BLET News
President Biden appoints PEB to investigate national rail contract dispute
The United Rail Unions issue the following statement July 15, 2022: The Rail Unions who are bargaining as part of the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way/SMART Mechanical Coalition attended the Public Interest Hearings hosted by...
Carriers continue to stonewall at latest NMB hearings as IBT offers added support
On Tuesday, July 12, 2022, BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce traveled to Washington D.C. to represent the membership of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen at the Public Interest Hearings held by the National Mediation Board (NMB) in a final attempt to assist the involved Rail Unions and Carriers in reaching a contract settlement.
BLET Strike Vote: The rest of the story
Today, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen tallied the ballots cast in its first nationwide strike vote over national contract negotiations since 2011. In a showing of solidarity and unity, 99.5% of the participating members voted to authorize a strike should such action become legal in the coming days, and become necessary to secure a contract worthy of their consideration.
Deadline extended for BLET’s Baltimore regional meeting
For those making last minute plans to attend the BLET’s upcoming regional meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, please be advised that the deadline to make hotel reservations has been extended to July 7, 2022.
Ballots for strike authorization being mailed June 24 to BLET members at Class I railroads
This week, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is mailing ballots to more than 23,000 members seeking authorization for the Union’s leadership to call a strike should one become necessary to settle the current national contract dispute with the nation’s largest rail carriers. This is a mandatory step required by the Brotherhood’s internal law as the Union approaches the point where self-help becomes a legal option to both labor and management.
BLET to hold strike authorization vote
In a conference call held with all BLET General Chairmen today, National President Dennis R. Pierce announced that preparations are underway to poll members to authorize a strike in the event one becomes necessary to attain the Organization’s national bargaining goals.
BLET members ratify new contract with DM&E; Wages to increase 27%
By a nearly 5-to-1 ratio, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) ratified a new on-property agreement with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) on June 13, 2022.
Deadline approaches for BLET’s Baltimore regional meeting
Those planning to attend the BLET’s upcoming regional meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, are reminded that the deadline to make hotel reservations is June 28, 2022. The meeting will be held August 1-5, 2022.
FRA publishes rule on fatigue management
On June 13, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published its long awaited rule on rail worker fatigue management. The fatigue final rule was mandated by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
United Rail Unions statement on proffer of arbitration, June 15, 2022
The United Rail Unions issued the following statement on June 15, 2022: Following the conclusion of our third week of compulsory mediation conducted by the National Mediation Board (NMB), the Rail Unions who are bargaining as part of the Coordinated Bargaining...
BLET opens Denver regional meeting
More than 370 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and their families convened in Denver, Colorado, on the morning of June 14 for opening ceremonies of the BLET’s first regional meeting of 2022.
United Rail Unions statement on national bargaining, June 9, 2022
The Rail Unions remain united in their effort to negotiate a fair agreement and stand together in rejecting all proposals that the rail carriers have advanced in our mediation sessions. Our members are the backbone of the rail network and they have earned a contract that recognizes their contributions. None of the Carrier proposals to date come close to that.
Arrangements announced for former BLET VP Paul Wingo
The family will receive friends at the Maple Grove Baptist Church (9525 Birchwood Pike, Harrison, TN 37341) on Thursday, June 9, from 4:00-6:00 p.m., and a service will follow at 6:00 p.m. Brother Wingo will be laid to rest with military honors on Monday, June 13 (10:30 a.m.), at the Chattanooga National Cemetery (1200 Bailey Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404).
Groose reelected Missouri State Legislative Board Chairman
Calvin L. Groose was reelected by acclamation to his second term as Chairman of the Missouri State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, May 15-17, 2022.
Former BLET Vice President Paul Wingo, 1944-2022
Paul L. Wingo Jr., retired International and National Vice President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, passed away on June 6, 2022. He was 78 years old.
BLET hero drowns while rescuing children from riptide
BLET member Zackary T. Stine, age 36, of Division 182 (North Little Rock, Ark.), bravely and selflessly sprang into action after a group of four small children got caught in a riptide out in the river at Soggy Bottom Trails, an ATV park in Oklahoma.
United Rail Unions statement on national bargaining, June 2, 2022
These joint mediated negotiations, under the direction of the NMB Board Members themselves, resulted from the Unions’ request to be released from mediation after more than two years of bargaining with the major U.S. Class I railroads.
BLET-backed two-person crew bill advances in New York state
The BLET-backed two person crew bill — S3953B — has been passed by both the New York State Assembly and Senate, and members who live in New York state are urged to contact Governor Kathy Hochul’s office and ask her to sign the bill into law.
Memorial Day 2022
Statement by BLET National President Dennis Pierce: Each year on Memorial Day, our Brotherhood pays tribute to the men and women who have given their lives serving in our military. It is an important holiday for the BLET and its members as we honor the fallen for defending our country and our way of life.
Timothy T. Price, 1969-2022
Timothy T. Price, Chairman Emeritus of the Ohio State Legislative Board, passed away on May 15, 2022, after a battle with cancer. He was 53 years old.
Daily Headlines
UP conductor alleges he suffered injuries during transport to train
He claims the Union Pacific employee driving the transport, failed to wait for a train to clear the vehicle crossing, reversed course and went around the train and slammed into a telephone/light pole.
There may not be a strike at freight railroads, but the service is still terrible
The fact that there is not a freight railroad strike happening this week is a huge win for the US economy and its still struggling supply chain.
As stopgap to relieve crew shortages, CSX seeks transfers to Water Level Route terminals
In system notices sent last week, CSX said it was seeking train and engine crews to temporarily transfer to Buffalo, Syracuse, and Selkirk, N.Y., as well as West Springfield, Mass., and Philadelphia.
Rail customers ask Congress to reauthorize STB
Although they welcomed the new tentative agreement between the railroads and labor unions, the industry’s customers are calling on Congress to help resolve other freight-rail problems that continue to harm the U.S. economy and prolong the U.S. supply-chain crisis.
Opinion: Cheap at twice the price
And I think railroad management has to recognize the bargain it gets, and adjust its scheduling, staffing and service requirements to enhance the ability of this bargain resource to do what it has done over the past forty years—deliver the goods.
Incoming CSX CEO talks about improving service, engaging labor
Hinrichs has served as president of Ford Motor Co.’s automotive business, handling its global operations as well as the Ford and Lincoln brands.
No injuries reported as NS train derails in Southern Illinois
Twenty-six cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Monday morning between the towns of Albers and New Baden, leading to an extensive response from authorities that included a hazardous-materials team as a precautionary measure. No injuries were reported.
Editorial: Rail workers’ struggle shows the power of organized working class
Top level government officials, even the president himself, were compelled to make the grievances of railroad workers their top priority. This is testament to the huge power that the working class holds when it is organized and willing to fight.
A rail strike averted reminds us that there is power in a union
The short story behind the now-averted railroad strike is this: The largest freight railroad carriers in the country were willing to cripple the transportation infrastructure of the United States rather than allow their workers to take the occasional day off to see a doctor or attend to their families.
Death on a train: A tragedy that helped fuel the railroad showdown
Aaron Hiles, a locomotive engineer, told his wife he “felt different,” though he couldn’t say exactly how. He made an appointment to see a doctor, his family said. But then his employer, BNSF, one of the largest freight rail carriers in the nation, unexpectedly called him into work.
