Daily Headlines
BNSF Railway families protest inhumane attendance policies
We talked to the railroad workers’ family members who travelled to Omaha, Nebraska, to protest BNSF’s owner Berkshire Hathaway.
Fort Madison rally protests against BNSF attendance policy
Three months after a judge prevented BNSF workers from striking, a group rallied in Fort Madison to protest a controversial attendance policy.
Bill Gates sells $940 million of CN stock
Bill Gates sold about $940 million of Canadian National Railway Co. shares, trimming one of the largest holdings of the investment firm that controls his $117 billion personal fortune.
Gulf Coast battle: An interim report
The witness phase of the slugout between Amtrak on one side and CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS) and the Port of Mobile on the other, ended May 12 as its 11th day concluded.
Amtrak leverages weekend service outages to make critical repairs in North River Tunnel
Amtrak personnel recently spent a series of consecutive weekends in March remediating damage to the benchwall system in the South Tube of the North River Tunnel.
BNSF joins agency seeking to restore passenger service in southern Montana
BNSF Railway has joined the group seeking to restore passenger rail service in southern Montana, a move welcomed because of the railroad’s role as primary host railroad for the proposed service.
FRA launches corridor ID program
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has established the Corridor Identification and Development (ID) Program that “will serve as a key vehicle for directing federal investments and technical assistance toward new or improved intercity passenger rail services across the nation.” Amtrak expressed its support.
Q&A: Buyouts and Railroad Retirement benefits
Railroad employees frequently ask the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) how accepting a buyout from a railroad employer affects their future eligibility for benefits under the Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Acts.
Get the latest labor news from the Teamsters
The highly-informative site is a must for those in the labor movement who wish to stay informed and fight to protect the American Middle Class.
House T&I committee hearing focuses on STB role in freight rail service meltdown
The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, by Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), during the May 12 hearing titled, “Board Member Views on Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization.”
AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending May 7, 2022
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 504,927 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.5 percent compared with the same week last year.
Boost safety culture with assessments and follow through, FRA report finds
Safety culture improves when railroads participate in Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI)-sponsored safety culture assessments and follow through on recommendations, according to a new report from the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Research, Development and Technology.
UPS driver injured during loading incident involving NS awarded $300,000
A federal jury awarded a UPS driver $300,000 on Thursday for injuries he sustained in a 2019 loading incident caused by a negligent Norfolk Southern Railway employee. The incident, he claimed, nearly crushed him and resulted in $88,000 in medical bills.
Louisville & Indiana acquires Southern Indiana Railway assets
Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC), an affiliate of Chicago-based Anacostia Rail Holdings Company, has acquired the assets and operating rights of the former Southern Indiana Railway (SIND), a short line located in the Louisville metropolitan area.
UP marks 30th anniversary of Mexican franchise
Union Pacific Railroad this week marked the 30th anniversary of Union Pacific de Mexico, the Class I’s Mexican franchise that was created on May 8, 1992.
NTSB investigating rare Metra passenger death after crash with truck on BNSF line
National Transportation Safety Board authorities are investigating Metra’s first passenger death since 2005 after a train collided with a truck Wednesday at a crossing in Clarendon Hills.
Rail freight down for 11th consecutive week
Freight rail traffic dipped yet again in Week 18, compared to the prior-year period, as U.S. carloads fell just below 2% and intermodal dropped close to 5%, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported for the week ending May 7, 2022.
Teamsters honor health care heroes during National Nurses Week
As a union that represents thousands of nurses and other health care workers, the Teamsters are proud to celebrate National Nurses Week, which runs from May 6 through May 12. If the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated anything, it’s just how much our country needs to respect and appreciate the work done by nurses.
Analysis: Secrecy issues dominate as Gulf Coast STB hearing continues
Cross-examination of Jim Blair, Amtrak’s senior director of host railroads, consumed the full 8-hour, 28-minute session Monday as the Surface Transportation Board’s hearing on the effort to launch passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., resumed after an almost three-week hiatus.
MTA NYC Transit achieves new pandemic-era subway ridership record
MTA New York City Transit subway system on May 5 reached a new single-day ridership record of 3.497 million riders since the pandemic began in March 2020.
BLET News
Statement by BLET National President Dennis Pierce on BNSF’s announced changes to its Hi-Viz punitive attendance policy
BNSF Railway’s newly announced changes to its Hi-Viz attendance policy are little more than fluff. Hi-Viz has been an abject failure.
Ballots to be mailed May 18 in tentative BLET-DM&E agreement
Ballots will be mailed on May 18 to eligible members regarding the BLET’s tentative on-property agreement with the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad (DM&E), National President Dennis R. Pierce announced today.
Ryan Snow reelected to third term as Chairman of California SLB
Ryan K. Snow was reelected by acclamation to his third term as Chairman of the California State Legislative Board during its 9th quadrennial session held in San Diego, California April 26-28, 2022.
Take Action: BLET pursues two-person crew bill in New York
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is mobilizing its members in the State of New York to lobby in favor of a statewide two-person crew bill. Earlier this month, S3953B was introduced in the State Senate and a companion bill, A1287B, was introduced in the State Assembly.
BLET to host Town Hall meetings in Little Rock, St. Louis
The first meeting will be held on May 10 at 10:00 a.m. in Little Rock, Arkansas. The second meeting will be held on May 11 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Louis, Missouri. All BLET members in the area are encouraged to attend.
Ballots to be mailed in tentative BLET-DM&E agreement
The tentative agreement provides General Wage Increases (GWIs) of 24.75% (27% compounded) for the life of the contract (January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2024). There are no major work rule changes and no health care concessions contained in the tentative pact. Online voting will be conducted by TrueBallot, Inc.
BLET to mark 159th anniversary on May 8
On May 8, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) will mark its 159th anniversary. The BLET and its members are proud of our heritage as the oldest labor union in North America.
The Coordinated Bargaining Coalition again calls on NMB to proffer arbitration
Due to the NCCC’s refusal to negotiate a fair agreement in good faith, all CBC Unions again request that the NMB proffer arbitration to the parties to stop the endless delays by the rail carriers.
Deadline approaches for BLET’s Denver regional meeting
Those planning to attend the BLET’s upcoming regional meeting in Denver, Colorado, are reminded that the deadline to make hotel reservations is Friday, May 13, 2022. The meeting will be held June 13-17, 2022.
Registration opens for BLET’s Baltimore regional meeting, August 1-5, 2022
Registration is now open for the BLET regional meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, August 1-5, 2022.
