Rail Industry News
Intent matters in asserting whistleblower retaliation under FRSA
(Source: JD Supra, March 4, 2020) NEW YORK — In Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Corp. v. the Department of Labor, No. 18-2888 (8th Cir. Jan. 30, 2020), a case under the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA), the Eighth Circuit reasserted that claimants must prove...
Norfolk Southern takes on two new directors following widespread layoffs
(Source: Supply & Demand Chain Executive, March 4, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Norfolk Southern Corporation has elected new directors to various committees with operational and technological histories to lead the company’s transformation. News of the new directors comes...
Long-serving TCU/IAM President Scardelletti to retire July 31; Artie Maratea elected new National President
(Source: TCU/IAM press release, March 4, 2020) ROCKVILLE, Md. — TCU/IAM National President Robert A. Scardelletti announced his retirement to become effective on July 31, 2020, after serving 29 years as TCU’s President with over 53 years of membership in the TCU/IAM....
New bill seeks $6 million for next steps in Northstar extension to St. Cloud
(Source: St. Cloud Times, March 3, 2020) ST. CLOUD, Minn. — State Rep. Dan Wolgamott has heard "overwhelmingly positive feedback" since the Legislature agreed to spend $650,000 to lay groundwork for a Northstar train extension from Big Lake to St. Cloud, Wolgamott...
Deadline set for Union Pacific’s revised plan to clean up contaminated Houston rail yard
(Source: Houston Chronicle, March 3, 2020) HOUSTON — The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told Union Pacific that it must submit its revised plan to clean up contamination from its rail yard in a north Houston neighborhood by the end of August. Full story:...
CN braces for significant financial hit from rail blockades
(Source: Financial Post, March 4, 2020) OTTAWA — Canadian National Railway will take a significant financial hit from the rail blockades that choked train traffic in Eastern Canada for most of February, but chief executive JJ Ruest is “cautiously optimistic” the...
CN recalls employees laid off amid rail blockades
(Source: Canadian Press, March 3, 2020) MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway Co. has started to call back most of the 450 workers temporarily laid off last month, when blockades brought the company’s eastern network to a near standstill. Full story:...
CN faces grain backlog of 10,000 carloads, CEO says
(Source: Reuters, March 3, 2020) MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway Co. lost capacity equivalent to 10,000 carloads, or 1 million tons of grain exports, in February due to rail blockades by protesters opposed to a pipeline project, Chief Executive Jean-Jacques Ruest...
Worker suffers frostbite injuries when coolant escapes rail tank car
(Source: Dayton Daily News, March 3, 2020) SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A worker suffered frostbite Tuesday afternoon when a refrigerant escaped from a rail tanker on Indian & Ohio Railway tracks near South Burnett Road, spraying a white cloud into the air for more...
NJ Transit trains, buses to get extra cleaning during coronavirus threat
(Source: www.nj.com, March 4, 2020) NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Transit has announced enhanced cleaning efforts for trains, buses and stations amid concerns about coronavirus. Full story: www.nj.com
Coronavirus forces MTA to give the subway a thorough disinfectant cleaning
(Source: New York Daily News, March 2, 2020) NEW YORK — It took a global health crisis for the MTA to step up its cleaning of the subway. Workers will use bleach and hospital-grade disinfectant to aggressively sanitize the agency’s entire fleet of 6,400 subway cars...
Spread of coronavirus has implications for North American freight railroads
(Source: Railway Age, March 4, 2020) NEW YORK — Wide-scale spread of the COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus) is very real. Cases reported outside China recently exceeded new cases reported inside China, a possible tipping point. What could the implications be for North...
Amtrak’s new CEO has a record of downplaying safety concerns that allegedly contributed to a fatal plane crash
(Source: Business Insider, March 3, 2020) NEW YORK — Amtrak said Monday that it hired William J. Flynn, former chief executive of cargo and charter airline Atlas Air, to be its next CEO. In February 2019, a Boeing 767 jet flown by Atlas Air crashed while approaching...
NorthStar granted more time for radioactive shipments
(Source: Brattleboro Reformer, March 2, 2020) VERNON, Vt. — The owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant has received approval from federal regulators for a more relaxed time schedule for shipping low-level radioactive waste to Texas because the company has run...
UP, city of Palestine headed to mediation over jobs contract
(Source: Palestine Herald-Press, March 2, 2020) PALESTINE, Texas — Federal courts have ordered Union Pacific and the City of Palestine to find a mediator by April to negotiate a compromise between the two sides. Such an agreement could avert a lengthy and costly trial...
Bakersfield-to-Palmdale bullet train segment could transform Kern County
(Source: Bakersfield.com, March 2, 2020) BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — State officials have released a draft environmental review of the California high-speed rail segment that, by linking Bakersfield with northern Los Angeles County, would be the project's most important...
U.S. railroad contractor reports data breach after ransomware attack
(Source: Bleeping Computer, February 28, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — RailWorks Corporation, one of North America’s leading railroad track and transit system providers, disclosed a ransomware attack that led to the exposure of personally identifiable information of...
Amtrak to waive fees for travel changes amid concerns over Coronavirus
(Source: CNN, March 2, 2020) TAMPA — Amtrak announced on its website it is now waiving change fees on travel reservations. The railroad points to customers concerned about the virus. Full story: www.wfla.com
Canadian National begins recovery from blockades
(Source: CN press release, March 3, 2020) MONTREAL — CN announced today that, in the absence of significant illegal blockades on its network over the last four days, it has started calling back most of the temporarily laid off employees based in Eastern Canada. Over...
$1 billion-plus Uinta Basin oil train could hinge on tax break
(Source: Utah Investigative Journalism project, in partnership with the Salt Lake Tribune, February 29, 2020) SALT LAKE CITY — Last June, Utah’s Permanent Community Impact Board (CIB) doled out $21.4 million from the state’s share of federal mining royalties toward a...
BLET News
22 days until Election Day
With 22 days to go until Election Day on November 7, the BLET is providing its members with a list of labor-friendly candidates it has endorsed for election.
BLET wins significant ruling in RRB appeal
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) recently ruled in favor of Ohio employees formerly working on a segment of CSX track known as the Walker-Wilsonburg Line, granting the workers the rights to regain lost Railroad Retirement credits.
SLBC Tommy Mayne reelected by acclamation in Kentucky
Tommy Mayne was reelected by acclamation to the office of Chairman of the Kentucky State Legislative Board by delegates at the Board’s quadrennial meeting in late September.
BLET-supported railroad security bill becomes law in Calif.
After two years of work by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a railroad security bill into law on October 1.
Amtrak’s new President vague on rail labor
Amtrak’s new President and CEO Alexander Kummant provided vague answers to questions about rail labor in a hearing today before the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Railroads.
Rail workers vital to national security
The U.S. railroad industry must take immediate action to improve the security training of its workers if they are to help prevent terrorist attacks in the United States.
Way re-elected chair of Illinois State Legislative Board
C. Edward Way of BLET Division 512 (Benton, Ill.) was elected by acclamation for the third time to another four-year term as Chairman of the Illinois State Legislative Board at their quadrennial meeting in Peoria on September 22.
President Hahs: Voting vital to workers
BLET members are fortunate to have a strong union that supports them by standing up for their rights at work. The BLET works very hard to negotiate and enforce strong contracts to ensure that members receive good pay and benefits.
TCRC Delegates nominate and elect certain officers
The first national convention of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) concluded here today after three days of deliberations in which delegates considered and approved numerous changes to their Bylaws and financial reports of the Conference.
First-ever meeting of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference begins today
Canada’s capital city is the gathering place for the first national convention of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC).
