BLET Newsroom
The latest comprehensive, up-to-date features and news releases effecting the BLET.
WORKER PROTECTIONS AT AMTRAK: The work our members do not always see
By Mark Wallace, BLET National President On September 3, 2026, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy put the Trump Administration’s commitments to rail labor in writing. That letter was important. But it also represented something our members do not always get to...
Georgia Central members reach milestone with first tentative agreement
BLET has reached a tentative agreement with Georgia Central Railway, marking another important milestone for workers who voted to join the Brotherhood in October 2024. If ratified, the agreement will be the first union contract for workers at Georgia Central and would...
Spread the word: BLET, National League of Cities team up to teach local governments how to participate in the UP-NS merger review
Jess Conard, who recently joined the BLET National Division staff as Community Coordinator, received an invitation to speak on a webinar hosted by the National League of Cities (NLC) to provide a brief tutorial on how local governments can sign up to participate in...
Long-term impact of the UP-NS merger on jobs in the industry
Rail industry trade publication Railway Age published an article last week that reinforces the job-loss concerns BLET and the Teamsters Rail Conference have raised since Day 1. BLET has taken the position that the “Jobs for Life” promise made by UP CEO Jim Vena is...
BLET takes a strong bipartisan approach to educate Democrats and Republicans about harmful aspects of the proposed merger
Left, right, Democrat or Republican, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) continues to work across party lines to best represent its members and build opposition to the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. This month, representatives...
BLET asks for member input on EMS, PTC failures
The BLET National Division is seeking member reports on failures and other issues involving Energy Management Systems (EMS) and Positive Train Control (PTC). The information collected through this initiative will be a critical resource in advancing the BLET’s efforts...
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Spread the word: BLET, National League of Cities team up to teach local governments how to participate in the UP-NS merger review
Jess Conard, who recently joined the BLET National Division staff as Community Coordinator, received an invitation to speak on a webinar hosted by the National League of Cities (NLC) to provide a brief tutorial on how local governments can sign up to participate in...
Long-term impact of the UP-NS merger on jobs in the industry
Rail industry trade publication Railway Age published an article last week that reinforces the job-loss concerns BLET and the Teamsters Rail Conference have raised since Day 1. BLET has taken the position that the “Jobs for Life” promise made by UP CEO Jim Vena is...
Newest STB member criticizes UP-NS merger application
(Source: Trains.com, September 22, 2026) When the Surface Transportation Board shot down requests to summarily dismiss the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application on September 18, the board’s newest member also fired a warning shot across the railroads’ bow....
BLET takes a strong bipartisan approach to educate Democrats and Republicans about harmful aspects of the proposed merger
Left, right, Democrat or Republican, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) continues to work across party lines to best represent its members and build opposition to the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. This month, representatives...
Rail labor opposition to UP-NS merger grows as TCU/IAM and IAM District 19 join Stop the Rail Merger Coalition
More opposition to the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger emerged recently, with additional rail unions joining the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition. The Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) and IAM District 19, both part of the IAM Rail Division, announced...
More than 100 members of Congress demand that the STB ensure rail worker jobs are protected if UP-NS merger is approved
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are circulating a signed letter urging the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) to consider the consequences of the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern Rail merger for workers. Representative Val Hoyle (D-OR) led the...
Stop the Rail Merger Coalition writes letter to White House opposing UP-NS merger
On August 24, the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition wrote a letter to President Trump outlining why it opposes the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. The letter warns that the merger would reduce railroad competition, raise costs for American farmers,...
The ABCs of the STB: What is the Surface Transportation Board?
The railroad industry, including rail labor, likes to throw around a lot of letters. There’s an “alphabet soup” of acronyms that frequently appear in industry and union news sites and publications, including this one — for example, AAR, ARU, BLET, CSXT, DOT, FRA, and...
What are they trying to hide? UP-NS must resubmit withheld merger data as STB rejects rush to approval
Last week, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) adopted a procedural schedule and timeline for consideration of the UP-NS merger application, but ordered the railroads to turn over “substantial” additional data by August 28. Importantly, STB said that release of the...
BLET MEMBERSHIP PUBLICATIONS
March/April 2026
