BLET News

BLET members are encouraged to contact their members of Congress during the Easter recess and urge them to include provisions to eliminate limbo time in any rail safety legislation that is introduced in the coming months. The BLET and its allies in Rail Labor believe this provision should be included in any rail safety legislation.

When they return from their Easter recess later this month, members of Congress will consider rail safety legislation. The BLET and its allies in Rail Labor are urging Congress to include a provision to eliminate limbo time in the bill.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act, H.R. 1401, on March 27. The legislation passed by a vote of 299-124.

An electronic copy of the new 2006 BLET Bylaws is now available in the Members Area of the Brotherhood’s website.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and CSX Transportation reached a tentative on-property, single system agreement in late February.

The commercial, a public service announcement sponsored by The Ad Council and two trade groups, shows a young girl standing on railroad tracks in front of a speeding locomotive.

Rail Labor scored another major court victory in its ongoing battle to protect workers’ rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Representatives of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen were key witnesses during two days of hearings before the U.S. House of Representatives regarding H.R. 1269, the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007.

In a unanimous judgment, the United States Supreme Court issued a favorable decision in Norfolk Southern vs. Timothy Sorrell on January 10, 2007. In this case, the carriers attempted to use the nation’s highest court to gut the Federal Employees Liability Act.

The following is an outline summary of the major elements of the tentative agreement reached February 28, 2007, between the Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition (RLBC) and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC).

Today, the Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition (RLBC), comprised of the members of seven rail labor unions, reached a tentative agreement on a national contract with the National Carriers‘ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the interests of America‘s freight rail corporations.

Terry R. Jones was re-elected by acclamation to his third term as Wyoming State Legislative Board Chairman at the Board’s meetings in Cheyenne, on February 20-23.

The BLET’s National Legislative Office in Washington, D.C., launched its new website today.

Randy Meek was reelected by acclamation to the office of Chairman of the Nebraska State Legislative Board at the Board’s regular triennial meeting February 5-7 in Lincoln, Neb.

The BLET Education & Training Department’s third and possibly final Secretary-Treasurer Compliance Workshop is now full, but a fourth workshop may be scheduled later this year.

The annual business meeting for the BLET’s Western General Chairman’s Association (WGCA) will take place May 1-3 at Bally’s in Las Vegas, announced its chairman, Dennis Pierce.

The director of the Teamsters Rail Conference told the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection today that rail employees are inadequately trained to deal with emergency situations and that rail security funding is completely eclipsed by funds allocated for airline security, despite rail being the more heavily used transportation mode.

A Teamsters Rail Conference official told the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials today that worker fatigue is a significant safety threat to rail workers and the public.

The National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen (NASLBC) announced that their annual business meeting will take place April 26-28 at Bally‘s in Las Vegas.

Registration is now underway for the 80th annual Southeastern Meeting Association (SMA) convention at the Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., from June 10-15.