Rail Industry News
Railroads, union contract dispute heads toward White House intervention
Major railroads, including Union Pacific Corp. and BNSF Railway Co., and their unions remain at an impasse after a government board ended efforts to mediate a settlement, a move which will likely force President Joe Biden’s administration to intervene and prevent a strike that could cripple an already-strained US supply chain.
Train crew size rule draws GOP, rail industry rebuke
Republicans and industry representatives contend that a crew-size mandate is unnecessary, while labor unions say reducing operators would jeopardize safety.
STB to Big 4: Recovery plans “woefully deficient”
The Surface Transportation Board, making clear its unhappiness with service recovery plans filed by the four largest U.S. Class I railroads, will require those railroads to correct deficiencies in service recovery plans submitted to the board, and to provide additional information on how they plan to improve service and communication with customers.
BNSF railroaders quit, citing concerns over attendance policy
A day in the life of a railroad engineer looks much different than it did 20 years ago.
STB orders mediation in Amtrak Gulf Coast
The Surface Transportation Board late last week ordered board-sponsored meditation in the case involving Amtrak’s application to relaunch passenger-rail service on CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway tracks in the Gulf Coast.
Issue with trackside walking space likely a factor in BNSF conductor’s death, NTSB says
A BNSF Railway conductor was working in an area “with insufficient walking space available … to perform trackside duties” when he was struck and killed during a switching move, the National Transportation Safety Board said in describing the probable cause of an April 2021 accident in Louisiana, Mo.
NS warns that CP-KCS merger would degrade service on Meridian Speedway
The Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger threatens to degrade intermodal service on the Meridian Speedway that serves as a shortcut between the Southeast and Southwest, Norfolk Southern told federal regulators this week.
Chairs DeFazio, Payne Jr. announce June 14 hearing on freight rail safety
The purpose of this hearing is for members to learn about the current state of freight rail safety, in addition to hearing testimony on how to keep rail workers and our rail system safe.
FRA weighs railroads’ request for wheel temperature detectors instead of manual inspections
The FRA could soon rule on a petition that would allow a pair of freight railroads to use wayside wheel temperature detectors for inspections currently performed by workers.
Lawsuits allege Union Pacific failed to secure goods
A Singapore company, Ocean Network Express, has sued Omaha-based Union Pacific over packages it says were lost or stolen during the pandemic, when train traffic slogged amid supply-chain slowdowns.
NTSB: Broken rail probably caused 2020 UP derailment in Tempe, Ariz.
A broken rail was the probable cause of a fiery freight train derailment and subsequent bridge collapse in Arizona nearly two years ago, the NTSB said in its investigative report released June 9, 2022.
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending June 4, 2022
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 475,513 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.8 percent compared with the same week last year.
BNSF aims to cut emissions 30% by 2030
Although BNSF Railway Co. only within the past year committed to achieving a 30% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions (GHG) by 2030, North America’s largest freight railroad by volume has been working on shrinking its carbon footprint for decades.
RRB issues Statements of Service (Form BA-6)
Each year, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) prepares a Form BA-6, Certificate of Service Months and Compensation, for every railroad employee with creditable railroad compensation in the previous calendar year. The RRB will mail the forms to employees during the first half of June.
Get the latest labor news from the Teamsters
The highly-informative site is a must for those in the labor movement who wish to stay informed and fight to protect the American Middle Class.
Data reported to STB shows extent of rail service deterioration
Overall on-time performance for the big four U.S. Class I railroads has fallen from a pre-pandemic average of 85% to just 67% in the last week of May 2022.
U.S. rail traffic down 15 weeks in a row
U.S. Class I railroads hauled 475,513 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending June 4, 2022, falling 2.8% from the prior-year period.
Operation Lifesaver celebrates 50 years of rail safety education
Visiting Denver this week is a specially painted Amtrak P-42 diesel locomotive, emblazoned on both sides with the message, “See Tracks? Think Train!” The locomotive was released into service earlier this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Operation Lifesaver and share the rail safety message across the nation.
CP and KCS run interline intermodal test train carrying produce from Mexico
Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern want to haul produce grown in Mexico to destinations in the Midwest and Canada.
NS, UP offering transcontinental intermodal service for Hapag-Lloyd from Virginia to West Coast
Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific are teaming up to deliver Hapag-Lloyd international containers from the Port of Virginia to destinations on the West Coast.
BLET News
Amtrak workers’ rally calls on Congress to preserve jobs, fund service
Unionized Amtrak workers, led by members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and Transportation Communications International Union (TCU), will rally Sept. 30 in four major U.S. cities to urge members of Congress to provide emergency funding on the day prior to planned cuts by the nation’s major passenger rail carrier to its service and workforce.
Nunnenkamp elected Chairman of BLET Kansas State Legislative Board
Brandon D. Nunnenkamp of Division 130 (Kansas City, Kan.) was elected Chairman of the Kansas State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting in Wichita, Kan., September 9-11, 2020.
Pacific Harbor Line and BLET sign new agreement
Pacific Harbor Line, Inc. (PHL) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have signed a new five-year labor agreement. The contract, effective September 20, governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for 150 of PHL’s 189 employees.
Labor Day 2020
By Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President American workers will be honored on Monday as the nation celebrates Labor Day. The accomplishments and achievements of workers and the unions that represent them are deserving of this national holiday, and I am proud to be a part of the celebration.
U.S. Senate must act to stop Amtrak furloughs
BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce is urging BLET members to contact their United States Senators and ask them to adequately fund Amtrak — provided that the railroad maintain full daily services to prevent nearly 2,000 job cuts. Amtrak announced massive furloughs on September 1, which would negatively impact approximately 400 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and close to 2,000 employees system wide.
SMART-TD President Ferguson: Setting record straight on anti-labor articles
By Jeremy Ferguson, President, SMART-TD It’s time to set the record straight. I am certain many of you have seen the recent anti-labor articles that have been published regarding our recent win in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
Make sure your voice is heard in November
In advance of the upcoming November elections, the BLET National Division has created a website to help members make sure their vote counts.
Lambert elected General Chairman of UP-Eastern District GCA
Chad M. Lambert, a member of BLET Division 364 (Wichita, Kan.), was elected General Chairman of the Union Pacific-Eastern District General Committee of Adjustment at the GCA’s quadrennial meeting on August 11, 2020.
26 BLET families win Hoffa scholarships for 2020-21 school year, including five $10,000 winners
Twenty-six BLET families have been awarded scholarships by the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund for the 2020-21 school year, including five $10,000 scholarship winners. The $10,000 awards are the highest honor bestowed by the Hoffa Scholarship Fund.
Rail bosses tighten the screws on workers, representatives
As freight rail traffic levels rebound strongly from the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, railroad management has unleashed an unprecedented barrage of measures to manipulate recalls from furloughs, make already draconian attendance policies even more punitive, and interfere with union representatives who fight to protect their members from this abuse.
