BLET News
Representative King supports continued negotiations
Representative Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has thanked the National Mediation Board for its handling of contract negotiations between rail labor and rail carriers.
Rail labor: ‘No’ to single-person crews
BNSF Railway should not be permitted to operate trains with single-person crews until appropriate safety studies have been completed and regulations are in place, the Federal Railroad Administration was told here by rail labor Feb. 23.
Labor helps beat back asbestos bill
Organized labor successfully lobbied for the defeat of a controversial $140 billion asbestos bill in the Senate on February 14 by a vote of 58-41.
NCCC will bargain with Rail Labor
Late on February 13, the National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) withdrew its request for release from mediation, representing a victory for BLET members and all of Rail Labor.
Space remains for upcoming Local Chairman Workshop
A few spots still remain for the BLET Education & Training Department’s Local Chairman Workshop at the University of Illinois in Champaign from March 19-23.
Resolutions to change bylaws due February 17
The deadline for BLET Divisions planning to submit resolutions to change the Bylaws of the BLET National Division is one week from today.
LaTourette urges negotiated rail contract
Representative Steven C. LaTourette (R-Ohio) is urging the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) to complete negotiations at the bargaining table and to not depend on Congress for a legislated settlement.
Senators urged to vote no on Asbestos bill
BLET members are urged to call their Senators and ask them to vote no on S. 852, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005, which is currently up for debate on the Senate floor.
GOP’s Young: ‘Keep Congress out of it’
Congressional intervention in the current round of national negotiations would be premature and the National Mediation Board should refrain from releasing rail labor and the carriers from bargaining. That’s according to a letter from Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) to the National Mediation Board dated January 23, 2006.
Space remains for March 6 S-T Workshop in Jacksonville
Space is still available for members interested in attending the Education & Training Department’s Secretary- Treasurer Workshop in Jacksonville, Florida from March 6-9.
Rail carriers working against needed security legislation
The Association of American Railroads has sent a letter to members of Congress urging them not to support H.R. 4372, the Rail Worker Emergency Training Act of 2005.
Members OK 5-year pact with Portland & Western shortline
More than 80 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with the Portland & Western Railroad (P&W) on January 25.
BLET, UTU warn of rail safety concerns
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) President Don M. Hahs and United Transportation Union (UTU) President Paul C. Thompson issued the following outline describing joint concerns over railroad attempts to compromise public safety and security by reducing crew size on the nation’s railroads:
Protecting jobs, safety & Railroad Retirement
Setting past differences aside, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the United Transportation Union (UTU) have agreed to work together on a joint campaign to ensure a successful outcome to the current round of collective bargaining.
Space remains for LM-2 S-T Workshop in Wisconsin
If you are a Secretary-Treasurer who has to file an LM-2 report in the next few months, then you should consider attending the BLET’s LM-2 Secretary-Treasurer workshop in Madison, Wisc., from February 19-22.
Former GST Voyk, 81, passes away
Former BLE General Secretary-Treasurer and International Vice-President James L. “Jim” Voyk, 81, died Monday, January 23, 2006 at the Cleveland Clinic following a period of declining health. Brother Voyk lived in Brewster, Ohio.
BLET scores PNR shortline organizing win
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainman kicked off its 2006 organizing campaign with a representation election victory at the Panhandle Northern Railroad (PNR).
Civil rights movement linked to labor movement
Today, the nation comes together to celebrate the legacy and contributions of a man who, through his words and actions, impacted the course of our nation’s history. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, Americans across the country will celebrate by honoring the life and work of Dr. King, and working towards the goals which he did not achieve in his too-brief life.
Meany Center announces 2006 hazmat workshops
The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program will conduct hazardous materials transportation/chemical emergency response training programs at the George Meany Campus in Silver Spring, Md., on the following dates: May 7-12, 2006; June 4-9, 2006; and July 16-21, 2006.
ATDA files to represent UP Dispatchers
The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) has launched a representation election to organize approximately 550 train dispatchers at Union Pacific Railroad.
Daily Headlines
Georgia lawmakers respond to NS trains blocking crossings, delaying first responders
Norfolk Southern says the train blocks the Juliette crossing for a number of reasons, like mechanical issues, staffing shortages, and even for crews to take “mandated rest times” of up to four hours. Some Georgia lawmakers are now trying to hold the railroad accountable.
Railroad executives want to eliminate conductors — and exhausted rail workers are terrified
What scares conductor Brian Raleigh the most about the idea of one-person train crews is that trains hauls chemicals, coal and other hazardous materials through towns each day. “It’s not just about saving my partner,” Raleigh said. “It’s about saving my community.”
CN warns regulators that CP-KCS merger could hurt service and competition
Canadian National, which lost the battle for Kansas City Southern to rival Canadian Pacific last year, tried to plant seeds of doubt about the CP-KCS merger in lengthy testimony before federal regulators on Thursday.
Class I railroads’ focus on efficiency, simplicity likely to phase out the piggyback era: analysis
Class I railroads’ focus on efficiency and simplifying service is making trailer-on-flatcar service obsolete.
Teamsters back bill toughening antitrust law as way to crack down on big business
The Teamsters are joining a coalition of more than 35 public interest, labor, and civil society organizations in urging passage of legislation that would raise merger fees on gigantic corporations to beef up funding for antitrust enforcement agencies.
UP train slammed into empty rail cars but unclear why, NTSB says
The collision that killed two Union Pacific employees earlier this month in Southern California happened when the train slammed into 92 empty railcars that had been stored on a side track for nine months, NTSB investigators said Thursday.
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending September 24, 2022
Total carloads for the week ending September 24 were 231,258 carloads, down 3.2 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 257,853 containers and trailers, down 5.4 percent compared to 2021.
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 chronic kidney disease.
CP and KCS tout and defend their merger on first day of regulatory hearings
On September 28’s first day of public hearings regarding their proposed merger, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern sought to blunt criticism of their $31 billion combination by preemptively addressing concerns raised by other Class I railroads, Chicago-area commuter railroad Metra, and lineside communities in the Midwest.
Whistleblower questions CP police force powers in U.S. after KCS merger
While much of the focus on the proposed merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern has been on keeping cross-border gateways open to competing railroads, a Canadian attorney is asking whether there will be national security consequences if a corporate police force run by a foreign entity is operating on U.S. soil.
