BLET News
National Health & Welfare Plan benefits: Play to win during Men’s Health Month
June is commonly recognized as Men’s Health Month. Members covered by the BLET’s National Health & Welfare Plan are encouraged to compete in a quick game about men’s health for a chance to win a free Fitbit watch through the Your Track To Health website. The game...
LIRR Contract ratifies by a 98 percent margin
After a three-day strike and years of ongoing contract negotiations, members of the BLET overwhelmingly ratified a new contract with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) this week. The vote was 98 percent in favor of ratification. The BLET bargained as part of a coalition...
House Republicans proposed transportation appropriations bill would use other rail infrastructure money to fund Amtrak and FRA
Not all news was good news from the House Appropriations Committee last week. By a vote of 34-27, the Committee approved the fiscal year 2027 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development (THUD), and Related Agencies funding bill. The BLET is keeping a close eye...
After historic strike, BLET members overwhelmingly ratify new contract at LIRR
After a three-day strike and years of ongoing contract negotiations, BLET members have overwhelmingly ratified a new contract with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). Ballots were tabulated today, and the vote was 98 percent in favor of ratification. The BLET bargained...
BLET, Rail Conference continue to spotlight risks of UP-NS merger
The BLET and Teamsters Rail Conference applauded the recent action by the House Appropriations Committee to urge the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to conduct a rigorous review of the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern (UP-NS) merger. BLET and the Rail...
Stop the Rail Merger Coalition today responded to alarming comments made by UP CEO Jim Vena
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Stop the Rail Merger Coalition today responded to alarming comments made by Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena at an investor conference in which he suggested that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) should rush its review of the proposed UP/NS merger,...
America 250 and BLET 163: Abraham Lincoln and the rise of the BLET
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” So begins the famous Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln. He gave this speech...
Norfolk Southern: BLET questions manpower shortages and impact on safety at the Class I railroad
In a major story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week with the headline, “Norfolk Southern doesn’t have the crews to keep trains moving, union says,” BLET National President Mark Wallace charged that NS “doesn’t have the needed manpower to keep trains running...
BLET supports bill to penalize assaulting passenger train crew members
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is supporting the bipartisan Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act, H.R. 8894, which would make it a federal crime to assault Amtrak or commuter rail workers, including passenger locomotive engineers. The bill...
Union busting: Employers annually spend $1.7 billion in an effort to deny workers a voice on the job
U.S. employers spend about $1.7 billion per year on union busting efforts, according to a report published by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Much of the money is spent on consultants and law firms that specialize in preventing workers from organizing and...
Study shows electing union candidates would increase political power; One BLET member is an example
A recent study by Arizona State University’s Center for Work and Democracy examines the conundrum of labor unions in American politics today. On one hand, unions remain among the most trusted institutions in the country, but on the other hand, they are...
Replacement ballots available now in BLET contract votes at LIRR, Metra
BLET members are currently voting on two tentative agreements, one with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and the other with Metra. Eligible members who have not yet received a ballot should call the BLET National Division’s dedicated voicemail line to have a...
Last Run: Division 62 Local Chairman Tim Wild retires after 47-year career
Tim Wild, Local Chairman of BLET Division 62 (Houston, Texas), retired from the Union Pacific Railroad on May 1. His railroad career spanned 47 years, including 30 years as a proud member of the BLET. He hired out in 1979 with the Southern Pacific Railroad in Houston...
Railroad retirement: Make sure all information is correct on Form BA-6
Each year in early June, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) mails Form BA-6 (Certificate of Service Months and Compensation) to every railroad employee with creditable railroad compensation in the previous calendar year. Form BA-6 is important because it...
America 250 and BLET 163: 1828 marked the birth of railroading in America
Editor’s Note: As America approaches its 250th birthday this year, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is marking its 163rd anniversary. In recognition of these historic milestones, BLET, the oldest labor union in North America, is examining...
Registration now open for BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting
Registration is now open for the BLET Eastern Regional Meeting, which will be held in Chicago, August 24-28. Just like this year’s Western Regional Meeting scheduled to be held in New Orleans, the Chicago Regional meeting will expand beyond the traditional training...
BLET members ratify new agreement with Delaware & Hudson
BLET members last week ratified a new three-year agreement with the Delaware & Hudson Railway. The agreement covers the period from August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027, and provides general wage increases of 4.5% for 2024, 4.0% for 2025, and 3.75% for 2026. There...
Growing clout of BLET and Teamsters
Clout /klaʊt/ noun/ Definition: The power to influence people, steer decisions, or control situations. In the past week, The Wall Street Journal editorialized twice regarding BLET’s growing clout and the defeat of corporate and anti-worker interests. On May 19, the...
BLET reaches tentative agreement for Metra locomotive engineers
The BLET has reached a tentative six-year agreement with the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (NIRCRC/Metra). The tentative deal covers about 250 BLET members who work as locomotive engineers for Metra. The deal reached represents a...
Ballots mailed in BLET tentative agreement with Long Island Rail Road
Ballots were mailed last week to approximately 500 BLET members for voting on the BLET's tentative agreement with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The tentative deal comes after three years of bargaining, two Presidential Emergency Boards, and a three-day strike that...
Daily Headlines
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.
Trump fires STB Board member Robert Primus
Primus, a Democrat, was appointed by Trump in 2020.
Citing lives at risk, BLET urges UP to allow trail to stunning waterfall in Northern California
(Source: Los Angeles Times, August 5, 2025) About 10 times each day, giant freight trains pass along a narrow section of track along the Sacramento River in far Northern California where engineers on the locomotives regularly tense up with stress. “Every single time,...
BNSF reports Q2 2025 results
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 5, 2025) BNSF Railway Co. recently reported second-quarter revenue of $5.7 billion, which was flat compared with second-quarter 2024’s mark. The Class I’s operating income and net income in the quarter climbed 19%...
OSHA orders UP to reinstate engineer, provide $300K in back pay
(Source: U.S. Department of Labor press release, August 6, 2025) DALLAS – A federal whistleblower investigation found that Union Pacific Railroad Co. violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act by terminating a railroad engineer after the employee reported and sought...
Wheeling & Lake Erie sold for $1.05 billion
(Railfan & Railroad Magazine, August 7, 2025) The Wheeling & Lake Erie, the over 800-mile regional railroad that runs through Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, is being sold to FTAI Infrastructure, Inc., for $1.05 billion. Once approved by...
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern announce plans to create America’s first transcontinental railroad
(Source: Union Pacific press release, July 29, 2025) Union Pacific Corporation and Norfolk Southern Corporation today announced an agreement to create America’s first transcontinental railroad. These legendary companies will seamlessly connect over 50,000 route miles...
CPKC reports Q2 2025 results
(Source: Canadian Pacific Kansas City press release, July 30, 2025) Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) today announced its second-quarter results, including revenues of $3.7 billion, diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.33 and core adjusted diluted EPS1 of $1.12....
CSX reports Q2 2025 results
(Source: CSX press release, July 23, 2025) CSX Corp. announced second quarter 2025 operating income of $1.28 billion compared to $1.45 billion in the prior year period. Net income was $829 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, compared to $963 million, or $0.49 per...
