Rail Industry News
A rail strike averted reminds us that there is power in a union
The short story behind the now-averted railroad strike is this: The largest freight railroad carriers in the country were willing to cripple the transportation infrastructure of the United States rather than allow their workers to take the occasional day off to see a doctor or attend to their families.
Death on a train: A tragedy that helped fuel the railroad showdown
Aaron Hiles, a locomotive engineer, told his wife he “felt different,” though he couldn’t say exactly how. He made an appointment to see a doctor, his family said. But then his employer, BNSF, one of the largest freight rail carriers in the nation, unexpectedly called him into work.
U.S. railroad worker fight for pay, benefits could be model for other deals
While not directly applicable to ongoing negotiations at U.S. West Coast ports and upcoming talks at United Parcel Service, the rail workers’ potential win could embolden other workers who have toiled through the COVID-19 pandemic while watching employers reap record profits, labor experts said.
Farm Bureau says staffing shortages on rail lines continue to hurt Nebraska agriculture
While the tentative agreement means Nebraska’s agriculture sector avoided the worst of the effects, they still see the impacts of the ongoing staffing crisis on rail lines first hand, said Nebraska Farm Bureau’s president Mark McHargue.
Public urged to help Stop Track Tragedies during Rail Safety Week 2022 and beyond
Every year, 2,100 North Americans are killed or seriously injured when they engage in unsafe behavior around tracks and trains. In the U.S. alone, a person or vehicle is hit by a train every 3 hours.
Colorado police put suspect in patrol car parked on rail crossing; it’s then hit by a train
A 20-year-old woman was seriously injured when police put her in the back of a patrol car that was parked on a rail crossing, and the car ended up being hit by a train, reports say.
Error by pilot, captain is likely cause of train-barge collision, NTSB says
The failure of the pilot and caption of a tow vessel to correctly identify a caution area on a river chart was the probable cause of a November 2021 collision between the towing vessel Baxter Southern and a BNSF coal train near Galland, Iowa, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in an accident report released Thursday.
Port of Savannah logs record cargo in August
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced the Port of Savannah logged another record month in the port’s history with 575,513 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo handled in August, up 18.5% compared to August 2021.
Railroad companies almost inflicted an economic disaster on the U.S.
What was missing from many recent headlines? The actual reason for the conflict between railroad workers and their employers. The potential strike or lockout was not because of any dispute over pay, but because of inhumane attendance policies that currently mean railroad engineers and conductors are either working or “on call” 90 percent of the time.
Railroad strike averted after marathon talks reach tentative deal
Unions and management reached a tentative deal early Thursday, averting a freight railroad strike that had threatened to cripple US supply chains and push prices higher for many goods.
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on rail deal: It didn’t start as “necessarily a lovefest”
While Walsh described his main role as facilitating conversation, he also acknowledged that, at times, he had to do “a little persuasion” to nudge both sides closer to an agreement.
How an attendance policy led the U.S. to the brink of a nationwide railroad strike
Like so many essential workers in the pandemic, the engineers and conductors who drive the nation’s freight trains have had it.
Workers say railroads’ efficiency push became too much
To defuse a labor dispute that brought the nation to the brink of a potentially catastrophic railroad strike, negotiators had to resolve a key issue: schedules that workers say were punishing, upending their personal lives and driving colleagues from the industry.
Class I railroads work to resume operations
The U.S. operations of the Class I railroads are working to resume operations “immediately” now that a tentative deal has been reached to avoid a strike by union members on Friday.
North American rail volume down through first 36 weeks of 2022
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) now has 36 weeks of traffic data for 2022 (ending Sept. 10). Total North American carload and intermodal traffic dipped 2.4% from the same point last year — with decreases in the U.S. and Canada, and an increase in Mexico.
CSX’s Foote to retire
CSX on Sept. 15 reported that as “part of a planned succession process,” Joseph R. Hinrichs will become President and CEO, succeeding James M. Foote, effective Sept. 26.
Largest railroad labor unions say they will strike if quality of life is not addressed in new contract
Two of the largest railroad unions in negotiations with railroad carriers have drawn a line in the sand: they are demanding more quality of life provisions are put into the contract, covering attendance policies, vacation and sick days, or they will strike. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the SMART Transportation Division represent half of railroad union workers.
Railroad strike negotiations held up by battle over sick time policies
The top labor negotiator in talks to avert a railroad strike accused BNSF and Union Pacific of holding up progress. Specifically, Dennis Pierce, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, or BLET, said the companies rejected the union’s proposal for sick time policies.
3 more unions reach tentative agreements with freight railroads
Three more railroad unions have reached tentative agreements with U.S. freight railroads on a new labor contract, announced the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC).
Railroad strike: Supply chain concerns grow as deadline nears
Workers say the industry has imposed increasingly punitive scheduling practices that remain a major issue as rail companies’ labor forces have shrunk.
BLET News
Deadline extended for BLET’s Baltimore regional meeting
For those making last minute plans to attend the BLET’s upcoming regional meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, please be advised that the deadline to make hotel reservations has been extended to July 7, 2022.
Ballots for strike authorization being mailed June 24 to BLET members at Class I railroads
This week, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is mailing ballots to more than 23,000 members seeking authorization for the Union’s leadership to call a strike should one become necessary to settle the current national contract dispute with the nation’s largest rail carriers. This is a mandatory step required by the Brotherhood’s internal law as the Union approaches the point where self-help becomes a legal option to both labor and management.
BLET to hold strike authorization vote
In a conference call held with all BLET General Chairmen today, National President Dennis R. Pierce announced that preparations are underway to poll members to authorize a strike in the event one becomes necessary to attain the Organization’s national bargaining goals.
BLET members ratify new contract with DM&E; Wages to increase 27%
By a nearly 5-to-1 ratio, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) ratified a new on-property agreement with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) on June 13, 2022.
Deadline approaches for BLET’s Baltimore regional meeting
Those planning to attend the BLET’s upcoming regional meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, are reminded that the deadline to make hotel reservations is June 28, 2022. The meeting will be held August 1-5, 2022.
FRA publishes rule on fatigue management
On June 13, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published its long awaited rule on rail worker fatigue management. The fatigue final rule was mandated by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
United Rail Unions statement on proffer of arbitration, June 15, 2022
The United Rail Unions issued the following statement on June 15, 2022: Following the conclusion of our third week of compulsory mediation conducted by the National Mediation Board (NMB), the Rail Unions who are bargaining as part of the Coordinated Bargaining...
BLET opens Denver regional meeting
More than 370 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and their families convened in Denver, Colorado, on the morning of June 14 for opening ceremonies of the BLET’s first regional meeting of 2022.
United Rail Unions statement on national bargaining, June 9, 2022
The Rail Unions remain united in their effort to negotiate a fair agreement and stand together in rejecting all proposals that the rail carriers have advanced in our mediation sessions. Our members are the backbone of the rail network and they have earned a contract that recognizes their contributions. None of the Carrier proposals to date come close to that.
Arrangements announced for former BLET VP Paul Wingo
The family will receive friends at the Maple Grove Baptist Church (9525 Birchwood Pike, Harrison, TN 37341) on Thursday, June 9, from 4:00-6:00 p.m., and a service will follow at 6:00 p.m. Brother Wingo will be laid to rest with military honors on Monday, June 13 (10:30 a.m.), at the Chattanooga National Cemetery (1200 Bailey Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404).
