March 6, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Derailment, East Palestine-NS, FRA, Headlines
(Source: Buffalo News, March 5, 2023) James P. Louis, a union officer for Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said Saturday he’s been working in the railroad industry for 40 years and has witnessed the cutbacks firsthand. Full story: Buffalo...
March 3, 2023 | 2-man Crews, East Palestine-NS, Legislation, News
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, March 3 — A bipartisan bill introduced on March 1 by three Republican and three Democratic senators is designed to toughen safety standards on America’s railroads. “Right now our nation’s railroads largely self-regulate,” said Brotherhood of...
March 3, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Legislation, News
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, March 3 — The New Mexico House of Representatives passed a two-person crew railroad safety bill earlier this month, thanks in part to cooperative efforts from the BLET’s New Mexico State Legislative Board and the New Mexico Federation of Labor,...
March 3, 2023 | 2-man Crews, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(Source: Politico, March 2, 2023) President Joe Biden on Thursday praised bipartisan legislation that would strengthen safety rules governing railroads, following the fiery Ohio train derailment that left residents concerned about the air and water quality in the town...
March 2, 2023 | 2-man Crews, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(Source: Associated Press, March 1, 2023) Railroads like the one involved in last month’s fiery crash and toxic chemical release in Ohio would be subject to a series of new federal safety regulations and financial consequences under legislation being introduced...
March 1, 2023 | 2-man Crews, DOT, East Palestine-NS, FRA, Headlines, NS
(Source: U.S. Department of Transportation press release, February 21, 2023) Among the immediate calls for action: Freight rail industry should accelerate phase-in of safer tank cars and provide workers paid sick leave, and Congress can raise existing caps on the...
March 1, 2023 | 2-man Crews, East Palestine-NS, FRA, Headlines
(Source: New York Focus, February 28, 2023) In the wake of the recent train derailment and toxic chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio, Governor Kathy Hochul called on the federal government to enact stricter regulations on hazmat trains and said that safety is her...
February 21, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Derailment, DOT, East Palestine-NS, News, NS, Remote Control
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, February 21 — The following statement is from BLET National President Eddie Hall in response to recommendations released today by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: Our members who work in the cabs of the nation’s train engines welcome...
January 27, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Headlines, PSR, Railroad Safety, Remote Control, SMART-TD
(Source: SMART Transportation Division press release, January 26, 2023) In a letter dated Jan. 25, the general chairperson of SMART Transportation Division’s GO 577 informed Union Pacific’s senior vice president of operations that the union was withdrawing from any...
January 18, 2023 | 2-man Crews, FRA, Headlines
(Source: Progressive Railroading, January 17, 2023) The Federal Railroad Administration should revise and republish its initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA) on its proposed two-person train crew rule because the agency “significantly understated”...
