January 27, 2025 | Autonomous Trains, News, Top News
This month, the Federal Railroad Administration granted a series of waivers to permit the trial run of a “novel, self-propelled, zero-emission, battery-electric rail vehicle” where no workers would be onboard. FRA is allowing a tech company, Parallel Systems, to test...
January 24, 2025 | News, Organizing, Top News
The BLET successfully organized seven short line railroads over the past two years, with more organizing campaigns planned for 2025. The recent string of victories can be linked to a strategic decision made in early 2023 when BLET National Division’s leadership...
January 24, 2025 | News, Top News
Brother Tim Craver of BLET Division 532 (Richmond, Va.) was reelected to his fifth term as Chairman of the Virginia State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting in late 2024. The Virginia State Legislative Board represents 11 BLET Divisions and nearly 1,100...
January 23, 2025 | Legislation, News, Railroad Safety, Top News
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (seated) after signing the “Stop, Look, and Listen” bill, with Rep. Michele Grim and BLET Ohio SLB Chairman John Esterly. ____________________ In mid-January, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an important rail safety bill into law — the...
January 23, 2025 | News, Top News
Rep. Titus addressing BLET members at the 2022 National Convention. ____________________ Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-Nevada) will serve as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials in the 119th Congress. The subcommittee,...
January 22, 2025 | Contract Negotiations, News, Short Line, Top News
Less than a month after securing an organizing win at the Utah Central Railway, the BLET hit the ground running with its newest members. BLET National Vice President James Logan Jr., who now leads the BLET’s Short Line Department, traveled to Utah to help the nation’s...
January 21, 2025 | Contract Negotiations, News, Top News
NEWARK, N.J., January 21 — A non-binding decision announced this week by Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) 252, assigned to the dispute between the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and New Jersey Transit (NJT), sets the clock ticking for...
January 21, 2025 | FRA, News, Top News
Amit Bose was honored for his dedication to rail safety at a reception in Washington, D.C., on January 14. Bose is stepping down from his role as head of the Federal Railroad Administration, a position he has held since early 2022. Under his leadership, the FRA...
January 20, 2025 | News, Top News
On January 10, BLET Division 71 member Jacqueline Y. Pettyjohn operated her last SEPTA train from Philadelphia International Airport to Suburban Station, in center city Philadelphia. Pettyjohn not only completed the run, she also capped her 40-year career, where she...
January 20, 2025 | News, Tentative Contract, Top News
The BLET has reached a tentative contract with Keolis Commuter Services for locomotive engineers working at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in Boston. The tentative agreement governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for 194 members. Ballots...
