BLET News
BLET’s longest-serving General Chairman, John Karakian of the Grand Trunk Western, is reelected by acclamation
General Chairman John M. Karakian was reelected by acclamation to his ninth consecutive term of office at the BLET’s CN-Grand Trunk Western (GTW) General Committee of Adjustment quadrennial meeting, held in Novi, Mich., on August 16, 2023. Brother Karakian, a member...
BLET to hold Local Chairman training class, October 23-27, 2023
The course is designed to help Local Chairmen develop and enhance the skills necessary to provide the best representation possible to our members.
BLET speaks out about NJ Transit strike authorization vote
BLET National President Eddie Hall and First Vice President Mark Wallace were both interviewed by NJ Spotlight News for this article and explain the issues of importance for BLET members. Click here to view the article and watch the video: blet.link/3sa3PJW
BLET conducting strike authorization vote at NJ Transit
NJT’s locomotive engineers, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), have been seeking a new contract since October 2019. The contract dispute has been in National Mediation Board-sponsored mediation for nearly three years.
Registration open for Legislative Representative training class, September 24-28, 2023
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, August 3 — The BLET Education & Training Department, in conjunction with the National Legislative Office, will conduct a class for BLET Division Legislative Representatives in Washington, D.C., from September 24-28, 2023. The class will take...
BLET to hold Secretary-Treasurer training class, September 11-15, 2023
The BLET Education and Training Department will conduct a comprehensive Local Division and State Legislative Board Secretary-Treasurer training class from September 11-15, 2023, at the BLET National Division headquarters.
Psota reelected BNSF/MRL General Chairman
Kent J. Psota was reelected to his second term as General Chairman of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe/Montana Rail Link General Committee of Adjustment (BNSF/MRL GCA) at the GCA’s First Quadrennial Meeting in Las Vegas on July 19, 2023. The BNSF/MRL GCA is the...
BLET, BNSF reach tentative agreement on paid sick leave, improvements to work schedules for locomotive engineers
On August 1, the BLET announced it had reached a tentative system-wide agreement with the BNSF Railway that will significantly benefit locomotive engineers. The tentative agreement includes up to eight paid sick leave days and grants access to scheduled time off in an...
Cleveland: Brother Lou Shuster, BLET officer and NS conductor, remembered, honored
A memorial plaque honoring the late Lou Shuster, former president of BLET Division 607, was dedicated in a ceremony on July 26 at Norfolk Southern’s Rockport Yard in Cleveland, Ohio. Brother Lou, 46, was killed in an accident while working as a conductor for NS at a...
BLET 160th Anniversary: Shoot the Strike to Pieces
The year 1877 was filled with strikes and labor unrest in various parts of the country. Engineers walked out on the Boston & Maine, the Philadelphia & Reading, Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Grand Trunk, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the St. Louis &...
Two-person crew: State legislation advances in Kansas and New Jersey – but helped needed from BLET members to get bills across the finish line
Your help is requested to support BLET’s case for two-person crew requirements in Kansas and New Jersey. In Kansas, State Legislative Board Chairman Brandon Nunnenkamp reports that the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has proposed a two-person crew...
Philadelphia: Will the last SEPTA engineer please turn out the lights? Agency should have 230 engineers but it is down to just 160 – and dropping.
The BLET continues to sound the warning bell at SEPTA. The commuter railroad serving Philadelphia and suburban areas in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey is near its breaking point due to lack of qualified locomotive engineers to run trains. Train cancellations,...
BLET 160th Anniversary: Early Masonic Influences
The early members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers had strong Masonic beliefs, as evidenced by this photo of a BLE meeting in Illinois, which was taken in the early to mid-1870s. During early Division meetings, officers wore Masonic regalia with...
Register now for upcoming RRB pre-retirement seminars in Fort Worth and Philadelphia
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has announced its schedule of Pre-Retirement Seminars for Fall 2023. Designed for union officers and railroad employees and spouses planning to retire within five years, Pre-Retirement Seminars will familiarize attendees with...
Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad workers vote to join BLET
Train and engine service employees of the Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad (FG&A) have voted to join the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), becoming the newest members of the 160-year-old union. The election was certified on July 12 by the...
BLET 160th Anniversary: Insurance Association answers a genuine need in 1867
A most important milestone in BLE history occurred on December 3, 1867, when the Locomotive Engineers Mutual Life Insurance Association was established at Port Jervis, New York. It was patterned after the Insurance Association of the Metropolitan Police of New York...
Get involved: Join us in Myrtle Beach August 14-18, 2023
Brothers and Sisters, I want to express my gratitude following last week’s Western Regional Meeting in Milwaukee and thank those who attended. You are the Union, and I was pleased to host your meeting. I invite everyone to our Eastern Regional Meeting at the Hilton...
90% majority of BLET Divisions ratify quality of life agreement with UP
The six BLET General Chairmen reported today that 90% of BLET Divisions representing locomotive engineers on Union Pacific ratified a momentous agreement that enhances the quality of life for those locomotive engineers and their families by making it possible for them to have more predictable schedules.
BLET members ratify paid sick leave deal with Norfolk Southern
Nearly 95% of BLET Divisions representing locomotive engineers on Norfolk Southern ratified a new paid sick leave agreement with Norfolk Southern on June 19. The new deal provides NS engineers with five new days of paid sick leave per year and the flexibility to use...
New study examines effect of fatigue on train crew commutes to and from work
While fatigue in the railroad workplace is a widely acknowledged issue, a new study released by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on June 15 examines the impact of fatigue on train crews as they commute to and from work. The 72-page fatigue study is titled...
Daily Headlines
STB soliciting nominations for Passenger Rail Advisory Committee
The Surface Transportation Board is seeking candidates to fill 18 vacancies on its newly formed Passenger Railroad Advisory Committee (PRAC). Nominations are due by Feb. 5, 2024; candidates may nominate themselves.
Analysis: The invisible railroad problem
Why is it that no one notices railroads until there’s a derailment, blocked grade crossing, or a massive supply chain problem like we saw in 2022?
Will Congress pass any rail safety bills in 2024?
The passage of any rail safety legislation in Congress next year is likely to be influenced by two things, industry observers told FreightWaves: the 2024 presidential election and the release of a report by the National Transportation Safety Board on the February 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio.
Outgoing STB Chairman Oberman condemns Wall Street influence over railroads
Martin J. Oberman isn’t ready to retire just yet. That much was clear from his impassioned talk at a recent Northwestern University Transportation Center gathering.
BNSF officially takes over MRL operations
BNSF Railway Co. yesterday resumed operations of Montana Rail Link (MRL), which now is part of the Class I’s Montana subdivision.
AAR reports rail traffic for December and the week ending December 20, 2023
Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 52 weeks of 2023 was 24,369,229 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.3 percent compared to last year.
RRB Q&A: Reporting events and activities that can affect payment of Railroad Retirement annuities
The RRB has prepared a thorough list of questions and answers regarding the events and activities that can affect payment of railroad retirement annuities. The Q&A also describes how these events and activities can affect annuities and explains how to prevent annuity overpayments under these circumstances.
East Palestine, safety among rail’s big issues in 2023
The February derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, brought an unanticipated and sometimes harsh spotlight on rail safety.
Railroad operations resume after 5-day closure in two Texas border towns
The federal government on Friday reopened two cross-border railroad crossings in Texas, five days after the shuttering of rail operations there disrupted trade and sparked outrage from U.S. and Mexican businesses.
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending December 23, 2023
Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 51 weeks of 2023 was 23,998,429 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.4 percent compared to last year.
