BLET News
In the Line of Duty: BLET Division 212 Member Clay Burt
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, January 19, to honor the two Union Pacific workers who were killed in last month’s train derailment in Pecos, Texas. The ceremony is open to the public and will be held at the West of the Pecos Museum at 4:00 p.m. (120 E....
Twenty years later: The legacy of the Graniteville rail tragedy and remembering the loss of BLET member Chris Seeling
January 6 marked 20 years since the fatal derailment of a Norfolk Southern train and the related chemical spill in Graniteville, South Carolina that led to nine deaths including a BLET member, Chris Seeling. In addition to those who lost their lives, more than 500...
Wrapping up the 2024 Christmas season
From left: BLET Division 601 member Rich Carl and Division 601 Local Chairman Phil Burgos in the cab of the Conrail Santa Train. ____________________ The BLET National Division wishes every member and their family a happy and healthy 2025. This issue of the Weekly...
James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund: BLET families win big in 2024; Application process now open for 2025
Twenty-five BLET families have been awarded scholarships by the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund for the 2024 school year, including seven $10,000 scholarship winners. The $10,000 awards are the highest honor bestowed by the Hoffa Scholarship Fund. In 2024,...
BLET Education & Training Department: Training classes planned for newly-elected Division officers
To assist new Division officers who will be installed following the conclusion of the 2024 Triennial Election cycle, the BLET Education & Training Department will conduct several basic introductory classes via Zoom in January 2025. Separate classes will be offered...
Update: BLET member Tony Ramos continues to battle brain cancer
BLET members are asked to keep Brother Tony Ramos and his family in their prayers. Brother Ramos, a BNSF locomotive engineer and member of BLET Division 13 (La Crosse, Wis.), suffered an on-duty medical episode in October. Brother Ramos was rushed to a local hospital...
BLET notches seventh short line organizing victory since 2023 as workers at Utah Central Railway say YES to BLET
The BLET scored its seventh short line organizing victory since 2023 as train and engine service workers from the Utah Central Railway voted unanimously to join the BLET in an election certified by the National Mediation Board on December 18. Patriot Rail owns and...
BLET members ratify new contract with Berkshire & Eastern
BLET members unanimously ratified a new contract with the Berkshire & Eastern Railroad (B&E). The agreement governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for 32 members. The five-year agreement provides general wage increases of 22.5% over the life of the...
BLET Advisory Board: VP Alan Holdcraft to retire; James Logan to become VP on January 1
The BLET Advisory Board met on December 6 at the National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio. National Vice President Alan Holdcraft will be retiring at the end of this month. Alternate Vice President James Logan will fill the vacancy on the Advisory Board...
BLET heads to arbitration to force NJ Transit to live up to contract; Employer seeks injunction to block arbitration from happening
“We’ll see you in court.” The contract between NJ Transit and the BLET requires engineers to be paid 10.4 % more than conductors. When conductors at the commuter railroad received a raise, BLET members at NJT should automatically have received a boost in their wages...
National Freight Negotiations: Contract talks underway
In accordance with Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, the BLET and the rail carriers exchanged notices last month, and national negotiations with the Class I carriers and other railroads are now in progress. The BLET National Wage Team aims to build on the momentum...
BLET, Teamsters celebrate passage of REEF Act by Congress, paving the way for an end to sequestration of Railroad Retirement unemployment and sickness benefits
On December 18, the U.S. Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 85-14. The authorization bill for national defense includes an amendment for the REEF Act, which will fully restore unemployment and sickness benefits to...
CSXT Santa Train: Brother Scott Steffey finishes 30-year-career by spreading Christmas cheer
BLET Division 781 member and 2024 CSX Santa Train locomotive engineer Scott Steffey (right) shakes hands with CSX road foreman of engines Wesley Stewart during a stop at Dante, Va. This year's Santa Train was led by CSX's Clinchfield Railroad heritage locomotive No....
Remembering the railroaders killed in Pecos tragedy
A joint GoFundMe has been established to help raise money for the families of the two Union Pacific train crew members that were killed in the tragic grade crossing collision in Pecos, Texas, on December 18. Locomotive engineer Clay Burt, a member of BLET Division 212...
Tragedy in Texas: Two UP crew members killed, including BLET member, in grade crossing collision
Locomotive engineer Clay Burt, a member of BLET Division 212 in Sweetwater, Texas, was severely injured and passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. Images: courtesy of Reeves County Texas ____________________ Two Union Pacific train crew members were...
Refresher sessions via Zoom help S-Ts with end-of-year requirements and Triennial Election reporting
More than 80 members participated in the BLET Education & Training Department's S-T refresher course. ____________________ The BLET Education & Training Department conducted three Zoom S-T refresher training sessions last week. Over 80 BLET Local Division, General...
BLET supports Teamsters in historic strike against Amazon
Today, the BLET is proud to support our Teamster Brothers and Sisters at Amazon as they fight for higher wages, better benefits, and safer conditions at work. BLET members, officers, and staff are among the thousands standing on Teamster picket lines today as a part...
New England: Ballots mailed as BLET reaches tentative contract with Berkshire & Eastern
The BLET has reached a tentative contract with the Berkshire & Eastern Railroad (B&E). The tentative agreement governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for 32 members. Ballots were mailed this week. Ballots are due by Friday, December 27, 2024, at noon...
NJ Transit: CEO Kevin Corbett resigns as BLET continues to fight for its members
BLET members at NJT have protested publicly numerous times against management's misplaced priorities. They have been seeking a new labor agreement since October 2019. ____________________ On December 9, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced the resignation of NJ...
Bill to eliminate unfair cuts to Railroad Retirement unemployment and sickness benefits moves to the Senate after ratification by the U.S. House of Representatives
On December 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an authorization bill for national defense, which included an amendment for the REEF Act. This provision would fully restore unemployment and...
Daily Headlines
Heat disrupts rail service along Northeast Corridor
Extreme heat is taking its toll on rail transportation along the Northeast Corridor, with transit agencies and Amtrak all feeling the impact and taking operational measures.
House T&I Committee to host July 23 hearing on rail safety
An in-depth examination of nationwide freight rail policy is on a House committee’s agenda before lawmakers leave Washington for the August recess.
EPA watchdog investigating delays in how the agency used sensor plane after fiery Ohio derailment
The EPA’s Inspector General is investigating why the agency didn’t get its specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors into the air over East Palestine until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment last year.
FRA encourages railroads to make better use of hot bearing detector data
The safety agency has updated an advisory issued last year in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment
New STB chair orders rail CEOs to attend forum on declining volumes
Robert Primus, the new chairman of the US Surface Transportation Board (STB), has set a two-day hearing for September 16 and 17 at STB HQ in Washington, D.C.
House bill would enhance safety requirements for hazmat trains
H.R. 8996 would incorporate aspects of freight-rail safety legislation introduced last year by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), but also would set federal limits on freight-train lengths.
Pacific Harbor Line, BLET extend agreement
The extension covers 145 of PHL’s 180 employees. It was ratified July 12 by a record number of eligible BLET members, with more than 91% voting in favor of the deal’s wage and benefit provisions.
NTSB chair says Norfolk Southern interfered with derailment probe after botching vent-and-burn call
The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that Norfolk Southern repeatedly tried to interfere with the agency’s investigation into the East Palestine derailment and shape its conclusions about the flawed decision to blow open five tank cars and burn the vinyl chloride inside.
Wyoming’s oldest, and still active, railroad union predates statehood by 21 years
Four days after the golden spike was driven for America’s first transcontinental railway linking the nation’s coasts, the Cheyenne Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers received its charter May 14, 1869.
Study: Derailment risk rises with the number of cars in a freight train
The risk of derailment increases with freight train length, according to an academic study published today, which found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train.
