BLET News
Brian Farkas reelected General Chairman of CSXT-Northern Lines GCA
General Chairman Brian Farkas was reelected last week during the CSXT-Northern Lines General Committee of Adjustment’s quadrennial meeting at the National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio.
Take Action: Don’t let railroads give our jobs away to Mexico
Two Class I railroads are moving forward with plans to take jobs away from American train crews by bringing trains from Mexico into the United States using Mexican train crews. BLET members are urged to inform Congress about this risky situation and ask for their help in stopping this job giveaway.
BLET reaches tentative agreement with CSXT
Nearly 3,500 BLET members at CSXT will receive detailed information about the tentative agreement soon, and a ratification vote is scheduled to begin later this month.
The Brave Engineer: BLET honors legacy of Casey Jones on 125th anniversary of fatal train crash
April 30 marked the 125th anniversary of the fatal train wreck that made Casey Jones a household name. Most people have heard of the brave locomotive engineer named Casey Jones through popular culture. But not everyone knows that he was, in fact, a member of our...
BLET, NJ Transit Update: Clock ticks toward May 16 strike deadline
The National Mediation Board (NMB) has summoned the BLET and NJ Transit back to Washington D.C. for a last-ditch effort to reach a contract settlement ahead of this week’s strike deadline. The parties will meet on Monday, May 12. A strike or lock-out could begin as...
Watch this: BLET-produced television ad about NJT contract battle to hit the airwaves
The BLET National Division has produced a television commercial on behalf of its NJ Transit members, which will run on cable in New Jersey next week. The ad outlines the union’s position on locomotive engineer wages in advance of a potential strike or lock-out at NJT...
BLET marks 162nd anniversary in 2025
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) marks its 162nd anniversary on May 8. The BLET and its members are proud of our heritage as the oldest labor union in North America. Our union was founded as the Brotherhood of the Footboard on May 8, 1863,...
New York: BLET reaches tentative agreement with WNYP
The BLET has reached a tentative five-year agreement with the Western New York & Pennsylvania (WNYP) Railroad, governing rates of pay, benefits, and work rules. If approved by the membership, the tentative agreement will run through 2030. It provides for a...
California State Legislative Board begins long haul effort to pass rail safety bill
Members of the BLET’s State Legislative Board in California have launched a two-year plan to lobby for passage of a rail safety bill. Introduced this year, Senate Bill 667 would set train length limits of 7,500 feet and require installation of wayside detectors every...
BLET testifies that recent rash of rail cargo thefts are made worse by PSR
BLET Division 28 President Eddie Strom was in Washington D.C. to represent BLET at a roundtable discussion about rail cargo thefts. ____________________ The BLET provided a working railroader’s perspective on the growing trend of rail cargo thefts at a Congressional...
A special message from BLET National President Mark Wallace
It’s my honor and privilege to serve as the new National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Like many of you, I come from a family of railroaders. My father started his railroad career 65 years ago and the BLET has been an important...
Pittsburgh: BLET reaches tentative contract with Union Railroad
The BLET has reached a tentative agreement with the Union Railroad of Pittsburgh, Pa. The deal governs pay, benefits, and work rules. If approved by the members, the contract will run through July of 2028 and provides for a $500 signing bonus and general wage...
New Orleans: General Chairmen conclude annual meeting
Members of the BLET’s National General Chairmen’s Association (NGCA) concluded their 2025 annual meeting on April 24. The NGCA meets annually for the purpose of carrying on concerted movements related to wages, working conditions, education, training, sharing...
New York: It’s time to settle LIRR contract
Trains don’t run themselves — that’s the message from BLET members to New York Governor Kathy Hochul and members of the State Senate and Assembly. The BLET, along with four other rail unions — BRS, IAM, TCU, and IBEW — are involved in contract negotiations with the...
Illinois State Legislative Board conducts training for Division Legislative Representatives
Seated, from left: Brandon Stewart, Div. 96 and Illinois SLB 1st Vice Chairman; Cory Martin Illinois SLB Chairman; Reggie Hill, Div. 131; and Al Denton, Div. 118. Standing, from left: Chez Walker, Div. 404; Anthony Davis, Div. 815; Chuck Grigsby, Div. 602 and Illinois...
Workers Memorial Day 2025: Commemorating workers who died on the job, including two BLET members
Each year on April 28, unions including the BLET recognize Workers Memorial Day and remember American workers who have suffered and died on the job. On Workers Memorial Day the BLET honors two of our members who tragically passed away while on the job in the past...
Register today: Hotel reservations for Daytona Beach regional meeting must be made by May 14
“Start your engines…” Daytona Beach, Florida — famous for wide beaches and auto racing — is the site of the union’s 2025 Eastern Regional Meeting. BLET members are encouraged to make their reservations as soon as possible for the meeting, which is scheduled for the...
Utah: Tariff war with China hurts BLET members at UP, PHL after closure of iron ore mine
Citing the recent tariff trade war with China, an iron ore mine in Utah closed so suddenly that workers found out on Facebook that they no longer had jobs. The mine had supplied Chinese steelmakers with iron ore. The indefinite closure of Iron Ore LLC’s mine in Cedar...
Breaking News: Eddie Hall to retire as BLET President effective May 1; First Vice President Mark Wallace to become National President, VP Gary Best elected First Vice President
Eddie Hall is retiring as National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) effective May 1, 2025. In accordance with the BLET Bylaws, First Vice President Mark Wallace will assume the office of National President upon Hall’s...
Arizona: BLET Division 28 hosts annual Spring BBQ and Old Timers Picnic
Old friends reconnected and new memories were made on Saturday, April 12, as members of BLET Division 28 hosted their Spring BBQ and Old Timers Picnic in Tucson, Ariz. The annual event brought together over 200 family members, friends, and guests who celebrated the...
Daily Headlines
Onboard workers at Brightline vote to join TWU
The TWU victory comes after an aggressive anti-union campaign by the privately-owned company.
New NJ Transit head tells union he’s ready to bargain as strike deadline looms
Kris Kolluri, the new head of NJ Transit, is imploring the union that represents locomotive engineers to come to the table before a possible strike in March.
Shift to remote-controlled dams, trains raises unions’ concerns
But the lack of clarity surrounding training, or how the equipment would provide “equivalent levels of safety for workers who perform duties around or adjacent ” to the train cars, or the surrounding community and pedestrians, has drawn opposition from unions.
A 60-day pre-strike period kicks in as engineers, NJ Transit negotiate pay hikes
And a 60-day countdown has begun before a possible strike could start.
Appeals court blocks rule allowing movement of LNG by rail
Environmental groups asserted that “the amount of energy contained in 22 tank cars of LNG would be equal to that of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.”
January 19 ceremony to honor UP workers who died in Pecos derailment
The ceremony will take place at the West of the Pecos Museum at 4 p.m.
DOT announces over $1.1 billion in new grants to reduce train-vehicle collisions and blocked rail crossings
The grants for communities in 41 states will fund construction of railroad overpasses and underpasses, helping to reduce the risk of collisions between trains and roadway users and prevent blocked crossings.
Border agency seeks to close security gaps on rail exports to Canada, Mexico
Proposed rule includes penalties of up to $100,000 for each violation.
2 killed, 3 injured when UP train derails in Pecos, TX, after collision
BLET President Eddie Hall said the derailment “should serve as a wake-up call to legislators to improve rail safety.”
January 6, 2025, marks 20th anniversary of Graniteville tragedy
BLET locomotive engineer Chris Seeling was killed in the crash on January 6, 2005. He was 47 years old.
