Daily Headlines
Class I employment up in October 2022
Class Is employed 118,208 people as of mid-October, a 0.53% increase from mid-September employment levels and a 3.53% increase year over year, according to Surface Transportation Board data.
STB sets hearing on UP’s embargo practice
The Surface Transportation Board yesterday announced that it will hold a public hearing Dec. 13-14 with Union Pacific Railroad pertaining to the Class I’s increased use of embargoes as a way to reduce rail traffic congestion.
CSX seeks FRA approval to use Trip Optimizer’s automatic start and stop feature
CSX Transportation is awaiting regulatory approval to become the first railroad to use Trip Optimizer’s Zero-to-Zero function, which allows the advanced cruise control system to automatically start and stop freight trains.
FRA grants safety waiver, aiding effort to open LIRR terminal under Grand Central
The Federal Railroad Administration will grant a waiver allowing the Long Island Rail Road to open its route to the new Grand Central Madison terminal without installation of equipment to prevent Amtrak trains from inadvertently taking the wrong route, the New York Post reports.
U.S. Senators call for coal representation on STB committee
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has asked the Surface Transportation Board to appoint representatives of the coal industry to the board’s Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee.
Q&A: Credit for military service under the Railroad Retirement Act
Many railroad employees have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. Under certain conditions, their military service may be creditable as railroad service under the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA).
One day of Warren Buffett wealth gains could cover rail workers’ paid sick leave
Billionaire Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest men in the world and the CEO of BNSF Railway’s parent company, saw his wealth jump by nearly $1.4 billion in a single day earlier this week, a sum that could easily fund 15 days of paid sick leave for every rail worker in the United States.
Editorial: Thinking about our railroaders as strike looms
In North Platte, we don’t see political parties when we see our railroader neighbors. We see people who deserve respect and care for their health and well-being. Just as we all do.
Bernie Sanders calls out Warren Buffett for getting richer as rail workers fight for better working conditions
Sen. Bernie Sanders has called out Warren Buffett for making billions of dollars, while rail employees are fighting for paid sick leave and better working conditions.
Agreement reached in Amtrak Gulf Coast dispute
Slightly more than one week before the final hearing scheduled before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) concerning proposed Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, the parties apparently have settled their differences.
Opinion: Not my grandfather’s railroad
For most other people, even those employed in entry level occupations elsewhere, an allotment of annual sick leave is customary. It only makes sense that most successful companies do not want sick employees in the workplace risking infection and further absenteeism to others. Not so the railroads.
Rail strike would destroy Wyoming’s coal industry but it’s not going to happen
In September, President Joe Biden stepped in to help with labor negotiations between unions and major freight railroads, and a strike was averted with a tentative agreement. Four of the 12 unions have since voted against the agreement.
NS to acquire Cincinnati Southern for $1.62 billion
Norfolk Southern (NS) on Nov. 21 reported executing a purchase agreement to acquire substantially all the assets of the 337-mile Cincinnati Southern Railway (CSR), which runs between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Chattanooga, Tenn. The $1.62 billion deal is expected to close in first-half 2024.
AAR: North American rail volume down 1.9% through first 46 weeks of 2022
North American rail volume for the first 46 weeks of this year (ending Nov. 19, 2022) on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads came in at 31,230,674 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.
Marty Walsh: Protecting the Right to Organize Act will help unions win their first contracts
Petitions for union elections are up 58% at the National Labor Relations Board compared to last year.
Railroads have a shortsighted attraction to extremely long trains
Why would some Class I railroads continue their love affair with trains that don’t fit their physical plants? It’s because they care more about the operating ratio and investors than they do about providing reliable service.
The four things railroads must do to win the battle with trucks
Railroads will not regain market share lost to trucks unless they shift to traffic growth mode, transform their operations, and provide service that’s far more reliable than ever.
Workers at Wabtec train facility in Kansas City have been striking for 3 weeks with no end in sight
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1464 represents 118 members in the Kansas City facility, which remanufactures products for locomotives, and freight and passenger transit cars.
Police arrest 22 in train cargo thefts near Los Angeles
Two theft rings that netted more than $18 million worth of merchandise stolen from railroad cars have been dismantled, authorities said Thursday, months after images of a sea of discarded containers along Union Pacific tracks in Lincoln Heights drew national attention.
State and local lawmakers in Utah rip Union Pacific over costs, delays on community projects
“I just want the committee to hear what an awful experience it is for many of these communities in our state to have Union Pacific Railroad specifically in their backyard,” said Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, the chair of the House committee.
BLET News
BLET President Pierce statement on House vote to provide paid sick days to all railroad workers
Passed today, House Concurrent Resolution 119, was approved by a vote of 221 in favor, 207 opposed. This bill provides seven days of paid sick leave for ALL unionized rail workers working at Class I railroads.
BLET Members: Contact your Congressman Today To Pass Paid Sick Leave for ALL Railroad Employees!
We urge all BLET Members, Auxiliary and families to immediately contact their Congressional Representative and ask them to pass legislation currently under consideration on the House floor providing paid sick leave to ALL Union represented rail workers.
GA-46000 Lifetime maximum adjusted for 2023
The lifetime maximum benefit for the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit Plan (also known as ERMA or GA-46000) will increase from $182,700 to $188,000 on January 1, 2023.
Thanksgiving 2022
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to each and every member of our proud Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. You are indeed what makes the BLET the leading Rail Labor union in the United States, and your dedication makes the American economy the strongest in the world.
Split Decision: Unions for Railroad Engineers and Conductors Take Different Routes in Freight Rail Contract Ratification Vote
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen vote to ratify national rail agreement with the nation’s Class I railroads; operating craft (Train & Engine service) members of the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet...
National contract replacement ballot deadline is November 18
The deadline to request a replacement ballot is November 18, 2022 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
BLET reaches tentative agreement with Long Island Rail Road
Ballots are being mailed today, November 14, to eligible members regarding BLET’s tentative agreement with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce announced.
BLET, SMART TD Town Hall yields facts about tentative agreement
At a November 9 Town Hall meeting, SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen President Dennis Pierce discussed the tentative National Rail Agreement with dozens of members from both unions. A video recording of the Town Hall (approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes) is available on the BLET and SMART TD websites.
Veterans Day 2022
Please join me in honoring America’s veterans with the dignity and respect they so richly
Important Update for all BLET and SMART TD Members Included in National Negotiations
Late last week, members of the Cooperating Railway Labor Organizations (CRLO) and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) convened to review and renew the payment rates for the nationally negotiated health & welfare Plans including medical, dental, vision, and life/accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) benefits.
