BLET News
BLET and BMWED working together for Secure Tracks Act
Legislation introduced in Congress, with support from BLET, the Teamsters Rail Conference and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, would put into federal law the current long-standing requirement that railroad tracks are visually inspected twice a week while...
Teamsters Rail Conference concludes quadrennial convention
“The Teamsters Rail Conference today is stronger, more unified, and more influential than it has ever been,” said Mark Wallace, President of the Teamsters Rail Conference and BLET National President, in his keynote report to delegates during the Rail Conference’s...
State Legislative Board seeks to honor fallen member Lou Shuster
The BLET’s Ohio State Legislative Board conducted its 18th quadrennial meeting last week. Chairman John Esterly was reelected to his second term of office. A CSX locomotive engineer and member of BLET Division 34 (Columbus, Ohio), Esterly hired out in 2011 and has...
Ballots mailed in tentative agreement with Indiana & Ohio Railway
The BLET has reached a tentative agreement with the Indiana & Ohio Railway (IORY). Ballots were mailed to members last week. If ratified by the members, the agreement will run through 2031 and provide a 7% general wage increase (GWI) in 2026, 4.5% GWIs each year...
LIRR labor coalition presents case to a second Presidential Emergency Board
In early March, a White House-appointed mediation panel, Presidential Emergency Board 254, heard from five rail unions, including BLET, as well as the Long Island Rail Road’s management on proposals for a new agreement in the years-long contract dispute at the...
A message from BLET National Secretary-Treasurer David Estes: Modern, practical and accessible officer training leads to a stronger BLET
Brothers and Sisters, It has been the honor of my career to serve this organization, first as a Local Division officer, then as a General Committee officer, and now as your National Secretary-Treasurer. Having worked at every level of this union, I understand the...
U.S. union membership reached 16-year high in 2025
It’s not just railroaders at short lines joining unions. The number of workers covered under union contracts jumped to a 16-year high in 2025, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). About 16.5 million workers were covered by a union contract...
Education & Training: Annual LM-2 workshop
The BLET Education & Training Department hosted a hybrid training class for LM-2 filers from February 23-26, with a total of 24 officers participating — both in person at the BLET National Division Training Center and virtually via Zoom. The workshop was designed...
Replacement ballots now available in BLET-Indiana Rail Road contract vote
BLET members are currently voting on a tentative agreement with the Indiana Rail Road. Ballots will be tabulated on Friday, March 13. Eligible members who have not yet received a ballot should call the BLET National Division’s dedicated voicemail line to have one...
BLET members ratify new four-year contract with Alstom/MARC
On February 26, BLET members voted unanimously to ratify a new four-year contract with Alstom. The contract cover locomotive engineers who operate Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) trains in the Washington-Baltimore area. The agreement covers the period from Jan. 1,...
BLET hails introduction of Railway Safety Act of 2026 in U.S. House of Representatives
On March 2, Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), along with co-leads Nick LaLota (R-NY), Michael Rulli (R-OH), John Garamendi (D-CA), introduced a companion bill to the Railway Safety Act of 2026 in the U.S. House Representatives. It matches the Senate measure that was...
BLET chalks up another organizing win as Austin Western workers say yes to union representation
Train and engine service employees at the Austin Western Railroad (AWRR) overwhelmingly voted to join the BLET in an election certified by the National Mediation Board in late February. Including this victory, BLET has won 15 representation elections in the past three...
Black History Month: Teamsters honor legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Earlier this month, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters unveiled a new bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Teamsters Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The bust honors the special relationship shared between Dr. King and the Teamsters Union during his lifetime...
BLET backs bills guaranteeing extra pay for working on federal holidays, paid sick leave
The BLET and Teamsters Rail Conference have thrown their support behind two U.S. Senate bills that will improve the pay and benefits of all Americans, including rail workers. Holiday Pay: The “Holiday Pay Act,” introduced by Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), would require...
Ballots mailed in tentative agreement with Indiana Rail Road
The BLET has reached a tentative agreement with the Indiana Rail Road (INRD). Ballots were mailed to members on February 20. The tentative agreement would provide retroactive pay dating to July 1, 2024, and subsequent general wage increases each year through July 1,...
BLET applauds bipartisan reintroduction of the Railway Safety Act
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) National Division today applauded the bipartisan reintroduction of the Railway Safety Act (RSA) in the United States Senate. The legislation is being led by Senator Jon Husted (R-OH) and Senator Maria...
Notch 8: A message to the membership from BLET First Vice President Gary Best
Brothers and Sisters, When I addressed the members at our Eastern Regional in Daytona Beach last summer, I said that our Union had been in a siding for the last couple of years and had just received a signal to come out on the mainline when President Mark...
National health & welfare plan benefits: Fitness that fits you
If you or a family member have made a New Year’s resolution to hit the gym in 2026, this United HealthCare program may be what you’re looking for. A program titled One Pass Select provides access to a nationwide network of fitness locations, online workouts, and more,...
Education & Training: Secretary-Treasurers benefit from Zoom refresher sessions
Sixty BLET Secretary-Treasurers participated in half-day online refresher sessions February 17-18, hosted by the BLET Education & Training Department. The training focused on preparation of annual LM-3 and LM-4 reports required by the U.S. Department of Labor’s...
100 years ago, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters made major gains as first union for Black railroad workers
Founded on August 25, 1925, by A. Philip Randolph, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was the first African American labor union to secure a collective bargaining agreement with a major corporation, the Pullman Company. With the decline of passenger rail...
Daily Headlines
NTSB releases preliminary report on fatal accident involving BLET member working as a BNSF conductor
The worker killed was identified as 52-year-old Daniel Peterson of Billings, Mont., a member of BLET Division 232 (Laurel, Montana).
CN reports Q3 2025 results
CN reported that its net income was C$1,139 million in Q3 2025, an increase of C$54 million, or 5%.
CPCK reports Q3 2025 results
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) announced its third-quarter results, including revenues of $3.7 billion.
BNSF reports Q3 2025 results
The railway’s operating ratio was 64.1%, a 1-point improvement over a year ago.
Union Pacific reports Q3 2025 results
Union Pacific Corporation reported 2025 third quarter net income of $1.8 billion, or $3.01 per diluted share. Results include merger costs of $41 million, or $0.07 per diluted share.
Norfolk Southern reports Q3 2025 results
For the quarter, revenue was $3.1 billion, income from railway operations was $1.1 billion, operating ratio was 64.6%, and diluted earnings per share were $3.16.
CSX reports Q3 2025 results
CSX Corp. announced third quarter operating income of $1.09 billion and net earnings of $694 million, or $0.37 per share. In the third quarter of 2024, the company reported operating income of $1.35 billion and net earnings of $894 million, or $0.46 per share.
Railroads spurn C3RS, a safety system designed to prevent accidents
Class I freight railroads incorrectly assume a punitive approach to safety gets the best results.
NS agrees to give Amtrak highest priority over freight trains and make its delay records for Amtrak trains available to the DOJ
As a result of the settlement, the Justice Department has moved to dismiss its lawsuit against Norfolk Southern.
Trump nominates rail consultant Kloster to STB, re-nominates Schults
The nominations now go to the Senate for confirmation, although a timeline for confirmation is unknown.
