BLET News
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...
Arizona: Darice Gilliam elected chair of Arizona State Legislative Board
From left: Vince Verna, BLET VP&NLR; Tommy Perez, Div. 647; Manny Perez, Div. 647; Robert Lopez, Div. 134; Consuelo Hernandez, Arizona State Representative; Eddie Strom, Div. 28; Kevin Onnembo, outgoing Arizona SLBC; Darice Gilliam, new Arizona SLBC; Brendan...
Nevada: Members urged to make their voices heard as new rail safety bill advances
BLET Nevada State Legislative Board Chairman Matt Parker testifying in favor of Nevada Assembly Bill 466 ____________________ As a major railroad safety bill makes its way through the state legislature in Nevada, the BLET’s Nevada State Legislative Board is asking...
RRB field offices will stay open after Teamsters Rail Conference and BLET campaign
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) was recently informed that the decision to close upwards of 40 field offices has been reversed and that the nine RRB field offices that had their leases scheduled to be terminated will stay open. This news follows a meeting that...
April 2025 RRB Q&A: Railroad Retirement survivor benefits
Each month, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) publishes a list of questions and answers (Q&A) to highlight and explain the various benefits available to railroad workers and their families. This month’s Q&A examines railroad retirement survivor benefit...
Locomotive engineers at NJ Transit overwhelmingly reject tentative contract setting in motion a possible strike next month at the nation’s third largest commuter railroad
Unless NJ Transit offers its engineers wage improvements that close the gap with engineers at other commuter railroads, “self-help” where union members can strike or NJ Transit can call a lockout could begin on May 16. NEWARK — Locomotive engineers at NJ Transit,...
BLET Education and Training Dept.: 25 GCAs represented at well-attended Local Chairman class
The BLET Education and Training Department conducted a three-day Local Chairman training class April 8-10, with over 70 Local Chairmen and Vice Local Chairmen from 25 General Committees of Adjustment (GCAs) participating both in-person and via Zoom. This comprehensive...
As the U.S. threatens to privatize Amtrak, the UK begins to renationalize passenger rail after 30 years of a failed experiment with privatization
While the Trump Administration and billionaire advisor Elon Musk are talking about privatizing passenger rail here in the USA, in the UK, they’re going in the opposite direction. Next month, on May 25, the British will begin nationalizing passenger rail after decades...
Goodbye railroad, hello retirement: Metra and Union Pacific honor BLET’s Doug Davidson
Then and now: Davidson in the cab of a C&NW locomotive in the late 1980s (left) and Metra's C&NW heritage locomotive on March 31, 2025 (right). ____________________ Both Metra and Union Pacific gave the BLET’s Director of Arbitration Doug Davidson a nice send...
BLET UP-Southern Region GCA conducts training for new Local Chairmen
The BLET Union Pacific-Southern Region General Committee of Adjustment (GCA) held a training session on March 25-26 in Burleson, Texas, for recently elected or newly appointed Local Chairmen. The session was specifically designed for those taking office for the first...
Reminder: Deadline to apply for Teamsters Scholarship Fund is May 1
BLET members are reminded that the Teamsters Scholarship Fund (TSF) will award 600 one-time $2,000 awards for the upcoming school year. To apply, please visit the TSF website (aim.applyists.net/TSF) and create an account. The deadline is May 1. For more information,...
BLET members ratify quality of life agreement with Belt Railway of Chicago
For the first time, BLET members will have paid sick days and access to the company’s 401k program under the new quality of life agreement.BLET members ratified a new quality of life agreement with the Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC) in late March. ____________________...
Arizona: Excessive train length a factor in recent train heists, President Hall says in television interview
In a recent television interview, BLET National President Eddie Hall said excessive train length is a factor in the ongoing problem of train robberies in the American southwest. In an interview with television station Fox 10 News in Phoenix, President Hall said that...
Texas: BLET delivers expert testimony on grade crossing separation bill
BLET Texas SLB Chairman Ben Wright prepares to deliver testimony in favor of Texas Senate Bill 1555. ____________________ The BLET is working with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Texas to make railroad grade crossings safer following the death of a Houston high...
Nevada: BLET State Legislative Board Chairmen wrap up 50th annual meeting
Members of the BLET’s National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen (NASLBC), meeting in Las Vegas, concluded their 50th annual meeting On April 3rd. The NASLBC has met each year since 1975 to hear from each State Chairman about railroad-related safety and...
Wisconsin: BLET and Teamster-backed judge Susan Crawford wins election
Susan Crawford, center, speaking at an election night event. ____________________ On April 1, pro-union candidate Susan Crawford won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, securing a 3-2 pro-worker majority. A proven labor advocate, Crawford is committed to protecting...
Two injured in CSXT remote control collision in Baltimore
A remote control incident in July 2024 caused a CSXT locomotive to crash into a residential neighborhood in Niagara Falls, N.Y. ____________________ Baltimore television station WBAL reports that a collision between two CSXT trains at the Curtis Bay Yard in Baltimore...
Follow-up on CSXT’S zero-to-zero plan: Field reports from BLET members document safety flaws with Trip Optimizer
As documented by a BLET member, Trip Optimizer’s handling of a train caused excessive slack action, which resulted in a violent separation that ripped out this drawbar and initiated an emergency brake application. ___________________ As reported in March, the BLET...
In a unanimous vote, BLET-backed grade crossing bill is passed by NM House of Representatives
The New Mexico House of Representatives unanimously passed a rail safety bill in March designed to address the ongoing problem of blocked grade crossings in the state. Members of the BLET’s New Mexico State Legislative Board (NM SLB) spent significant time and effort...
Daily Headlines
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.
NS makes deal with Ancora to prevent another fight for control of the railroad
Under the deal, Norfolk Southern will add another independent director to its board and work to further improve its operations.
DOT announces nearly $1.5 billion for 19 projects along Northeast Corridor
The NEC is one of the busiest and most economically significant rail corridors in the world, with hundreds of thousands of daily riders in a region that represents 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.
Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union has been unwilling to sign onto any of these early deals.
TSA proposes new cybersecurity requirements for some railroads, other transportation systems
The TSA estimates that under the rule’s criteria, 73 of the approximately 620 U.S. freight railroads and 34 of approximately 92 passenger rail and transit operators would be subject to the requirements.
Norfolk Southern rule that rail cars be inspected in less than a minute sparks safety concerns
Railroad labor unions have been raising safety concerns for several years now about rushed train inspections after the industry implemented the lean Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model and eliminated one-third of all rail worker jobs.
