BLET News

Delegates, visitors and other guests planning to attend the Fourth National Convention of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) later this year are advised that hotel reservations must be made by 5:00 p.m. PDT on Sunday, August 26, 2018. The convention will be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. After that deadline passes, all guest rooms in the BLET block will be returned to the Rio for re-sale and the BLET will no longer be able to guarantee room availability. Additionally, rooms that may be available after that date cannot be booked with the BLET discounted convention rate.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative contract agreement with Transit America Services, Inc. (TASI). Ballots were mailed on August 20 to active members of the BLET employed by TASI who are eligible to vote in the ratification of this agreement.

More than 300 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and their families convened here this morning for opening ceremonies of the BLET’s Washington D.C. regional meeting. They heard presentations from 10 different speakers, including Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW). Ballots were mailed on August 6 to active members of the BLET employed by the GTW who are eligible to vote in the ratification of this agreement.

By a unanimous vote, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Cedar River Railroad, a Canadian National subsidiary, on July 30, 2018.

In a follow-up to previous reporting, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is continuing its fight to preserve members’ jobs and to protect public safety at the Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex) border crossing in Laredo, Texas.

BLET Legislative Representatives visited 150 Congressional offices in Washington, D.C. on July 13 as part of a major railroad safety lobbying effort and to make members of Congress aware of the union’s struggle to preserve the jobs of BLET members who work for the Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex). On July 9, Tex Mex unilaterally replaced U.S. citizen crewmembers with Mexican train crews — who work under relaxed federal safety standards — between Laredo Yard and the International Bridge, more than 9 miles away.

The BLET National Division has launched a new website — https://bletconvention.org — to provide key information to delegates, vendors and guests attending the union’s Fourth National Convention, which will be held October 1-4, 2018.

Open Enrollment for the BLET’s Short Term Disability On-The-Job (Part B) insurance has started and will end on July 31, 2018. Those who enroll will have their coverage take effect on August 1, 2018.

As part of its continuing fight to save American jobs on the Texas border, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has asked President Donald J. Trump to help the union in its struggle to preserve the jobs of BLET members who work for the Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex). On July 9, Tex Mex unilaterally replaced U.S. citizen crewmembers with Mexican train crews between Laredo Yard and the International Bridge, more than 9 miles away.

As part of its continuing fight to save American jobs on the Texas border, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has asked President Donald J. Trump to help the union in its struggle to preserve the jobs of BLET members who work for the Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex). On July 9, Tex Mex unilaterally replaced U.S. citizen crewmembers with Mexican train crews between Laredo Yard and the International Bridge, more than 9 miles away.

On Friday afternoon, July 6, U.S. District Court Judge Diana Saldaña blocked a strike by members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) employed by the Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex), which was scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. on July 9, by granting a Preliminary Injunction that had been requested by Tex Mex and its multi-national corporate parent, Kansas City Southern Railway (KCSR).

With the deadline for room reservations less than a week away, BLET members and guests are encouraged to register as soon as possible for the BLET’s regional meeting in Washington, D.C.. It will be held August 13-17, 2018, at the Capital Hilton (1001 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20036, (800) 774-1500).

BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce and BLET Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex) General Chairman Chris Heise today rejected a plan by Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) to replace American crews with Mexican crews in Laredo, Texas, setting the stage for a BLET strike on the Tex Mex at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 9.

Approximately 200 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and their families convened here this morning for opening ceremonies of the BLET’s first regional meeting of 2018.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Union Railroad. Ballots were mailed on June 15 to active members of the BLET employed by the Union Railroad who are eligible to vote in the ratification of this agreement.

With the deadline for room reservations less than a month away, BLET members and guests are encouraged to register now for the BLET’s regional meeting in Washington, D.C.. It will be held August 13-17, 2018, at the Capital Hilton (1001 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20036, (800) 774-1500).

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Illinois & Midland Railroad. Ballots were mailed on June 8 to active members of the BLET employed by Illinois & Midland who are eligible to vote in the ratification of this agreement.

By a better than 2-to-1 margin, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Canadian National’s former Illinois Central property on May 30, 2018.