BLET News
Mark your calendars for 2026: Next year’s regional meetings will be held in New Orleans and Chicago
Looking ahead to next year, the BLET’s 2026 Western Regional Meeting will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, the week of July 13. The 2026 Eastern Regional Meeting will take place in Chicago, Illinois, the week of August 24. Please make plans now to attend one or both...
TAKE ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to fully fund RRB
Members of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on July 31 considered Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) legislation, which funds the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), National Mediation Board (NMB), and Department of Labor...
BLET Auxiliary: New survival guide for railroad families still available
BLET Executive Committee members with BLET Auxiliary national officers. ____________________ Kat Bisbikis, National President of the BLET Auxiliary, said that copies of the Auxiliary’s new railroad survival guide, “Taking Charge,” remain available to BLET members and...
Like truck drivers, BLET says train crews from Mexico operating trains in the U.S. should be required to speak and read English
The BLET has been in firm opposition to allowing locomotive engineers coming out of Mexico to operate trains into the United States. Now the inability of most Mexican national train crew members to speak fluent English has become a safety and security issue. In April,...
One-on-one with the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; Rep. Rick Larsen takes the stage at BLET’s Western Regional Meeting
From left: Rep. Rick Larsen, President Mark Wallace, and First Vice President Gary Best. _____________________ U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) participated in a one-on-one chat with BLET National President Mark Wallace in front of an audience comprised of more than 300...
President Wallace delivers State of the Union address at BLET’s 2025 Western Regional Meeting
Organizing and facing new technologies are two of the BLET’s top priorities during the months ahead, according to BLET President Mark Wallace as he gave his State of the Union address during the union’s Western Regional Meeting in Bellevue, Washington, on the morning...
BLET promotes rail safety, craft of locomotive engineer at Illinois State Fair
From left: Chad Clayton, LR of Division 644: Jeff Crane, LR of Division 155; Cory Martin, Illinois SLB Chairman; and Todd Knight, LC of Division 155. _____________________ Members of the BLET represented their union and the craft of locomotive engineer at the...
BLET members unanimously ratify first-ever union contract at Arizona Eastern Railway
In a unanimous vote (22-0), members of the BLET ratified their first contract with the Arizona Eastern Railway (AZER). The previously non-union workers voted to join the BLET in June of 2024. The new five-year agreement establishes rights that BLET members working at...
Union Pacific: BLET “vehemently objects” to railroad’s relocation plans for portions of North Platte home terminal
BLET contends that UP's intent to eliminate North Platte as a home terminal is contractually improper. Photo by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659 ____________________ The BLET is objecting to a proposed plan presented by Union Pacific to relocate the home terminal for...
Take Action Alert: Call the Pennsylvania State Senate and demand a fix to the mass transit funding crisis
The Pennsylvania State Senate has failed to approve funding for public transit funding across the Commonwealth. Unless the Republican-controlled upper chamber passes legislation, substantial budget cuts will hit the Commonwealth’s 53 transit agencies this month. All...
Rail Safety: FRA disbands Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC)
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has disbanded its Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), an important venue for labor, management, shippers and Federal regulators to collaboratively discuss and develop rules to improve safety in the railroad industry....
THIS IS YOUR STORY TOO… BE SURE TO JOIN US: A Zoom presentation examining BLET’s history will take place on Sunday, August 17
The locomotive “Nashville” of the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad with a portrait of Abraham Lincoln mounted on the front. The locomotive was one of several used to carry Lincoln’s body from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Ill. ____________________ The...
California: Locomotive engineers report too many near misses with pedestrians, criticizes UP for slow-walking public trail to Mossbrae Falls
An increasingly popular attraction north of Dunsmuir, California, Mossbrae Falls draws thousands of tourists each year — many of whom trespass on UP tracks to get there, causing daily stress and trauma for BLET locomotive engineers. Photo by Anurag Jajoo...
BLET backs new legislation to expand passenger rail
The BLET is getting on board with the All Aboard Act. Reintroduced in the United States Senate on July 29 by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), the All Aboard Act would dedicate $200 billion over five years to build high-speed rail, expand existing passenger rail service, and...
BLET members ratify new contract with New York & Atlantic
BLET members on August 6 ratified a new two-year agreement with the New York & Atlantic Railway (NY&A). The new contract extension provides a $1.00 per hour increase to all pay grades effective June 1, 2025, followed by two general wage increases totaling...
SEPTA: BLET opposes deep cuts to mass transit in Pennsylvania that will hit this month unless the state senate acts
While the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has approved mass transit funding, the Senate is still a hold out. BLET's Maurice Landon, far right, spoke at an August 6 rally in Philadelphia to urge the Senate to act. Pictured here, from left: Thomas Cleveland, BLET...
BLET members ratify 3% interim raise with Union Pacific
BLET members today ratified an agreement with the Union Pacific Railroad that will provide a one-time general wage increase of 3% to approximately 6,000 BLET members employed at UP. The interim raise will go into effect on September 1, 2025. The interim raise is...
Will railroaders’ safety be compromised? DOGE using AI to eliminate federal regulations
According to a disturbing report from the Washington Post, the so-called U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is using a new artificial intelligence tool to slash federal regulations, with the goal of eliminating half of Washington’s regulatory mandates by...
Crews from Mexico operating trains on UP’s U.S. rails becomes focus of report by CNBC
In a story about the proposed megamerger between Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific, CNBC reported that Union Pacific’s recent move to operate trains with Mexican national crews on rails within the United States could be a stumbling block for UP as it seeks approval...
Educational loans from the BLET’s Greene Fund available to children of members in good standing
All BLET members with adolescent children going on to higher education, whether it be for trade school, associate, bachelor or graduate degrees, please take notice. The Franklin P. Greene Fund, established in 1956, is an educational loan fund set up to assist the...
Daily Headlines
Two years after East Palestine derailment, rail leaders still urge safety reforms
Rail leaders highlighted the worsening safety trends across the industry and the harmful impacts of the precision scheduled railroading (PSR) business model that prioritizes profits over safety.
Two bills addressing hazmat rail movements reintroduced in U.S. House
Previous versions of these bills did not advance out of House committees in 2023.
Trump administration shakes up funding formulas for rail projects
The order also contains provisions that would seem to threaten FRA funding for Amtrak, CRISI grants, and grade-crossing elimination projects.
Two years after derailment, toxic chemicals still roll through East Palestine
Despite an initial outcry, changes at the federal level have been bogged down.
Norfolk Southern reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
For full-year 2024, revenue was $12.1 billion and income from railway operations was $4.1 billion.
CN reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
Operating income for the full year was down 5% compared to 2023.
CPKC reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
For the full year 2024, the railroad reported that its operating ratio decreased by 60 basis points to 64.4 percent from 65.0 percent in 2023.
Union Pacific reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
The company repurchased 6.3 million shares of stock in 2024 at an aggregate cost of $1.5 billion.
CSX reports Q4, full-year 2024 results
Revenue for the full year totaled $14.54 billion in 2024.
Onboard workers at Brightline vote to join TWU
The TWU victory comes after an aggressive anti-union campaign by the privately-owned company.
