Mike Willis. ____________________ Members of the BLET New Mexico State Legislative Board are fighting for passage of legislation that would...
Illinois: Two-person crew, one life saved
Conductor Tim McMakin and Locomotive Engineer Antonio Ramos have known each other for a long time. Both are members of the BLET Division 13 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and have worked together countless times out of BNSF Railway’s Barstow Yard on the Barstow Subdivision...
Florida Gulf & Atlanic: Members begin voting on first-ever BLET contract
BLET Vice President Randy Fannon (far left) and BLET Special Representative Jorge Gomez (far right) with newly organized members from Florida Gulf & Atlantic in 2023. ____________________ In a significant milestone, the BLET has reached a tentative contract for...
Veterans Day 2024: Recognizing BLET veterans
Veterans Day is an important day of remembrance for our union and our members. The BLET has always been proud to support America’s soldiers and their families. Since our union was founded in 1863, our members have embraced the honorable tradition of service to...
Amtrak: Ridership on new Borealis service reaches major milestone
At the inaugural run of Amtrak's Borealis service on May 21, from left: Joel Mueller, BLET Minnesota SLB Chairman, Riley Richmond, BLET Division 27, and Chad Roehrich, BLET Midwest Regional Chairman-Amtrak GCA. _____________________ Strong public interest in Amtrak’s...
Daily Headlines
Fiery North Dakota derailment was the latest to involve weak tank cars the NTSB wants replaced
The NTSB highlighted the fact that some of the 17 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that derailed were DOT-111 tank cars that have demonstrated time and again that they are prone to rupturing in a train crash.
BNSF reports Q2 2024 results
The railway on Saturday, Aug. 3, said its operating income increased 1%, to $1.8 billion, as revenue declined 2%, to $5.7 billion.
Senator Bob Casey introduces Rail Bridge Safety and Transparency Act
This legislation seeks to establish standards for DOT rail bridge oversight and empower local communities to report unsafe conditions.
CPKC reports Q2 2024 results
CPKC’s quarterly operating income — adjusted to reflect the April 14, 2023, CP-KCS merger as if it occurred on Jan. 1 — increased 17%, to $1.37 billion, as adjusted revenue grew 8%, to $3.6 billion.
Justice Dept. sues Norfolk Southern over chronic delays for Amtrak
The Justice Department took the rare step of filing a lawsuit because it says Norfolk Southern is consistently violating the federal law that requires Amtrak’s trains to get priority when they cross a freight railroad’s tracks.
New Jersey members of Congress seek US DOT action on Northeast Corridor problems
Eight members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation have again written Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, asking for federal intervention in the ongoing service issues on the Northeast Corridor.
Union Pacific interfered in federal safety audit
Senator Maria Cantwell said she was opening a probe into Union Pacific’s actions after the Federal Railroad Administration told the committee this month it was forced to discontinue its assessment “due to Union Pacific’s actions to undermine the integrity of the assessment process.”
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.
