BLET News
Maryland: BLET, Alstom reach tentative deal for MARC locomotive engineers
The BLET has reached a tentative contract with Alstom for locomotive engineers who operate Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) trains in the Washington-Baltimore area. The tentative agreement governs pay, benefits and work rules for 20 members. Ballots were mailed last...
BLET members ratify new contract with Keolis for MBTA engineers
The five-year deal provides BLET members with general wage increases and numerous quality of life improvements. Photo: Sean McPherson ____________________ BLET members ratified a new contract with Keolis Commuter Services for locomotive engineers working at the...
Education and Training Dept. to host officer training at 2025 BLET Regional Meetings
Please make your plans now to attend one or both of the BLET’s Regional Meetings this year. An important part of these events are training workshops for Local Division officers conducted by the BLET Education and Training Department. Training will be offered for...
BLET, NJ Transit meet again this week
BLET representatives met this week for a second time with new NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri in an effort to reach a voluntary resolution to the lengthy contract dispute. This follows an initial meeting on January 30. BLET and NJ Transit are in the midst of a 60-day...
Verna touts the benefits of C3RS at TTD rail safety news conference
In March 2023, leaders of America’s largest railroads promised to voluntarily adopt the Confidential Close Call Reporting System in the weeks after the tragedy in East Palestine. C3RS is a safety program that allows railroad workers to confidentially report near-miss...
Vance visits East Palestine, pledges Trump administration’s support for the Railway Safety Act
Vice President J.D. Vance said the Trump administration supports the Railway Safety Act during his visit to East Palestine on February 3. Photo: Associated Press ____________________ On Monday, February 3, Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, to...
Capitol Hill: Rep. Titus of Nevada renews call for rail safety legislation
U.S. Representative Dina Titus delivers her opening remarks during a January 23 hearing. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee image ____________________ U.S. Representative Dina Titus (D-NV), who has a history of supporting rail workers, spoke out in...
2025 BLET Scholarship Directory: Financial aid is available to the dependents of BLET members
BLET members and their dependents seeking academic scholarships are encouraged to explore the 2025 BLET Scholarship Directory, a resource for a variety of financial aid programs. If you or a family member are looking for scholarship opportunities, don’t delay....
Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania appointed Vice Ranking Member of House Rail Subcommittee
U.S. Representative Chris Deluzio at a 2024 roundtable discussion on rail safety. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee image ____________________ On January 22, it was announced that Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) will serve as the Vice Ranking Member of the...
Duffy sworn in as new US DOT Secretary; Tells the Senate he will back FRA two-person crew regulation
In a positive development for rail safety, Sean Duffy, the newly-confirmed Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation, testified that he would support the Federal Railroad Administration’s minimum crew size regulation during a Senate confirmation hearing on...
Teamsters Rail Conference calls on VP Vance to “hold railroad executives’ feet to the fire in pursuit of safer railroads”
Monday, Feb. 3 marks two years since the toxic train wreck and fire caused by the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train in East Palestine, Ohio. Shortly after the wreck and a visit by then-candidate Donald Trump to the crash site, then-Senator J.D. Vance...
BLET meets with new New Jersey Transit CEO
Representatives from the BLET met with New Jersey Transit (NJT) executives, including new CEO Kris Kolluri, on January 30 in an effort to reach a voluntary resolution to the lengthy contract dispute. BLET Vice President Jim Louis, who heads the union’s Passenger Rail...
RRB news: Details on implementation of the REEF Act
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has prepared a helpful list of Questions & Answers regarding the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act, which was recently signed into law. Under the new law, benefits paid under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance...
Massachusetts: Chairman Cadogan raises BLET’s issues with Governor Healey
Brother Dan Cadogan (pictured, right), Chairman of the New England Legislative Board, met with Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey on January 13. Representing the views of BLET members in the Bay State, Cadogan addressed quality of life issues for commuter rail...
Attention retirees: New law can increase payments to recipients of public pensions
The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law on January 5, 2025, will end two statutory reductions for railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors who are receiving public pensions from work not covered by social security. The repeal of these provisions means...
Career opportunity: BLET seeks applicants for the National Division’s Director of Arbitration
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is presently seeking applicants for the Director of the Arbitration Department to join our National Division office team. The successful candidate will have the flexibility to work remotely, but will be...
BLET Education & Training Dept. announces 2025 officer training schedule
The BLET Education & Training Department is offering a full slate of training opportunities throughout the coming year. All BLET officers are encouraged to attend, especially first-time officers who were elected during the 2024 Triennial Election cycle. The 2025...
BLET Education & Training Department: More than 100 new Division officers complete training
The BLET Education & Training Department provided valuable training to over 100 new Division officers as it hosted five Zoom classes on January 14 and 15. The classes provided introductory training for new officers who were elected during the 2024 Triennial...
New Jersey Transit: Clock ticking towards March 22 deadline after BLET rejects recommendations of PEB 252
The BLET has rejected a non-binding decision announced last week by Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) No. 252, assigned to the long-running dispute between BLET and New Jersey Transit (NJT). Rejection of the PEB’s recommendation triggers a 60-day cooling off period,...
Autonomous trains: BLET sounds the alarm as railroads move to operate trains without train crews on board and the federal government OKs a pilot project
This month, the Federal Railroad Administration granted a series of waivers to permit the trial run of a “novel, self-propelled, zero-emission, battery-electric rail vehicle” where no workers would be onboard. FRA is allowing a tech company, Parallel Systems, to test...
Daily Headlines
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.
NS to pay $15 million civil penalty, $57.1 million in cleanup costs over East Palestine derailment
Norfolk Southern agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty and $57.1 million in past government cleanup costs as well as millions in future costs to resolve a U.S. government lawsuit over a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, court documents show.
Judge signs off on $600 million East Palestine derailment settlement but residents still have questions
A federal judge has signed off on the $600 million class action settlement over last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio, but many people who live near East Palestine are still wondering how much they will end up with out of the deal.
CPKC and Teamsters Canada remain at impasse
Although Wednesday marked the end of a mandatory 21-day cooling off period under Canadian labor law, the Canada Industrial Relations Board continues to review requests to determine what commodities might be deemed essential and must keep moving during a strike.
FRA finalizes certification standards for signalmen, dispatchers
New federal certification rules finalized Monday for train dispatchers and signal repairmen will set minimum standards to counteract the investor pressure on railroads to continually cut costs while making sure those employees have the skills they need to operate all the high-tech systems on today’s trains.
