April 24, 2026 | BMWED, Legislation, News, Railroad Retirement, Teamsters Rail Conference, Top News
The BLET National Division has been busy on Capitol Hill this week. Ongoing advocacy on behalf of its active and retired members has resulted in three major Congressional actions in recent days. These accomplishments are summarized below. First, BLET helped secure the...
April 21, 2026 | News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is providing a new online service for retired members as well as assistance to BLET members who are still working but planning to retire soon. The RRB also has newly available information especially valuable for those who may be...
April 7, 2026 | News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
Due to ongoing budget constraints, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is unable to conduct pre-retirement seminars in-person this year. These critical seminars help promote a better understanding of the sometimes-complicated RRB benefit programs. In the absence of...
April 6, 2026 | News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
A lack of funding to support the administrative functions of the Railroad Retirement Board has severely hampered the agency’s ability to operate. As an example of this, the waiting period for some RRB disability claims now extends beyond 400 days. The BLET National...
March 27, 2026 | News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
A “current connection” is the term the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) uses to describe a railroad employee’s maintenance of a relationship to the railroad industry. Basically, it is demonstrated by an employee having earned 12 months of railroad service in a 30-month...
February 12, 2026 | News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
Railroad retirement annuitants, and individuals planning retirement, should be aware of the railroad retirement laws and rules pertaining to annuity payments for those who choose to work after retirement. These laws and rules apply to age and service and disability...
February 4, 2026 | Amtrak, FRA, National Mediation Board, News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
The U.S. House of Representatives in late January released the proposed 2026 federal Fiscal Year (FY) final appropriations bills for agencies important to BLET and its members, including the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), the National Mediation Board (NMB), Amtrak,...
December 19, 2025 | News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) announced this month that the amounts of compensation subject to Railroad Retirement Tier I and Tier II payroll taxes will increase in 2026, while the tax rates on employers and employees will stay the same. The Tier I tax rate on...
November 7, 2025 | News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has announced that its Boston District Office has moved to a new location. RRB previously announced similar field office relocations in Ohio and Minnesota (details here). The RRB said the moves are part of a series of relocations...
November 6, 2025 | News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
Most railroad retirement annuities, like Social Security benefits, will increase in January 2026. Cost-of-living increases are calculated each year in both the Tier I and Tier II portions of a railroad retirement annuity. The Tier I portion, like Social Security...
