Rail Industry News
Four U.S. legislators back CP-KCS merger
Four federal legislators — three from Missouri and one from Kansas — have told regulators that they back the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger.
Unifor members ratify labor contracts with VIA Rail
Unifor National Council 4000 and Local 100 members employed by VIA Rail Canada Inc. have ratified new collective-bargaining agreements that provide a wage increase and work flexibility.
Rail and port labor issues adding to supply chain misery, expert says
The struggle by the freight railroads and their unions to reach consensus on a labor agreement comes at a time when it is already anyone’s guess how existing challenges in the supply chain will play out over the next several months.
Support for Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act grows as shippers demand relief from costly, unfair practices
The Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act has gained support from captured freight rail customers who stand to benefit from provisions that would create a more fair and competitive marketplace.
Weekly rail traffic increases for first time since February
After 22 consecutive weeks of total traffic declines, this is the first time a gain has been reported since the week ending Feb. 17, 2022.
House bill seeks to allow some online training of new railroad hires
An Ohio congressman has introduced a bill which would allow trainees for railroad jobs to complete some aspects of their training online.
BNSF freight train derails in East Galesburg; no injuries reported
The State Street railroad crossing in East Galesburg is closed as the result of a BNSF train derailment here Tuesday evening. No injuries were reported.
How the CP-KCS merger could impact Davenport businesses
The merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern continues to gain traction in the Quad Cities.
Railroads get off track in obsessing about profit margins
In pushing those margins over the past five years to a level that analysts most likely would have thought were unobtainable, the railroads have angered their customers with high prices and poor service and have alienated their workers, who complain they’re being overworked after the railroads cut their ranks as much as possible.
House bill would expand STB’s authority over railroad service
The Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act, introduced Tuesday, would give regulators more authority to deal with service emergencies, require railroads to include service standards in contracts with customers, and give shippers the ability to slap fees on railroads that delay privately owned freight cars.
Chairs Payne Jr., DeFazio, Scott, and Costa introduce Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act
This legislation will reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board (Board), the federal agency charged with the economic regulation of freight rail, and create a fair marketplace for the Class I freight railroads and their captured customers.
Chemical shippers support Congressional action to address rail service problems
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) welcomes the introduction of the Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act and calls on members of Congress to support its passage.
UP reactivates the hump at Davidson Yard in Fort Worth
Union Pacific has reactivated the hump at Davidson Yard in Fort Worth, Texas, to ease the burden on the classification yard at West Colton, Calif., where UP is expanding the small “pop-up” intermodal terminal it opened in the summer of 2021.
CN releases annual grain plan
CN has published its 2022-2023 grain plan, which describes the railroad’s preparations for moving a western Canadian grain crop that is expected to rebound from last year’s drought-impacted level.
Passenger rail briefs: Amtrak, NJ Transit, Government of Canada
Amtrak construction crews begin work to reactivate five Gulf Coast stations, with a groundbreaking event in Bay St. Louis, Miss. Also, NJ Transit and federal and state officials break ground on new Portal North Bridge, and the Govt. of Canada launches consultations on establishing permanent public transit funding.
Rail companies have been cutting costs to the bone, and workers are fed up
The rail companies have been very profitable as they’ve put these and other cuts into place, but they’ve continued to squeeze workers—and they’re making moves that could harm a lot of people beyond their own workers. In fact, many observers say the rail companies have contributed to supply chain problems as they’ve tried to cut costs to the bone.
Opinion: We’ve come full circle
While the pandemic had some impact, I believe our current situation is primarily the result of the industry having Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) thrown back in its face. Power storage? Worker layoffs? Sound familiar?
UPS Teamsters kick off contract fight
Teamster members at UPS have begun a nationwide call to action today with parking lot rallies, leafletting actions and other activities taking place at UPS centers throughout the country.
Host railroads to STB: Amtrak Gulf Coast service would “unreasonably” impair freight service
The launch of Amtrak Gulf Coast service without infrastructure improvements would cause “immediate and future impairment to freight service that is unreasonable under any definition,” CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern argue in their latest filing with the Surface Transportation Board.
Amtrak to STB: Gulf Coast service won’t “unreasonably” impair freight service
Amtrak late last week filed with the Surface Transportation Board a supplemental brief and evidence in the railroad’s quest to relaunch passenger-rail service along the Gulf Coast.
BLET News
Two-person crew bill introduced in Michigan
On December 2, 2021, a railroad safety bill requiring qualified two-person train crews was introduced in the state of Michigan’s House of Representatives and Senate.
BLET to conduct virtual training for Secretary-Treasurers
The BLET Education and Training Department will conduct two virtual training classes for Division Secretary-Treasurers via Zoom from the BLET National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio. Classes will be held December 14-16, 2021, and January 4-6, 2022.
BLET, SMART-TD suit seeks immediate halt to BNSF and Metra vaccine mandates
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) have filed motions for preliminary injunctions, seeking to immediately halt unilaterally implemented vaccine mandates imposed by Metra commuter rail and BNSF Railway, and require the carriers to negotiate over the issue.
BLET, SMART-TD suits seek immediate halt to Amtrak vaccine mandate
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) yesterday filed motions for a preliminary injunction, seeking to immediately halt a unilaterally implemented vaccine mandate imposed by Amtrak, and require the carrier to negotiate over the issue.
Unions counter Metra COVID vaccine mandate
CLEVELAND, Ohio, November 24, 2021 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) have responded to the suit Metra filed...
Thanksgiving 2021
By Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President On behalf of the BLET Advisory Board, I wish you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
BLET, SMART-TD join to fight Amtrak on COVID mandate
The BLET and SMART-TD are challenging Amtrak over its actions in implementing its COVID-19 vaccine policy without the bargaining mandated by the Railway Labor Act.
Vaccine cases with two Rail Carriers consolidated in Illinois court
On November 17, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois consolidated multiple lawsuits that had been filed in the Illinois federal court, including ones by the BLET and two other rail unions challenging two Class I carriers’ implementation of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
GA-46000 Lifetime maximum adjusted for 2022
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, November 19 — The lifetime maximum benefit for the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit Plan (also known as ERMA or GA-46000) will increase from $175,700 to $182,700 on January 1, 2022. At the end of 2001, Labor and...
Former BLE International President Ronald P. McLaughlin, 1929-2021
Former BLE International President Ronald P. McLaughlin passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 92 on November 12, 2021. He served in the union’s highest office from 1991-1996.
