BLET News
The ABCs of the STB: What is the Surface Transportation Board?
The railroad industry, including rail labor, likes to throw around a lot of letters. There’s an “alphabet soup” of acronyms that frequently appear in industry and union news sites and publications, including this one — for example, AAR, ARU, BLET, CSXT, DOT, FRA, and...
What are they trying to hide? UP-NS must resubmit withheld merger data as STB rejects rush to approval
Last week, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) adopted a procedural schedule and timeline for consideration of the UP-NS merger application, but ordered the railroads to turn over “substantial” additional data by August 28. Importantly, STB said that release of the...
BLET leads coalition of rail unions urging STB to reject UP-NS merger application immediately
The BLET last week led a coalition of rail labor unions in urging the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to immediately terminate the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application before a full review can begin. In an August 19 joint filing, BLET and the...
Eastern Regional Meeting begins this week
We will be reporting to you this week from Chicago, the site of the BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting. Last-minute registrations for meals and events will be accepted online or in person at The Drake Hotel as late as Tuesday morning, August 25. Open and members-only...
BLET members are a key part of peer-to-peer Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program
BLET members regularly operate freight trains carrying some of the most toxic and deadly substances known to man. Those looking for ways to stay safe on the job need look no further than their fellow BLET members who work as peer instructors for the Rail Workers...
The 2026 BLET Convention website is live
The BLET Sixth National Convention will be held at the Horseshoe Hotel in Las Vegas from October 13-15, 2026, and the new convention website is now live at bletconvention.org. Visit the site for convention information, a tentative agenda, hotel and convention-area...
Amtrak suspends Seattle-Portland service indefinitely after warehouse fire
Several BLET members are temporarily out of work for an unexpected reason: Amtrak was forced to halt service through Portland, Oregon, after a major warehouse fire earlier this month. A 100-year-old brick and stone warehouse is still standing but suffered catastrophic...
BLET members overwhelmingly ratify new contract with Illinois Railway
BLET members have overwhelmingly ratified a new five-year agreement with the Illinois Railway (IR). Ballots were tabulated on August 14. There are no concessions in the new contract, which provides full retroactive pay from March of 2025, a $1,000 signing bonus, and...
Replacement ballots available in tentative agreement with Carrollton Railroad
BLET members at the Carrollton Railroad are currently voting on a tentative agreement. Ballots were mailed earlier this month and are due on August 27. Eligible members who have not yet received a ballot should call the BLET National Division’s dedicated voicemail...
Teamsters Rail Conference demands independent review after BNSF automation failure puts train and worker on collision course
The Teamsters Rail Conference is demanding that BNSF Railway take immediate corrective action to better protect the safety of its workforce and the public, following a serious safety lapse involving the railroad’s automated dispatch systems. In a near-catastrophic...
National Health & Welfare Plan Benefits: Comprehensive benefits guide available for your smart phone
The Railroad National Plans — Health & Welfare Benefits are designed to help BLET members and their families live their healthiest lives. Currently available to members is a valuable guide that provides at-a-glance summaries to help you understand the...
National Convention Delegates: Deadline to make hotel reservations is September 4
September 4 is the deadline for delegates to make their hotel room reservations for the BLET’s Sixth National Convention. The Convention will be held at the Horseshoe Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Delegates are encouraged to make their reservations soon, as rooms may...
Registration now open for upcoming rail hazmat/chemical emergency response training programs
The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is hosting four in-person rail worker training sessions in late 2026 and early 2027 in Houston during the weeks of October 4-9, 2026; January 10-15, 2027; February 21-26, 2027; and March 14-19, 2027. The 40-hour...
BLET applauds Trump Administration’s successful defense of two-person crew rule
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) applauds the Trump Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, and Federal Railroad Administration for successfully defending the federal Crew Size Rule against the railroad industry’s effort to...
Replacement ballots available in tentative agreement with Illinois Railway
BLET members at the Illinois Railway (IR) are currently voting on a tentative agreement. Ballots were mailed in late-July. Eligible members who have not yet received a ballot should call the BLET National Division’s dedicated voicemail line to have a replacement...
BLET Education and Training Department: Training classes for Local Chairmen, Secretary-Treasurers set for September
The BLET Education & Training Department will conduct comprehensive training classes for Local Chairmen and Secretary-Treasurers during September at the BLET National Division Headquarters in Independence, Ohio. Both classes will be offered in a hybrid format,...
BLET reaches tentative agreement with Carrollton Railroad
Ballots were mailed this week to BLET members voting on a tentative agreement with the Carrollton Railroad, located in Kentucky. If ratified by the members, the tentative deal would represent the first BLET-negotiated contract at the property after Carrollton workers...
Arbitration win at BNSF is about more than a single case; It shows what BLET can accomplish when we work together
Brothers and Sisters, On August 6th, the BLET achieved an important victory for engineers working in pool service on the former Montana Rail Link territory. Public Law Board No. 8083 ruled that BNSF’s attempt to use the Enhanced Customer Service (ECS) provisions of...
Rhode Island governor signs BLET-backed two-person crew bill
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed a BLET-backed two-person crew bill into law on July 23. The bill reads in part: “No train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight may be operated unless it has a crew consisting of at least two persons.”...
Arbitrator sides with the union: BLET wins case where the BNSF tried to eliminate rest options for locomotive engineers
BILLINGS, Mont. — On Thursday, August 6, in an important decision for railroad workers, an arbitrator ruled in favor of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), blocking BNSF Railway from eliminating contractually-negotiated rest periods under the...
Daily Headlines
Two more serious incidents involving Norfolk Southern are under investigation
The BLET Safety Task Force has received Party Status from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist with the investigation of two serious Norfolk Southern incidents. In the first incident, a conductor was killed last week when he was struck by a train...
The Stop the Rail Merger Coalition asks STB to tell UP and NS to disclose numbers on how their proposed merger will affect workers
Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific appear to have purposefully left out critical information on the affect that the proposed merger would have on workers – if approved. Instead of listing the information publicly as they did in their past two applications, they...
BLET sharply critical of alarming comments made by UP CEO
The BLET continues to keep a close eye on the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, and whenever necessary, shine a public spotlight on risks associated with the merger. BLET has staunchly opposed the merger as it could harm workers, shippers, and the...
A look back at the Teamsters 31st International Convention
BLET Editor's Note: The stories that follow highlight the contributions of the BLET and Rail Conference during the Teamsters International Convention held last week in Las Vegas. Pictured above are BLET members who were in attendance. All photos courtesy of the...
Safety Task Force investigating after NS derailment causes ethanol spill and fire in Tennessee
The BLET Safety Task Force has received Party Status from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist with the investigation into a Norfolk Southern derailment that occurred in Tennessee last week. According to media reports, 23 cars of a mixed freight...
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,...
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...
Stop the Rail Merger Coalition Commends STB’s Scrutiny of Bad UP-NS Rail Merger Deal
The Surface Transportation Board today accepted the Union Pacific (UP)–Norfolk Southern (NS) merger application but delayed the review process to collect vital information that is still missing from the railroads’ revised application. The STB has put a hold on the...
“Who do you trust, Wall Street or farmers?” American Farm Bureau warns public about risks of UP-NS merger
In early May, it was announced that BLET had joined the Stop the Rail Merger coalition to oppose the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. Since then, the American Farm Bureau, a member of the coalition, has launched a commercial on broadcast, cable and social media...
