BLET News
Missouri’s elected leaders discuss need for rail safety after East Palestine
Missouri State Representatives Robert Sauls (front row, 3rd from left) and Patty Lewis (front row, 4th from left) with BLET members from Missouri. _____________________ Elected government leaders from the State of Missouri addressed BLET members during the Western...
SMART-TD President Continues Misinformation Campaign
A Message to the Members: From the BLET Advisory Board June 11, 2024 Dear Brothers and Sisters: This is an open letter from the BLET Advisory Board in response to the comments made by the President of the Transportation Division of the International Association of...
FRA to relaunch remote control RSAC group
From left: BLET President Eddie Hall, FRA Administrator Amit Bose, First VP Mark Wallace and National S-T David Estes ____________________ FRA Administrator Amit Bose revealed during his speech at the BLET Western Regional Meeting in Kansas City that the FRA will soon...
Kansas City: BLET wraps up 2024 Western Regional Meeting
Thursday, June 6, was the final day of BLET’s Western Regional Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. More than 300 BLET members participated in educational workshops and specialized training for Local Chairmen, Legislative Representatives, and Secretary-Treasurers....
Nevada: Don’t roll the dice on railroad safety
It’s been a year since Nevada’s governor vetoed an important rail safety bill, and the BLET is marking this anniversary by calling on Nevada legislators to put rail safety over corporate profits. A joint message from Brother Matt Parker, Chairman of the Nevada State...
CN-IC, Iowa Northern: Members ratify new implementing agreement
BLET members have voted in favor of an implementing agreement regarding the Canadian National-Illinois Central Railway’s (CN-IC) acquisition of the Iowa Northern Railway. Ballots were tabulated on May 30, 2024. The implementing agreement addresses changes in...
Ohio: House of Representatives passes “Stop, Look and Listen” rail safety bill
Dr. Michele Grim (front row, fourth from right) marched with BLET members at the 2023 Toledo Labor Day parade. ____________________ The Ohio House of Representatives has passed a BLET-backed railroad safety bill. The bill’s primary sponsor — Dr. Michele Grim, Ohio...
BLET’s National Legislative Board Chairmen hold annual meeting with Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives among the guests
From left: Jordan Wheeler, Div. 234 and Ross County (Ohio) Clerk of Courts; John Esterly, Ohio SLB Chairman; and Jason Stephens, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. ____________________ Members of the BLET’s National Association of State Legislative Board...
Remote control: BLET stands on the side of safety, others stand with management
In his remarks to The New York Times, BLET First Vice President Mark Wallace was highly critical of the Union Pacific Railroad regarding remote control train operations. “We have seen an aggressive approach by Union Pacific to take remote controls outside the...
Explosive New York Times investigative report exposes dangers of remote control operations
The BLET questions the safety of remote control train operations and demands safety reforms in a sweeping investigative report published by the New York Times on May 27 (via Yahoo, no subscription necessary). This major news story with national implications came about...
FRA: Certification standards will be required for train dispatchers and signalmen
On May 20, the FRA published two final rules that will require railroads to develop certification standards and training programs for train dispatchers and signal workers. Unlike locomotive engineers, there have previously been no federal regulations mandating...
Amtrak: BLET helps kick off new Borealis service from St. Paul to Chicago
From left: Joel Mueller, BLET Minnesota SLB Chairman, Riley Richmond, BLET Division 27, and Chad Roehrich, BLET Midwest Regional Chairman-Amtrak GCA. _____________________ BLET member Riley Richmond worked as the locomotive engineer on the inaugural run of Amtrak’s...
On the Right Track: 2024 Triennial Election manual now online
The 2024 edition of “On the Right Track,” the Local Division nomination and election procedure manual, is now available for download from the Members’ Area of the BLET website and in the Document Library in UnionTrack. Copies were also mailed to Division Presidents,...
Teamsters Rail Conference: Mike Smith appointed new Director
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien has appointed Mike Smith to serve as the new Director of the Teamsters Rail Conference. Leaders of the BLET and BMWED were introduced to Brother Smith at a Rail Policy Committee meeting in Washington D.C. in May. In 2015, Smith...
Ohio: Trespasser incidents take a toll, NST Estes says
In an interview with Ohio’s Dayton Daily News, BLET National Secretary-Treasurer David Estes discussed the psychological trauma that locomotive engineers endure when they are involved in fatal pedestrian or vehicle incidents. It is an all-too-familiar scenario for...
Jerry Sturdivant reelected General Chairman of NS-Southern Lines GCA
General Chairman Jerry G. Sturdivant, Division 110, (Ludlow, Ky.), was reelected at the Norfolk Southern-Southern Lines GCA’s quadrennial meeting in Florence, Kentucky, on May 21, 2024. This is his third term of office. The Norfolk Southern-Southern Lines GCA...
Logan reelected General Chairman of UP-Southern Region GCA
Officers and guests at the Union Pacific-Southern Region GCA's quadrennial meeting on May 20. ____________________ James Logan Jr. of BLET Division 620 (Fort Worth, Texas) was reelected by acclamation to the office of General Chairman at the Union Pacific-Southern...
Iowa: Vote now to help daughter of BLET member in the Doodle for Google national competition
BLET Division 6 member Bryce A. Grail with his daughter Ella and her national finalist art piece. Vote for her at the link below! ____________________ The talented daughter of a BLET member could soon have her art on the Google homepage for hundreds of millions to...
Railroad Retirement Board Q&As: Providing answers to your important retirement questions
Many railroaders know that they can retire at age 60 with 30 years of service because of the Railroad Retirement Act. But did you know that if you do, you may need to increase your tax withholding when you turn 62? That’s one of the many important retirement topics...
Texas: Defending democracy in the Lone Star state
From left: Brother Piekarski, Brother Wright, U.S. Rep. Raskin (D-Md.), and Brother Dondero. ____________________ Members of the BLET’s Texas State Legislative Board (TXSLB) participated in a “Defend Democracy” dinner hosted by the Lone Star Project in Dallas on May...
Daily Headlines
BRC-TCU secures sick leave at CPKC
(Source: Transportation Communications Union press release, April 16, 2024) The Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division (BRC-TCU) is proud to announce that a sick leave agreement has been reached with Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad (CPKC). This agreement is in...
STB ends probe of UP’s use of embargoes, but slams railroad’s “delay and obfuscation”
The Surface Transportation Board today closed the book on its investigation of Union Pacific’s record use of congestion-related embargoes in 2022 – but not before scolding the railroad for failing to comply with board orders and requests for information.
Federal agency mandates two-person train crews just weeks after Virginia gov. vetoes bill
Mark Wallace, First Vice President of the BLET, said: “The engineers are a lot of times hyper-focused on the controls, and what’s happening not only on the front of the train, but what’s happening in the middle and on the rear of the train. It’s very helpful, and we think, necessary to have a second crew person on the train with us.”
NS reports preliminary Q1 2024 results
In an outlook for Q1 earnings, which are to be released April 24, Norfolk Southern said adjusted earnings would come in at $2.49 a share and adjusted operating ratio would be 69.9%.
Lawyers want East Palestine residents to wait for details of $600 million derailment settlement
The lawyers who negotiated a $600 million settlement with Norfolk Southern over that railroad’s disastrous 2023 derailment in Ohio want residents to talk with them before deciding the historic deal isn’t enough.
NJ Transit board approves 15% fare hike
NJ Transit’s board convened Wednesday to vote on what would be its first fare hike in nearly a decade, a 15% increase that would take effect on the heels of New York City’s controversial congestion pricing tolls, if all goes according to plan.
$430 million improvement plan for PATH
The two-year program calls for the repair or replacement of infrastructure throughout the system, including rail cars, bridges, tracks and track switches.
NS reaches $600 million settlement to resolve East Palestine class-action lawsuits
But Norfolk Southern didn’t admit to any liability or wrongdoing as a result of the settlement.
Now trains must have two-person crews. Will that continue for airplanes?
Once the Department of Transportation (DOT) on Tuesday unveiled new rules requiring two-member crews on board most freight trains, three U.S. pilot unions raised the question: Can the same policy continue for aircraft?
Report urges railroads to adopt growth strategies to regain freight lost to the highway
Recent research on potential 2030 scenarios for North American Class I railroads shows that focusing on growth — backed by a cost-efficient and reliable operation — is the only strategy likely to lead to long-term value creation.
