BLET News
BLET members ratify new contract with CSXT
Today, BLET members ratified a new five-year contract with CSX Transportation, which governs nearly 3,500 members. Ballots were counted this afternoon, and the agreement was ratified by a 53.6% majority of those who returned ballots. The contract provides compounded...
BLET members ratify agreement with NJ Transit
“…fair and acceptable.” Deal ends five-year contract battle. Voting concluded today for members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) for a new collective bargaining agreement with NJ Transit (NJT), the nation’s third largest commuter...
BLET asks Trump administration to intervene in ongoing cross border issue with Mexico
BLET leadership traveled to the southern U.S. border in Texas in late-May. ____________________ In a June 2 letter, BLET National President Mark Wallace asked U.S. President Donald J. Trump to take “immediate and decisive action” to help protect national security and...
Our History: Remembering contributions of railroad workers on the 81st anniversary of D-Day
Troops of Company A, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One) wading onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. Photo: Chief Photographer’s Mate Robert F. Sargent via Wikipedia ____________________ June 6, 2025 marks the...
Eliminating brake and mechanical inspections at the border with Mexico takes work away from U.S. citizens, puts lives at risk
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) solicited public feedback on possible federal safety regulations that could be repealed or modified to achieve “meaningful burden reduction while continuing to meet statutory obligations and ensure the...
Ohio State Legislative Board: Three honored at 2025 Founders Day dinner
From left: Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, Aaron Barlage and Tom Galloway were all honored at the Ohio SLB Founders Day dinner. ____________________ The BLET’s Ohio State Legislative Board hosted a Founders Day dinner on May 8 in recognition of the BLET’s 162nd...
Add your voice: Help protect the U.S. southern border and save American rail jobs, BLET jobs
As previously reported, two Class I railroads —Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Union Pacific (UP) — are advancing plans to take jobs away from American train crews by bringing trains operated by Mexican nationals from Mexico into the United States. Not only...
Kevin Sexton sworn in as National Vice President on June 1
Kevin Sexton, a member of BLET Division 269 in Long Island, N.Y., became the BLET’s newest National Vice President when he was sworn into office on Sunday, June 1. Sexton fills a vacancy on the Advisory Board created by the retirement of Eddie Hall in May. Sexton was...
Examining the BLET’s New Jersey Transit Strike
On May 18, the BLET and NJ Transit reached a tentative agreement to end a three-day strike at the nation’s third-largest commuter railroad, which affected 350,000 riders across the Garden State and into New York City. Balloting is now underway as BLET’s 450 members...
Attention members at NJT, CSX and TASI: Please call the National Division if you haven’t received your ballot by June 3
The BLET has mailed ballots to members at three different railroads — New Jersey Transit, CSX Transportation, and TASI (Caltrain) — for voting on tentative agreements. Members at all three railroads who are eligible and have not received a ratification packet by...
David Fink, nominee to lead FRA, tells Senate he will support two-person crew regulation
David Fink responds to questions during the Senate Commerce Committee's confirmation hearing on May 13. ____________________ David Fink, the Trump administration’s nominee as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), testified that he would support...
AAR’s de-regulatory effort puts lives at risk as rail industry asks feds to overturn two-person crew rule
Aerial footage showing the aftermath of the Lac-Megantic rail disaster. (Photo: Ministry of Public Security (Quebec) ____________________ Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) solicited public feedback on possible federal safety regulations...
Education and Training: Legislative Reps sharpen their skills in Washington, D.C.
The BLET Education & Training Department wrapped up its Legislative Representative Workshop in mid-May at Teamsters headquarters in Washington, D.C. The workshop for BLET Legislative Representatives (LRs) taught them how to become better lobbyists on behalf of the...
Best steps to the plate as BLET’s new First Vice President
BLET First Vice President Gary Best is a third-generation locomotive engineer. ____________________ Gary Best stands ready to serve the BLET and its members. His term as First Vice President, the union’s second-highest national office, began on May 1, 2025. “The BLET,...
Transit supporters pack the statehouse in Harrisburg in effort to prevent deep cuts at SEPTA
Don Hill, the BLET General Chairman at SEPTA, says the cuts, if allowed to go through, would be an embarrassment to all Pennsylvanians at a time when the nation is celebrating its 250th anniversary with the focus on Philadelphia and major sporting events are being hosted in the city, including the FIFA World Cup.
Cory Runion reelected Chairman of Wyoming SLB
Cory Runion was reelected to his fifth term as Chairman of the Wyoming SLB at triennial meeting in April.
Jeff Thurman reelected General Chairman of BNSF (former SLSF) GCA
Jeff Thurman was reelected by acclamation to his fourth term as General Chairman of the BNSF (former SLSF)/MNA General Committee of Adjustment (GCA) at the GCA’s quadrennial meeting on May 14, 2025.
Strike ends as BLET, NJ Transit reach tentative agreement
This afternoon, May 18, the BLET and NJ Transit reached a tentative agreement, ending a strike that began Friday.
BLET is sounding the alarm — Your help is needed to protect the U.S. southern border and to save American rail jobs
Please visit the Take Action area of the BLET National Division website. Once there, the site will provide guidance on how you and other BLET activists can connect with the appropriate member of Congress including and, with a few clicks, send a message pushing back against these job and safety giveaways.
NJT LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS ON STRIKE
In accordance with the terms of the Railway Labor Act, NJ Transit’s 450 engineers and trainees will be on strike starting Friday, May 16.
Daily Headlines
Analysis: Railroads head into 2025 with headcount momentum to support growth
CSXT, BNSF Railway, and Union Pacific have larger T&E rosters than they did a year ago. Norfolk Southern’s year-over-year T&E roster is down 6%.
Wyoming and Montana seek to reverse decision that would end Powder River Basin coal leases
The move came after a federal court ordered the agency to re-evaluate its environmental review criteria to include both limited leasing and no coal leasing options.
Railroads ramp up the use of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is weaving itself into the daily operations of big U.S. railroads, helping managers make data-backed decisions about operating plans and identify trends among virtually any t process.
Supreme Court to hear argument on new U.S. rail line
The 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway would connect Utah oil fields to the national rail network, enabling up to 350,000 barrels of crude oil per day to travel on trains as long as two miles.
The decline of North America’s hump yards
Only 36 left, hump yards remain enormously important to the carload network
CSX’s appeal to Supreme Court tests reach of antitrust law
Freight rail giant CSX has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive its lawsuit accusing rival Norfolk Southern of denying access to a key East Coast terminal, costing CSX hundreds of millions of dollars in lost profits.
More people are riding Amtrak than ever before, and improvements are on the way
Amtrak said its goal is to double its ridership to 66 million passengers a year by 2040.
Amtrak notches ridership and revenue record for FY 2024
A 24% gain in ticket revenue from long-distance trains compared to 2019, in spite of constricted coach and sleeping car capacity, generated a 6% rise in total revenue.
BNSF wraps up Kansas double-tracking project, reaching milestone on Southern Transcon
The Kansas double-tracking project began in 2019 and continued the legacy of the Santa Fe, which in 1992 committed to adding a second main all the way from Los Angeles to Chicago.
STB scolds Union Pacific for lack of cooperation
The strongest words, however, come in a concurrence to the unanimous decision by Board Chairman Robert Primus.
