BLET News
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...
Two Teamster scholarship funds now accepting applications
BLET members and their families are advised that the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund has begun accepting applications for the 2025 award year. The Fund awards financial scholarships to the sons, daughters and financial dependents of Teamster members...
New York: Retirees honored at 57th annual Division 269/LIRR Dinner Dance
Brother James Daddino (holding plaque) is presented with the “Engineer of the Year” award by (from left to right) Karl Bischoff, Bret Becker and Kevin Sexton. ____________________ BLET Division 269 and the Long Island Rail Road General Committee of Adjustment honored...
Washington, D.C.: President-elect Trump announces cabinet picks to lead DOT, DOL
President-elect Trump has announced his intention to fill two cabinet-level positions of particular interest for the BLET and its members: the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Labor. Former Wisconsin Representative Sean Duffy has been nominated by...
Indiana: BLET members ratify new contract with Indiana Southern Railroad
Members of the BLET on December 5 ratified a new contract with the Indiana Southern Railroad (ISRR). The on-property agreement governs rates of pay, benefits, and work rules for 13 BLET locomotive engineers and conductors. The five-year deal runs through the end of...
This holiday season a BLET family needs your generosity as a locomotive engineer recovers from brain surgery
Two BLET members were reunited in a hospital on November 26 for the first time since one came to the other’s rescue during a harrowing ordeal on the job in October. The quick-thinking and decisive actions of conductor Tim McMakin on October 27 likely saved the life of...
Michigan: BLET members ratify new contract with Huron and Eastern Railway
BLET members this week ratified a new contract with the Huron and Eastern Railway (HESR). The on-property agreement governs rates of pay, benefits, and work rules for 24 BLET operating employees. The five-year deal runs through the end of 2029 and provides general...
Railroad safety: BLET participates in FRA’s Rail Share meeting
FRA Administrator Amit Bose (center) with BLET members, officers, and staff at the FRA's Rail Share meeting. ____________________ Representatives from the BLET’s National Legislative Office, along with a large contingent of BLET State Legislative Board Chairmen,...
Daily Headlines
Optimism grows for U.S. high-speed rail
An air of optimism prevailed at this year’s U.S. High Speed Rail conference, held May 14-15 in Washington, D.C.
AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending May 11, 2024
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 468,748 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
CPKC to resume contract negotiations with TCRC
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said on Thursday its leadership, with the assistance of federal mediators, will resume contract negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union on May 17.
Study shows longer freight trains have higher risk of derailment
The longer the freight train, the greater the risk of derailment, new research from the Society for Risk Analysis shows.
Communication error led to UP yard fatality, NTSB determines
The NTSB has determined that a communication breakdown over granting permission for a train movement into the yard, as well as regarding placement of a portable derail device, was the probable cause of a August 2022 Union Pacific yard fatality in El Paso, Texas.
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.
