BLET News
Rail Labor partners with High-Speed Rail Authority
Artist's rendering of a California high-speed train. Image: courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority ____________________ The California High-Speed Rail Authority and 13 rail labor unions, including BLET, announced on November 17 that they have entered an...
TTD unions oppose increases to pilot retirement age at Fall Executive Committee meeting
TTD Fall Executive Committee meeting: From left: Political Analyst David Wasserman, TTD President Greg Regan and TTD Secretary-Treasurer Shari Semelsberger ____________________ The AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department (TTD) held its Fall Executive Committee...
BLET hosts Governor Evers for ride-along inside locomotive cab
Brother Chuck Schulz, Chairman of the BLET Wisconsin SLB (left), in the cab with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers during his ride-along on November 15. ____________________ Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers got to experience firsthand what locomotive engineers and trainmen...
SEPTA’s locomotive engineers unanimously vote to authorize a strike
Results of the vote count today show that of engineers eligible to cast ballots, all voted to strike.
Rail labor unions back re-nomination of RRB Labor Member John Bragg
BLET stands with Bragg: From left: BLET National President Eddie Hall, Labor Member of the RRB John Bragg, BLET First Vice President Mark Wallace and BLET National S-T David Estes _____________________ In a November 13 letter to President Joe Biden, all 13 rail labor...
In depth ProPublica article exposes rail worker harassment and intimidation
A major investigative report published by ProPublica on November 15 exposes how America’s railroad corporations are intimidating workers by putting speed ahead of safety. According to the ProPublica team of investigative reporters, as railroads strive to move their...
Proclamation honors BLET’s 160th anniversary
From left: BLET member Alex Bing, Commissioner Lisa Sobecki, Commissioner Pete Gerken, BLET member John Esterly, and Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak. _________________________ The BLET received a proclamation from the Lucas County (Ohio) Board of Commissioners in...
Biden announces $16.4 billion for Northeast Corridor improvements
Major investment in passenger rail: President Biden announced $16.4 billion in funding for passenger and commuter rail at a November 6 press conference. (Image from White House YouTube video) __________________________ The Biden administration announced on November 6...
Veterans Day 2023: Thank you to our veterans and their families
On Veterans Day, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen thanks all of our veterans for your service to our Nation. We salute you for your contributions and sacrifices, which have made our country free and strong. Veterans Day is an important day of...
BLET reaches tentative agreement with Amtrak: Ballots will be mailed on November 15
The BLET has reached a tentative contract agreement for more than 1,400 locomotive engineers who operate Amtrak’s passenger and commuter trains over its 21,000-mile, 46-state route system.The seven-year tentative agreement includes full retroactive payments dating to...
2022 BLET Bylaws available online
Delegates consider changes to the BLET Bylaws while in session during the Fifth National Convention in 2022. _______________________ An electronic copy of the 2022 edition of the BLET Bylaws is now available in the Members’ Area of the Brotherhood’s website. The...
Railroad Retirement: Monthly annuities, earnings limits will increase in 2024
Most railroad retirement annuities, like social security benefits, will increase in January 2024. Cost-of-living increases are calculated in both the tier I and tier II portions of a railroad retirement annuity. The tier I portion, like social security benefits, will...
BLET reaches tentative agreement with Keolis Rail Services
A contract ratification vote is underway for BLET members who work for Keolis Rail Services Virginia. Ballots were mailed this week to members to vote on a tentative on-property agreement governing rates of pay and health care benefits for 11 locomotive engineers who...
REMINDER: Get out and vote on Tuesday, November 7
Tuesday, November 7, is election day in most states. BLET members and their families are encouraged to get to the polls and make Election Day count for working families. Many of the rail safety improvements Rail Labor has secured in recent years have been on the state...
SEPTA strike vote: Request replacement ballots by November 9
Two weeks ago, the BLET National Division mailed ballots and voting instructions to members working at SEPTA regarding a strike authorization vote. The deadline for receipt of ballots is at noon Eastern time on Monday, November 20, 2023. Members who are eligible and...
BLET members take fight for a fair contract at NJ Transit to the State Senate and Assembly
Using new technology that makes it easy for BLET members and their families to send letters to government leaders, engineers in New Jersey are reaching out to their legislative representatives with messages about NJ Transit’s misplaced priorities, wasteful spending,...
Regulatory victory: BLET blocks Mexican train crews at the border
The BLET’s National Legislative Office in Washington, D.C., scored a regulatory win for BLET members last week by blocking Union Pacific’s attempt to move trains across the border into the U.S. at Laredo, Texas without stopping under certain conditions. UP...
Devita retires as Fireman & Oilers president, Pistone elevated to top office
Brother Dean Devita, President of the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, 32BJ, SEIU, announced on October 19 that he is retiring effective December 31, 2023. Brother Devita became President of the NCFO on October 1, 2020. He was one of the featured speakers...
LAST CALL: Deadline to enroll in 2024 Health FSA program is at midnight on October 31, 2023
From now until midnight on October 31, 2023, you can enroll or change your Medical or Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) benefit selections for the 2024 benefit year. Members must enroll in the Health FSA every year — FSA enrollment is not automatic each year, and...
Education & Training: Local Chairmen complete workshop
This week, the BLET National Division hosted 26 Local Chairmen for a training class at National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio. The in-depth training helped those attending to develop and enhance the skills necessary to provide the best representation...
Daily Headlines
BNSF announces 2024 capital investment plan
The largest component of this year’s capital plan, $2.88 billion, is devoted to maintaining BNSF’s core network and related assets.
A strange 21st-Century revival: The train robbery
Edward A. Hall, National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, has 28 years of seniority as a locomotive engineer for Union Pacific, first in El Paso, Texas, but mostly out of Tucson, Ariz. He described what it was like to be inside a train during a heist.
Railroad safety bill introduced in the wake of multiple derailments in Colorado
A new train safety bill in the Colorado legislature, if passed, would require railroads to be equipped with more safety features, limit the length and weight of trains carrying hazardous materials and will also limit the time that trains can block major intersections while passing.
Podcast: Remembering East Palestine’s train derailment and rail safety updates
President of the Transportation Trades Department, Greg Regan, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the first anniversary of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and what political leaders are doing to create change in the industry.
DOT approves $2.5 billion in private activity bonds allocation for Brightline West project
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced the approval of $2.5 billion in private activity bonds authority allocated for the Brightline West High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail project connecting Las Vegas, Nevada, and Southern California. The 218-mile, high-speed rail line will primarily run along the I-15 median with trains capable of reaching 186 mph or more, cutting the trip to two hours – half the time to travel by car.
House T&I Committee reviews freight rail hazards
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials met on January 18 to discuss the oversight of railroad grade crossing elimination and safety issues.
STB seeks answers for delay on Gulf Coast settlement
The Surface Transportation Board has called for Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Port of Mobile, Ala., to provide “detailed information regarding the status of the implementation of the settlement agreement” agreed to in November 2022 to allow Amtrak service to begin between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. — and scheduled a February hearing to address the matter.
California high-speed rail sparks billions in economic benefit
New data released by the California High-Speed Rail Authority shows investments in this first-in-the-nation project are continuing to provide billions in economic benefit to the state.
The sad but important story of Lincoln’s funeral train procession
He was transported by train over a route that mimicked an important trip during the president’s life — his inaugural journey.
Rail CEOs believe conditions are better headed into next round of labor negotiations
A lot has happened, since Class I railroads averted a strike in 2022. CEOs and other officials at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting were happy to point to progress in labor relations.
