BLET News
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...
Operation RedBlock reaches 40-year milestone anniversary
Over the last four decades, Operation RedBlock has proven essential, especially given the highly unpredictable nature of employee schedules in the rail industry. ____________________ The railroad industry’s leading peer-based substance abuse prevention program turns...
Daughter of BLET member a candidate for Congress in Maryland
Sarah Elfreth (center) meets with BLET Director of Political Affairs Brendan Sullivan (left) and BLET VP and NLR Vince Verna (right) ____________________ The BLET is backing the candidacy of Sarah Elfreth — the daughter of a retired BLET member — in the upcoming...
PEB 251 established to settle ongoing BLET-NJ Transit contract dispute
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. appointed Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) No. 251 to investigate the collective bargaining dispute between the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and New Jersey Transit (NJT). Pursuant to the Railway Labor Act...
Take Action! Don’t let the budget axe fall on Railroad Retirement
BLET members and their families are urged to keep the pressure on Congress to avoid potentially catastrophic budget cuts to the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). Please use the Take Action area of the BLET website to contact Congress today, especially if you are...
Amtrak: BLET says carrier should put money into repairs, not executive bonuses
Days before widespread failures at Amtrak this summer, it was revealed that top executives received millions in bonuses in 2023. Photo courtesy of Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659 ____________________ It’s been a rough summer for Amtrak. Major electrical problems in the...
Capitol Hill: Rail safety bills back in the spotlight
The nomination of Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) as the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States has put the Railway Safety Act (S. 576) back into the spotlight. Meanwhile, new legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would make C3RS...
Ohio: Division Legislative Representatives complete training
From left: Sam Schatz, Div. 447; John Peter, Div. 894; Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (District 23, Lakewood); John Esterly, Ohio SLB Chairman; Bruce Tatgenhorst, Div. 255; and Kevin Helton, Div. 292. ____________________ During the week of June 24-28, the...
Jim and Debbie Keele mark 50-years of membership
Jim and Debbie Keele at the 2024 BLET Western Regional Meeting in Kansas City. ____________________ Congratulations to retired BLET member Jim Keele and his wife Debbie, who are celebrating three milestone anniversaries this year: Brother Jim is a 50-year member of...
Breaking News: BLET members ratify new contract with SEPTA
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen today ratified a new three-year contract with SEPTA. An impressive 87 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, with 94 percent voting in favor. The contract provides numerous improvements for BLET...
Daily Headlines
Norfolk Southern prunes intermodal network and puts focus on operating ratio improvement
NS has eliminated 53 low-volume intermodal lanes — or 15% of its intermodal network — that had limited growth prospects. The railroad did not say how much volume would be lost as a result.
Victims of Montana asbestos pollution that killed hundreds take BNSF to court
Almost 25 years after federal authorities responding to news reports of deaths and illnesses descended on Libby, Montana, a town of about 3,000 people near the U.S.-Canada border, some asbestos victims and their family members are seeking to hold publicly accountable one of the major corporate players in the tragedy: BNSF Railway.
AAR reports rail traffic for March and the week ending March 30, 2024
Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in March 2024 were 1,889,186, up 4.2 percent, or 75,802 carloads and intermodal units from March 2023.
New train crew rule tests industry’s clout
A new rule finalized by the Federal Railroad Administration will require freight trains in the United States to operate with at least two crewmembers in most circumstances.
U.S. finalizes rule requiring two-person crews on freight trains
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it had finalized a new rule that will require the nation’s largest freight railroads to maintain their current staffing of two crew members per train, settling a contentious issue between organized labor and the industry.
TCRC calls for strike authorization vote by CN, CPKC train crews
Leaders of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference told their members on Thursday that a strike vote will be held from April 8 to May 1. If the rank and file vote to authorize a strike, the earliest a walkout or lockout could occur on CN and CPKC in Canada is May 22.
OIG: FRA lacks needed oversight of fatigue management
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently found that the Federal Railroad Administration needs to improve its oversight of procedures related to railroad hours of service (HOS) compliance and railroad fatigue management requirements.
EPA didn’t declare a public health emergency after East Palestine derailment
The aftermath of last year’s fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio doesn’t qualify as a public health emergency because widespread health problems and ongoing chemical exposures haven’t been documented, federal officials said.
CSX rerouting traffic to avoid Port of Baltimore after bridge collapse
CSX is starting a new dedicated freight rail service between Baltimore and New York for its clients on Tuesday to help mitigate the trade disruption as a result of the closure of the Port of Baltimore after the cargo vessel Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge leading to its collapse on March 26.
U.S. issues rule requiring at least two people on longest freight trains
“Safety improvements have come too slowly to the railroads but it is great to be finally working with an administration that is listening to workers,” said Vince Verna, a vice president at the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
