Rail Industry News
President Biden touts supply-chain progress at L.A., Long Beach ports
President Joe Biden yesterday touted the progress made by ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, in helping to unclog the nation’s backed-up supply chain.
Winston-Salem plans push to bring back passenger rail
Winston-Salem leaders plan to start pushing hard in the coming year to bring back passenger rail service to the city, but say it will be neither a quick nor easy journey.
RRB Q&A: Annuitants may need to increase tax withholding at age 62
(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, December 21, 2021) CHICAGO — Certain portions of a railroad retirement annuity are treated differently for Federal income tax purposes. The following questions and answers explain these differences and address the...
Q&A: Reporting events than can affect Railroad Retirement benefits
Rights to benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act also carry responsibilities for reporting events that may affect the payment of these benefits to the employee or to members of the employee’s family.
COVID-19 vaccine mandates and Unemployment and Sickness Benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA)
The Railroad Retirement Board has prepared a list of frequently asked questions regarding those situations in which an employer’s vaccine mandate has adversely affected an employment situation.
Get the latest labor news from the Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters updates the news section of its website each day with the latest regarding the Teamsters, domestic and global labor and trade issues, state and living wage battles, social justice, the War on Workers, and many other important...
Intermodal traffic down for 20th consecutive week
U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Dec. 18, 2021was 504,099 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.1% compared with the same week last year, based on 234,704 carloads—up 1.7% compared with the same week in 2020—and intermodal volume of 269,395 containers and trailers—down 6.9%, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Dec. 22. This is the 20th consecutive week of intermodal losses.
Difficulty in finding, retaining workers hit particularly hard at NS, CSX in 2021
Three things happened that put railroads in a bind. Furloughed conductors found work elsewhere. Train and engine crews quit or retired at higher rates than usual. And an extremely tight job market made it difficult for railroads to recruit and hire conductor trainees.
7 themes that defined U.S. freight rail in 2021
While 2020 was a roller coaster year for all modes of freight transportation because of how the COVID-19 pandemic upended day-to-day life in North America, 2021 had its share of ups and downs as well.
Railroads faced service disruptions, congestion as intermodal demand grew
Demand for rail freight came roaring back in 2021 after a pandemic-induced decline. But at times, there seemed to be more business than railroads could handle.
Activist shareholder blames CN board as preferred CEO candidate bows out
An activist shareholder of Canadian National Railway Co. has blamed the company’s board of directors for failing to secure its preferred candidate for a new chief executive of the railway.
Hedge fund TCI seeks delay in CN’s CEO search
TCI Fund Management said on Thursday Canadian National Railway’s search for a new chief executive officer should be delayed until shareholders at the nation’s top rail operator vote for a new search committee to elect a CEO.
BNSF to share in cost of Chicago lead cleanup
BNSF Railway has agreed to reimburse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for part of the costs of the cleanup at the site of a metal foundry in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
Flooding, tax disputes continue between BNSF and Illinois town
The back and forth between the Chicago suburb of Cicero and BNSF railway, the town’s largest landowner, over flooding and taxation continues.
STB approves Watco purchase of Wisconsin, Michigan lines from CN
After a lengthy delay sparked by filings in opposition to the deal, the Surface Transportation Board has approved Watco’s purchase of about 650 miles of branch lines in Wisconsin and Michigan from Canadian National-owned Wisconsin Central.
NS tests incentive program to improve container movement at intermodal terminals
Norfolk Southern has introduced an incentive program to improve container movement in and out of international intermodal facilities in Chicago and Kansas City, Mo.
In Texas Supreme Court case, state argues that Dallas-Houston bullet train developer can’t use eminent domain
The Texas attorney general’s office has put its weight behind a landowner’s case against the companies developing a controversial Dallas-Houston bullet train, arguing they can’t force people to sell parcels needed for the high-speed rail project.
Investigation underway after UP train derails in Missouri
An investigation is underway after a Union Pacific train derailed over the weekend in southeastern Saline County. A spokesperson for Union Pacific said the derailment happened at the Route E crossing in Napton, Missouri around 4 a.m. on Dec. 19.
KCS announces 2021 Holiday Express fundraising results
Kansas City Southern (KCS) announced that the 21st anniversary KCS Holiday Express program has raised over $280,000 to benefit The Salvation Army in 21 communities on the U.S. rail network.
Brian Politt new president of SEPTA’s largest union
After longtime president of Transport Workers Union Local 234 Willie Brown stepped down, his second-in-command Brian Pollitt took over as the leader of the SEPTA’s largest labor union.
BLET News
BLET reaches tentative contract with Amtrak
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a Tentative Agreement with Amtrak governing rates of pay, benefits and work rules for approximately 1,400 locomotive engineers.
Registration open for BLET’s Monterey regional meeting
Registration is now open for the BLET regional meeting at the Hyatt Monterey Hotel & Spa in Monterey, Calif., June 18-22, 2018.
John Edgar Thomson Foundation provides financial assistance to daughters of deceased railroaders
The John Edgar Thomson Foundation, a nationally recognized non-profit organization, provides limited financial assistance to daughters of deceased railroad employees.
BLET to conduct Legislative Representatives training class in July
The BLET Education & Training Department, in conjunction with the National Legislative Office, will conduct a training class for BLET Division Legislative Representatives in Washington, D.C., from July 10-12, 2018.
Vice President Tolman testifies before House on PTC
BLET Vice President and National Legislative Representative John P. Tolman urged Congress, the railroads, and governmental regulators to ensure that Positive Train Control (PTC) is fully implemented by the current deadline of December 31, 2018. During his testimony, Vice President Tolman also discussed the problem of electronic device distraction (Trip Optimizer and LEADER); the government and industry’s failure to address rail worker fatigue; the danger of excessive train lengths; and the need for two person train crews.
Lyons elected BLET National Division Trustee; Matt Wilson retires
William P. Lyons was elected unanimously by the BLET Advisory Board to serve as a National Division Trustee effective February 1, 2018. He replaces outgoing Trustee Matt O. Wilson, who has retired.
BLET to testify at Feb. 15 House hearing on Positive Train Control
On February 15, Vice President and National Legislative Representative John P. Tolman will testify on behalf of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and its 57,000 members before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials at a hearing titled “Oversight of Positive Train Control Implementation in the United States.”
RRB announces spring 2018 conferences and pre-retirement seminars
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has announced a schedule of dates for the agency’s spring 2018 informational conferences and pre-retirement seminars.
Criminal prosecution for unintentional mistakes is blatantly unfair to locomotive engineers and trainmen
By Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President In the wake of recent dramatic and highly visible railroad accidents in the United States and Canada, there has been a trend to criminalize railroad workers and prosecute them as the sole cause of these tragedies. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen stands opposed to such actions.
Moody Law Firm offers free consultation for those targeted by CSX FMLA investigations
The office of Willard J. Moody, Esq. has extended an offer of service to BLET members who may have been unjustly fired for alleged Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations.
