April 17, 2026 | Contract Agreement, News, Short Line, Top News
BLET members last week ratified a new agreement with the Tacoma Municipal Belt Railway (Tacoma Rail). The agreement provides retroactive pay from 2017-2025, general wage increases from 2026-2029, establishes an additional paid holiday (Juneteenth), and address other...
April 15, 2026 | Contract Agreement, News, Organizing, Short Line, Top News
BLET members ratified a significant new agreement with the Utah Central last week — it is the first union agreement at the formerly non-union railroad. Utah Central workers voted to join BLET in December 2024. BLET Vice President James Logan Jr., Head of the Short...
April 15, 2026 | Commuter Rail, Contract Negotiations, News, Top News
On April 7, leaders of five Long Island Rail Road unions, including BLET, representing more than 3,500 unionized railroaders, held a news conference in New York City to tell New Yorkers that “self-help” where the unions can legally strike or the employer could lock...
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...
April 9, 2026 | News, NS, Teamsters Rail Conference, Top News, UP
On April 7, leaders of the Teamsters Rail Conference met in New York City with Wall Street analysts and investors who study the Class I railroad industry to discuss potential ramifications of the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger and the Teamsters Rail...
April 9, 2026 | Education and Training, News, Short Line, Top News
The BLET Education & Training Department hosted its first workshop specifically for Grievance Chairmen representing BLET short line members on Saturday, March 28. A Saturday was selected as it is the day most short line members are off duty. Approximately a dozen...
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...
April 4, 2026 | News, Top News
February was a difficult time for Brother Scott Alexander, General Chairman of the BLET’s Union Pacific-Southern Region General Committee of Adjustment. Alexander had just lost his mother and was at his parents’ house making funeral arrangements with extended family...
April 4, 2026 | Health & Welfare, News, Top News
Expecting a baby? The National Railroad Plans – Health & Welfare Benefits covers unlimited access to Maven, a virtual personal health platform designed to help BLET members and their families navigate maternity and newborn care. It is one of several benefits...
