The BLET scored its seventh short line organizing victory since 2023 as train and engine service workers from the Utah Central Railway voted unanimously to join the BLET in an election certified by the National Mediation Board on December 18.
Patriot Rail owns and operates over 30 regional short line railroads, and its Utah Central runs over 19 miles of track. The Utah Central interchanges with Union Pacific and the BNSF Railway in Ogden, Harrisville, and Little Mountain, Utah. It is the first Patriot Rail property to be organized by the BLET.
BLET’s recent organizing victories include the Florida Gulf and Atlantic (2023), Arizona Eastern Railway (June 2024), COASTER commuter railroad (July 2024), Transglobal Solutions/TGS Cedar Port Railroad (October 2024), Georgia Central Railway (October 2024), and Carrollton Railroad (October 2024).
According to National Vice President Randy Fannon, who heads the BLET’s Organizing Department, the Utah Central workers cited improved pay and job scheduling, stronger discipline protection, and better working conditions as reasons for joining BLET. He led the Utah Central organizing drive with Brother Brian Herald, a member of BLET Division 95 (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Vice President Fannon said the BLET’s Organizing Department relies on tips from members to connect with non-union railroaders interested in gaining the strength that comes from a union contract. If you know of family, friends, or former co-workers who are railroaders employed at a non-union railroad that would like to be represented by BLET, contact the Organizing Department at organizing@ble-t.org. A BLET representative will respond to those inquiries.
Photo: courtesy of Laurence Pearlman