BLET News
BLET stands in solidarity with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference
Roughly 10,000 members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will be able to strike, or will be locked out by management, if a settlement is not reached by August 22. Photo courtesy of TCRC ____________________ BLET members in the United States are standing with our...
NJ Transit: Agency has money for a “fare holiday,” but says it can’t afford pay raises for locomotive engineers
NJ Transit leaders just can’t seem to get their story straight. In arguments before Presidential Emergency Board 251 earlier this month, NJ Transit plead poverty and said it had no room in its budget for additional expenses like pay raises for locomotive engineers....
Union Pacific: BLET holds carrier accountable for not living up to promises made in quality of life agreement
As a result of an agreement reached with BLET last year, BLET’s engineers employed at Union Pacific are supposed to be working under a negotiated schedule that provides for a four-day rest period after 11 days on the job. But the railroad has been slow to honor its...
Reminder to BLET SLB Chairmen: Candidate recommendations due by August 30
BLET State Legislative Board Chairmen are in the process of reviewing candidates for public office who are worthy of our support in the national election on November 5. Their list of candidates for federal office will be published in an upcoming issue of the...
Railroad Retirement Board urges you to review Form BA-6
The Railroad Retirement Board routinely publishes important news of interest to active and retired BLET members. Here is a summary of highlights published in Summer 2024. • Each year the RRB prepares a Form BA-6, Certificate of Service Months and Compensation, for...
BLET Safety Task Force: Three major derailments in July are under investigation
July was a busy month for the BLET’s Safety Task Force (STF). The BLET has received party status from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist with investigations into three serious incidents: a BNSF hazmat derailment and fire in Carrington, N.D.; a...
Triennial Election refresher training classes are available in advance of next month’s Division nomination meetings
The BLET Education & Training Department is offering online training to help BLET Divisions prepare for the upcoming round of Triennial Elections, which are only a few weeks away. Nominations will be held at each Division’s first regular meeting in September of...
NJ Transit: BLET makes a strong case at hearing before PEB 251
The BLET made a strong case on behalf of its members as PEB 251 held formal hearings last week in the contract dispute between BLET and New Jersey Transit. NJT’s locomotive engineers have been seeking a new labor agreement since October 2019. NJT’s engineers are the...
BLET Eastern Regional Meeting: Highlight video features key speakers, major themes
The BLET National Division has prepared a video featuring highlights from several speakers at the union’s Eastern Regional Meeting last week in Washington D.C. The 8-minute video features the meeting’s opening ceremony and includes messages from U.S. Senator Bernie...
Keep up the pressure: Tell Congress to fully fund Railroad Retirement
BLET is continuing to urge its members and their families to tell their legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives to fully fund the Railroad Retirement Board. As reported previously, budget cuts that would be catastrophic for the RRB are now under consideration...
BLET Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington D.C.: Speaker highlight – Robert Primus
Robert Primus, Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board, said rail labor is a major part of the economic success of America’s freight railroad system. He recognized and thanked railroad workers for keeping the nation’s supply chain moving during his presentation...
BLET Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington D.C.: Speaker highlight – Amit Bose
The head of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) encouraged BLET members to get on board as the FRA continues to advocate for safety in the railroad industry. Speaking at the BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington D.C. on July 30, FRA Administrator Amit...
Senator Cantwell wants answers after UP undermines FRA safety culture survey
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, is looking for answers from the Union Pacific after the Federal Railroad Administration was forced to cancel a safety culture survey at the railroad. FRA launched the...
BLET scores organizing victory at COASTER
BLET National President Eddie Hall officially welcomed 36 new members into the BLET family today. Train and engine service employees with commuter railroad COASTER voted to join the union in an election certified by the National Mediation Board earlier this afternoon.
BLET Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington D.C.: Speaker highlight – Sara Nelson
Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA/CWA), energized the BLET crowd during opening ceremonies of the union’s Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington D.C. on July 30. Like the BLET, the AFA is governed by the Railway Labor...
CSX derailment in Niagara Falls the latest in string of remote control related accidents
The BLET obtained this drone footage showing the aftermath of a July 22 CSX remote control derailment in Niagara Falls, N.Y. ____________________ A CSX locomotive derailed in upstate New York on July 22, the latest in an alarming string of derailments involving...
BLET Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington D.C.: Speaker highlight – Rep. James Clyburn
U.S. Representative James E. Clyburn’s eloquent speech was a highlight of the BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington D.C. on July 30. The legendary Democrat from South Carolina spoke about his background of fighting for Civil Rights and the need for unity to...
Bernie Sanders condemns railroad corporate greed in speech to BLET/Teamster Members
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) called out America’s railroad industry for putting profits over safety in his address to more than 300 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) in Washington D.C. on July 29. “Nobody in America...
House hearing focuses on bipartisan Railroad Safety Enhancement Act
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy (left) and FRA Administrator Amit Bose testified during the July 23 hearing. T&I Committee images ____________________ A BLET-backed rail safety bill was the focus of a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and...
Senator Bernie Sanders to address BLET members on July 29
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will address BLET members during a welcome reception at the union’s Eastern Regional Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday, July 29. If time permits, the Senator plans to engage in a question and answer session. Senator Sanders...
Daily Headlines
Three railroads ask federal court to toss out STB’s reciprocal switching rule
Canadian National, CSX, and Union Pacific last week asked a federal appeals court to set aside the Surface Transportation Board’s new reciprocal switching rule, which will allow sole-served shippers in terminal areas to request access to a second railroad if their rail service falls below certain standards.
U.S. Senate extends Homendy’s term as Chair of NTSB
The U.S. Senate last night confirmed a three-year extension of Jennifer Homendy’s term as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Senator Baldwin pushes railroads to address staffing shortages that compromise safety and service for Americans
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called on the six Class I railroads to address severe staffing shortages that are endangering workers, increasing the risk of derailments and accidents, and raising costs for Wisconsin farmers, businesses, and consumers.
EPA calls East Palestine whistleblower reports false
The Region 5 Environmental Protection Agency pushed back at a recent Associated Press report that accuses the agency of not fully utilizing an advanced aircraft that could have collected crucial air monitoring and data during the vent-and-burn of vinyl chloride following last year’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train.
President Biden designates Robert E. Primus as STB Chairman
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has designated Robert E. Primus Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board effective May 11, 2024.
FRA makes more than $2 billion in new funding available to Northeast Corridor
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that makes available over $2 billion in Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program funding for projects located on the Northeast Corridor.
Federal lawsuit claims CSX violated FMLA anti-retaliation provisions
More than 100 employees have been terminated or suspended since 2017, according to the complaint.
Whistleblower questions delays and mistakes in way EPA used sensor plane after East Palestine derailment
The U.S. government has a specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors that officials brag is always ready to deploy within an hour of any kind of chemical disaster. But the plane didn’t fly over eastern Ohio until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment there last year.
President Biden to nominate Primus as next STB Chairman
President Joe Biden intends to nominate STB member Robert Primus as chairman, following the May 10 retirement of Martin Oberman.
NTSB: Improperly lined switch contributed to CSX collision in Folkston, Ga.
Three crew members were sent to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
