BLET News
Solar eclipse 2024: Hello darkness, my old friend
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse moved across North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. As you can see in the photo...
Biden fires Railroad Retirement Board inspector general for creating a hostile work environment
On March 29, President Joe Biden fired Railroad Retirement Board Inspector General Martin Dickman after a year-long investigation found he had created a hostile work environment. According to The Hill, the whistleblower investigation uncovered evidence that Dickman...
NTSB conducting safety culture survey, BLET members encouraged to participate
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting a confidential survey of the Norfolk Southern workforce to evaluate the railroad’s safety culture. Surveys were sent to all NS craft employees on April 3, and the survey will conclude on April 19. BLET General...
Registration now open for BLET’s Washington D.C. regional meeting
Registration is now open for the BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting, which will be held in Washington, D.C., the week of July 28, 2024. Guests will stay at the Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, telephone (202) 393-1000. Meeting registration and...
CN/WC: Tentative agreement reached on quality of life improvements
In late March, the BLET reached a tentative agreement for 600 locomotive engineers at the Canadian National/Wisconsin Central Railway. The agreement, which requires ratification by the membership, provides significant quality of life improvements and comes after...
Registration now open for BLET’s Washington D.C. regional meeting
Registration is now open for the BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting, which will be held in Washington, D.C., the week of July 28, 2024. Guests will stay at the Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, telephone (202) 393-1000. Meeting registration and...
Years in the making: FRA enacts federal two-person crew regulation
Pictured: BLET VP & NLR Vince Verna during a DOT press conference announcing the two-person crew regulation on April 2. In the background, from left, is David Hoagland, President, Washington D.C. Firefighters Association, IAFF, Local 36, and Pete Buttigieg,...
BLET President Hall applauds new FRA rule on two-person train crews
As trains, many carrying hazardous material, have grown longer, crews should not be getting smaller.
Freight railroads must keep two person crews, according to new federal regulation
Major freight railroads will have to maintain two-person crews on most routes under a new federal rule that was finalized Tuesday. The Federal Railroad Administration released the details of the rule Tuesday morning, after working on it for the past two years.
BLET seeks to represent workers at Arizona Eastern Railway
On March 26, the BLET filed an application with the National Mediation Board (NMB) to secure union representation for 21 workers at the short line Arizona Eastern Railway (AZER), a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary. During a recent organizing drive, the BLET obtained...
Celebrating Women’s History Month: Civil Engineer Olive Dennis an innovative pioneer with Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Olive Dennis (1885-1957) was an American engineer whose design innovations changed the nature of railroad travel. In 1920, she became only the second woman to obtain a Civil Engineer degree from Cornell University. She was hired by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to...
Celebrating Women’s History Month: Workers-rights advocate Frances Perkins was first woman to hold presidential cabinet level position
Frances Perkins (1880-1965) achieved prominence as the first woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet. She was appointed United States Secretary of Labor by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. In addition to being the first woman, she is also the longest serving in...
“No one should die at work,” VP Verna tells House rail safety roundtable
On March 13, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Rail Subcommittee hosted a roundtable discussion to examine safety issues in the railroad industry. BLET Vice President & National Legislative Representative Vince Verna represented BLET. During his...
Get Involved: Unions are Not a Spectator Sport
This fall, the BLET will hold elections for all Local Division Offices. The process kicks off with nominations being held at each Division’s first regular meeting in September. All eligible members are encouraged to run for office. The IBT Constitution provides that...
End of An Era: Amtrak General Chairman Mark Kenny retires
Division 11 Member Mark B. Kenny retired on December 31, 2023, bringing an end to more than a quarter century as Chairman of the Amtrak/KCS/VRE/Caltrain General Committee of Adjustment. Brother Kenny was elected to seven consecutive terms as General Chairman (1998,...
Registration now open for BLET’s Kansas City regional meeting
Registration is now open for the BLET’s Western Regional Meeting, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, the week of June 3, 2024. Guests will stay at the Marriott Kansas City Downtown (200 West 12th St., Kansas City, MO, 65105, telephone: (816) 421-6800)....
Arkansas: BLET members ratify new contract with Missouri & Northern Arkansas
On March 20, a majority of BLET members ratified a new contract with the Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad (M&NA) by a vote of 42-10. The on-property agreement governs rates of pay, benefits, and work rules for approximately 57 operating employees. The...
Utah: BLET members ratify new agreement with Utah Railway
BLET members ratified a new five-year contract with the Utah Railway on March 20. The agreement was ratified by a vote of 30-6. It governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for approximately 42 operating employees. General wage increases will total 41% (46.7%...
BLET mourns the sudden loss of D.C. Office staffer Carlos Barrett Sr.
The BLET and IBT family were shocked and heartbroken by the sudden passing of Carlos Barrett Sr, who was tragically killed on March 15 in a hit-and-run accident in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He has worked as the Administrative Assistant at the BLET National...
Annual meeting: BLET General Chairmen’s Association
The BLET’s National General Chairmen’s Association (NGCA) held its annual meeting at BLET National Division Headquarters on March 20. The General Chairmen exchanged important information regarding the upcoming round of national contract negotiations and conducted...
Daily Headlines
President Biden announces nearly $5 billion for major transportation projects nationwide
Funding announced today will support 37 projects across the country, including $28 million for the Elko Nevada Rail Corridor Enhancement project in Nevada. The project will make improvements on the Union Pacific Railroad at the Elko Yard. Track improvements, infrastructure upgrades, and enhanced signal infrastructure will reduce an average of 2.5 hours of delay per freight train using the corridor.
AAR: North American rail volume down through first three weeks for 2024
Through the first three weeks of 2024 (ending Jan. 20), total North American carload and intermodal traffic dipped 5.6% from the same point last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported.
Amtrak Virginia reports ridership record for 2023
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) announced that more than 1.32 million passengers traveled on its state-supported Amtrak Virginia rail service in 2023, up 29.8% year over year.
BNSF announces 2024 capital investment plan
The largest component of this year’s capital plan, $2.88 billion, is devoted to maintaining BNSF’s core network and related assets.
A strange 21st-Century revival: The train robbery
Edward A. Hall, National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, has 28 years of seniority as a locomotive engineer for Union Pacific, first in El Paso, Texas, but mostly out of Tucson, Ariz. He described what it was like to be inside a train during a heist.
Railroad safety bill introduced in the wake of multiple derailments in Colorado
A new train safety bill in the Colorado legislature, if passed, would require railroads to be equipped with more safety features, limit the length and weight of trains carrying hazardous materials and will also limit the time that trains can block major intersections while passing.
Podcast: Remembering East Palestine’s train derailment and rail safety updates
President of the Transportation Trades Department, Greg Regan, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the first anniversary of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and what political leaders are doing to create change in the industry.
DOT approves $2.5 billion in private activity bonds allocation for Brightline West project
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced the approval of $2.5 billion in private activity bonds authority allocated for the Brightline West High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail project connecting Las Vegas, Nevada, and Southern California. The 218-mile, high-speed rail line will primarily run along the I-15 median with trains capable of reaching 186 mph or more, cutting the trip to two hours – half the time to travel by car.
House T&I Committee reviews freight rail hazards
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials met on January 18 to discuss the oversight of railroad grade crossing elimination and safety issues.
STB seeks answers for delay on Gulf Coast settlement
The Surface Transportation Board has called for Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Port of Mobile, Ala., to provide “detailed information regarding the status of the implementation of the settlement agreement” agreed to in November 2022 to allow Amtrak service to begin between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. — and scheduled a February hearing to address the matter.
