BLET Newsroom
The latest comprehensive, up-to-date features and news releases effecting the BLET.
Keep up the pressure: Tell your Senator to reinstate full railroad unemployment and sickness benefits
BLET members have sent more than 2,500 messages in support of the bipartisan REEF Act (S. 1274) to members of the United States Senate since the bill was passed by the Senate Budget Committee on March 6. The Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness Act, or the REEF Act,...
Save the Date: 2024 BLET regional meetings
The BLET National Division is pleased to announce the dates and locations of this year’s regional meetings. The Western Regional Meeting will be held in Kansas City, Mo., from June 3-7 at the Marriott Kansas City Downtown (200 West 12th St., Kansas City, MO, 65105)....
Amtrak: East Coast service boost is welcome news, but BLET says other route improvements are necessary
In a report published by Reuters on March 4, Amtrak said it will boost passenger services on the East Coast as it aims to double ridership nationwide by 2040. BLET General Chairman Patrick W. Darcy Jr. welcomed the news but said improvements to the rest of Amtrak’s...
BLET Auxiliary raffle raises money for scholarships, other programs
The National BLET Auxiliary is offering a chance to win a Blackstone Portable Pizza Oven. Raffle tickets cost $5.00 each and the proceeds go to help support the annual BLET Auxiliary scholarship fund, the Care and Assistance Program, and many other programs that...
Celebrating Women’s History Month: Mary Elizabeth Walton’s inventions reduced air and noise pollution in early railroads
Mary Elizabeth Walton was a 19th century American inventor who was awarded with two patents that benefited the early railroad industry in the United States. In 1881, she created a method for reducing the environmental hazards of the smoke emitted from locomotives and...
New England: BLET members ratify new contract with Berkshire & Eastern
On March 7, BLET members ratified a new contract with the Berkshire & Eastern Railroad (B&E). The agreement governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for 32 members. It was ratified by a vote of 26 in favor, one against. Some of the contractual...
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Members of American Train Dispatcher Association protest at opening of CPKC stadium
The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) staged a protest outside the match at the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Stadium. ATDA shared its frustrations with CPKC sharing they are refusing to provide paid sick leave for employees.
STB to UP: Employment data must be public; Ancora responds to Oberman’s criticism
The Surface Transportation Board denied Union Pacific Railroad’s request to keep certain required, temporary employment-data reporting confidential.
Berkshire boosts pay of Warren Buffett successor to $20 million
Berkshire Hathaway said Warren Buffett raised the pay of his designated successor Greg Abel to $20 million last year, as the conglomerate posted a record operating profit.
A year after CPKC merger, Chicago-area mayors see more frequent and longer trains
One year into a hotly contested railroad merger, suburban leaders report lengthy and more frequent freight trains, and they’re preparing for a future deluge.
Ancora’s safety white paper can’t withstand a simple fact check: Analysis
Ancora is stuck on the misinformation highway with a safety white paper that makes several claims that can’t hold up to scrutiny.
Judge allows East Palestine residents lawsuit against Norfolk Southern to proceed
A class action suit accusing Norfolk Southern of negligence over the train derailment that released toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, last year can go forward, a federal judge determined Wednesday.
AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending March 9, 2024
Total carloads for the week ending March 9 were 214,585 carloads, down 3.7 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 258,077 containers and trailers, up 13.5 percent compared to 2023.
Union Pacific CEO defends safety practices without mentioning key critic
Jim Vena’s opening remarks Wednesday at the J.P. Morgan 2024 Industrials Conference could easily be seen as a rebuttal to one man: Amit Bose, the chairman of the Federal Railroad Administration.
Buttigieg scolds railroads for not doing more to improve safety since East Palestine
In a new letter to the freight railroads’ main trade group, Buttigieg said too often regulators encounter resistance when trying to get the industry to do more to improve safety.