BLET News

The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) recently ruled in favor of Ohio employees formerly working on a segment of CSX track known as the Walker-Wilsonburg Line, granting the workers the rights to regain lost Railroad Retirement credits.

Tommy Mayne was reelected by acclamation to the office of Chairman of the Kentucky State Legislative Board by delegates at the Board’s quadrennial meeting in late September.

After two years of work by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a railroad security bill into law on October 1.

Amtrak’s new President and CEO Alexander Kummant provided vague answers to questions about rail labor in a hearing today before the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Railroads.

The U.S. railroad industry must take immediate action to improve the security training of its workers if they are to help prevent terrorist attacks in the United States.

C. Edward Way of BLET Division 512 (Benton, Ill.) was elected by acclamation for the third time to another four-year term as Chairman of the Illinois State Legislative Board at their quadrennial meeting in Peoria on September 22.

BLET members are fortunate to have a strong union that supports them by standing up for their rights at work. The BLET works very hard to negotiate and enforce strong contracts to ensure that members receive good pay and benefits.

The first national convention of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) concluded here today after three days of deliberations in which delegates considered and approved numerous changes to their Bylaws and financial reports of the Conference.

Canada’s capital city is the gathering place for the first national convention of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC).

Amtrak will hold its annual benefits open enrollment between October 23 and November 10, 2006, according to BLET General Chairman Mark Kenny.

The Nevada AFL-CIO passed a Safe Rails, Secure America resolution at its convention on August 25.

As BLET Divisions nationwide prepare for their Triennial Election of officers, the BLET National Division has made online reporting of nomination results available to Division Secretary-Treasurers.

November’s elections are too important for the working men and women of this nation and it is imperative that all members register to vote and vote in November, according BLET Vice President and National Legislative Representative John Tolman.

The national negotiating teams from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the United Transportation Union met jointly on September 6 in Kansas City with the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents most of the major railroads and many smaller ones.

Two events will be held next week to honor the memory of fallen BLET member G.Y. Bailey, who was killed when his Union Pacific freight train collided with another train in dark territory near Houston on September 14, 2005.

Several BLET legislative officials met with Congressman James Oberstar, Ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, on August 24 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Metra is looking to hire certified locomotive engineers to operate its fleet of locomotives in the Chicago area and the six county region of northeastern Illinois.

Rail Labor is standing strong and united in the face of railroad greed and rail employer abuses. The carriers use us, then abuse us. We will not tolerate it; we will fight it.

While the holiday is intended to be a tribute to the contributions of workers, we unfortunately find that these contributions are now less valued than they have been at any time since the exploitive days before the dawn of the labor movement.

The ABC Primetime special “Toxic trains,” featuring an interview with Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, will air tonight.