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VOTING BEGINS IN DECEMBER:
BLET reaches tentative national
agreement
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The BLET announced on November 3 that the
union had reached a tentative national
agreement for 11,000 members who work
at ten freight railroads, including
Class Is BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern, and
Canadian National’s U.S. operations. CPKC
participated in health and welfare matters
only. The deal was reached after ten months
of negotiations with the National Carriers’
Conference Committee (NCCC), which
represented the employers.
Highlights of the tentative five-year
contract include:
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General wage increases of 17.5% (18.8%
compounded)
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$500 lump sum payment
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No work rule concessions
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Improved vacation accrual schedule,
allowing members to earn additional weeks
of vacation at an accelerated rate
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No increase in out-of-pocket costs for
health and welfare
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Employee monthly health and welfare cost
sharing remains capped at 15% for the life
of the agreement
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Enhancements to health and welfare
benefits, including dental and vision
plans
“Since taking over as President and Lead
Negotiator in May, my goal has been to bring
greater transparency and accountability to
the bargaining process,” said BLET National
President Mark Wallace. “The BLET Wage Team worked diligently to
find a path forward that our members could
support. This tentative agreement delivers
meaningful wage growth without any
concessions to work rules. As a
membership-driven organization, it is now up
to our members to determine the path
ahead.”
Terms of the TA can be viewed in the Members’ Area of the BLET website.
A 15-day Question and Answer period,
required by the BLET Bylaws, began on
November 3. BLET General Chairmen have 15
days to submit questions to the National
President’s office. Those questions will be
consolidated into a single document, and the
BLET’s National Wage Team will return to the
bargaining table to obtain answers to those
questions. Once the Q&A period is
completed, the National Division will
distribute full details of the proposed
agreement along with ballots to the affected
BLET members. It is expected that ballots
will be mailed in early December with a
count date of December 30, 2025.
If ratified, the contract would run through
2029 and cover BLET members at Belt Railway
Company of Chicago; BNSF Railway; Canadian
National; Consolidated Rail Corporation;
Canadian Pacific Kansas City*; Indiana
Harbor Belt Railroad Company; Longview
Switching Company; Norfolk Southern Railway
Company; Metra*; and Portland Terminal
Railroad Company. (Asterisk (*) indicates
Health and Welfare only.)
Photo by Cory Rusch, BLET
Division 659
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ATTENTION BLET MEMBERS IN AZ, CA AND
TX:
Two Town Hall meetings set for next
week
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All BLET members are invited to two Town Hall
meetings next week to discuss the tentative national agreement. These meetings are an opportunity for
members to hear directly from national
officers, ask questions, and share feedback.
Details are as follows:
Tuesday, November 11 – Needles, CA/ Fort Mohave, AZ
9:00 a.m. — Town Hall Meeting (Division
383)
Mohave Valley Fire Dept. Training Room
1451 Willow Drive
Mohave Valley, AZ 86440
Wednesday, November 12 – Amarillo, TX
6:00 p.m. — Town Hall Meeting (Divisions 299
& 574)
Santa Fe Credit Union
7600 Hillside
Amarillo, TX 79119
In attendance to answer membership questions
will be BLET National President Mark Wallace, First Vice President Gary Best, National Secretary-Treasurer David Estes, Vice President Billy Lyons, and BNSF (ATSF) General
Chairman Rob Cunningham.
Additional Town Hall dates and locations will
be announced soon. Members can review the
Tentative National Agreement in the Members’ Area of the BLET National Division
website.
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ILLINOIS:
State legislature approves $1.5 billion
spending bill to fund mass transit
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On October 31, Illinois stepped back from the
public transportation funding fiscal cliff
when the state legislature passed a bill that
provided Metra, PACE and CTA with $1.5 billion
in public transit funding. Governor Pritzker
is expected to sign the bill into law. BLET
supports the bill.
Metra, one of the largest commuter rail
systems in the United States, serves the
six-county Chicagoland-area and employs
approximately 300 BLET members as locomotive
engineers.
SB 2111 will fund mass transit through a
variety of ways, such as shifting motor fuel
tax revenues to mass transit purposes as
allowed by state statute and redirecting
interest on the state’s road fund to transit.
There are no fare increases on public transit
in the first year after the bill’s passage.
The bill also creates the Northern Illinois
Transit Authority, which will shift authority
from the Regional Transit Authority to a new
entity that will oversee operations of the
Chicago Transit Authority, Pace and Metra.
Metra will still have a separate Board of
Directors just like it does now, which was a
key ask from BLET and rail
labor.
 “This legislation is only possible because
of the care and commitment shown by several
groups in the state including the Governor’s
office, State Senate President Don Harmon,
State Senators Ram Villivalam and Celina
Villanueva, House Speaker Chris Welch, and
State Representatives Eva-Dina Delgado and Kam
Buckner,” said BLET Illinois State Legislative
Board Chairman Cory Martin.
Members of the BLET Illinois State Legislative
Board, led by Martin, worked tirelessly to
secure this legislation. Since January of this
year, the BLET has been an active part of a
30-member coalition of Illinois-based
transportation labor unions that has lobbied
in favor of funding the state’s public
transportation system. Fellow Teamster Rail
Conference affiliate BMWED as well as
Teamsters Joint Council 25 were also a part of
the coalition, known as the Labor Alliance for
Public Transportation. Martin singled out
Illinois State AFL-CIO President Tim Drea and
Legislative Director Frances Orenic for
leading the coalition.
Illinois is not the only state wrestling with
a shortfall in transit funding. The
Pennsylvania State Senate has failed to approve funding for mass transit, placing SEPTA and 52
other mass transit agencies across the
Commonwealth at risk of substantial service
cuts. The BLET continues to work in
conjunction with other labor groups and public
transit advocates to secure the necessary
funding.
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OHIO:
Ballots mailed in tentative agreement
with Indiana & Ohio Railway
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Ballots are due back to the National Division
by December 3, 2025.
Photo by Susan Hope Finley
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The BLET has reached a tentative agreement
(TA) with the Indiana & Ohio Railway
(IORY). Ballots were mailed to members this
week.
The five-year TA runs through 2030 and
provides a 7% general wage increase (GWI) for
2026, with 4% GWIs each year from 2027-2030.
Other highlights of the TA include:
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Increased training pay for authorized
trainers per tour of duty
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Allows for secondary hold downs
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Adds two days off per pay period for extra
board employees
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Increases meal and lodging allowances
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Increases the annual safety boot allowance
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Increases bereavement leave for immediate
family members to five days
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Eliminates the daily commute mileage
deduction and will now pay all miles
driven for the Carrier.
 The negotiating team consisted of General
Chairman Chip Cole and Vice General Chairman Matt Fadely, with assistance from assigned National Vice
President Rick Gibbons.
The IORY membership belongs to BLET Division
282 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Owned by the Genesee & Wyoming and
headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the IORY
operates over 511 miles of track in western
Ohio, and in parts of southeastern Indiana and
southeast Michigan.
Note to IORY members: Ballots are due by December 3, 2025.
Members who are eligible to vote and have not
received a ratification packet by November 19
should call the National Division at (216)
241-2630, ext. 222. When connected with the
extension, please leave the following
information:
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Your name, address and phone number;
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The division to which you belong;
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The railroad you work for;
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Your date of birth;
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The last four digits of your Social
Security number; and
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Your email address.
All replacement ballots will be distributed by
email. Any member who requires a replacement
ballot must include their email address in the
voicemail; otherwise, they will not be able to
participate in the ratification vote.
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IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR:
National Division is taking requests for
2026 Time Books
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The BLET National Division is taking requests
from members who wish to receive a new Time
Book for 2026. These books will only be
distributed to members upon request.
To request a Time Book, members must first log
in to the Members’ Area of the BLET National
Division website and click the Time Book
Opt-In link. Then click the “Yes, send me the
2026 BLET Time Book” button. First-time users
will be asked to verify their home mailing
address. Returning users should also verify
their address to ensure delivery.
A password is required to access the
Members’ Area
and you must opt-in to receive the 2026 Time
Book.
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VETERANS DAY 2026:
BLET thanks all veterans and their
families
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On this Veterans Day, the BLET thanks all
members who have served in our nation’s armed
services. Thank you for your service and the
sacrifices made by you and your families. We
salute you.
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