September 25, 2026 | Amtrak, FRA, News, Top News
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...
September 9, 2026 | 2-man Crews, FRA, News, Railroad Safety, Top News, UP
In two alarming incidents, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has found the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in non-compliance with basic railroad safety rules. Railroad managers ordered two separate locomotive engineers to run trains without their assigned...
August 27, 2026 | 2-man Crews, FRA, News, Top News
On August 27, the Georgia Central Railroad — a BLET-represented short line — withdrew a petition it had filed with the Federal Railroad Administration requesting special approval to utilize one-person crew operations. BLET is the only union that represents workers on...
August 13, 2026 | 2-man Crews, FRA, News, Top News
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) applauds the Trump Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, and Federal Railroad Administration for successfully defending the federal Crew Size Rule against the railroad industry’s effort to...
July 31, 2026 | FRA, Headlines, Mexico
(Source: Associated Press, July 31, 2021) The Trump administration wants to make sure that the Mexican train crews who haul freight over the border can understand key safety safety information in English and that the common practice of using foreign crews to cross...
July 31, 2026 | FRA, Mexico, News, Top News
Background: On July 30, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) designed to raise standards on the Class I railroads’ use of foreign train crews operating trains...
July 22, 2026 | FRA, News, Top News
Brothers and Sisters, One of the National Division’s responsibilities is identifying issues that could affect our members before they become widespread. Recently, we have become aware of several cases involving alleged personal electronic device violations where...
July 13, 2026 | FRA, News, NS, Top News
The BLET is opposing a Norfolk Southern request to waive safety standards governing refresher training for its transportation employees. BLET National President Mark Wallace filed formal comments in a June 29 letter to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). As...
June 19, 2026 | Amtrak, FRA, Legislation, News, Top News
Not all news was good news from the House Appropriations Committee last week. By a vote of 34-27, the Committee approved the fiscal year 2027 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development (THUD), and Related Agencies funding bill. The BLET is keeping a close eye...
April 15, 2026 | Amtrak, FRA, News, Top News
BLET National President Mark Wallace and Amtrak General Chairman Pat Darcy recently represented the union at a meeting of Amtrak’s Executive Leadership where a proposed restructuring of the national passenger railroad was discussed. In February, the Rail Passengers...
