BLET News
National Division begins taking requests for 2026 Time Books
The BLET National Division is now taking requests from members who wish to receive a new Time Book for 2026. These books will only be distributed to members upon request. To request a Time Book, members must first log in to the Members’ Area of the BLET National...
Ongoing Federal government shutdown taking its toll on initiatives to improve rail safety
As the Federal government shutdown that began on October 1 continues, it is beginning to affect government agencies that serve the rail industry and BLET members. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been...
PEB 253 recommends raises and back pay for BLET members at LIRR
On October 17, Presidential Emergency Board No. 253 (PEB) announced its recommendations in the contract dispute between the coalition of unions (including BLET) and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). That PEB recommended raises with full retroactive pay for all...
Local Chairman class Q&A: Three training class participants encourage others to attend
In mid-October, the BLET Education and Training Department hosted a training class for Local Chairmen at National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio. Three in-person workshop participants shared their thoughts about the experience. Jeffery Green represents...
PEB 253 expected to issue recommendations today in BLET-LIRR contract dispute
The BLET presented a strong case on behalf of its members as Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) 253 held formal hearings last week in the contract dispute between BLET along with several other unions and the Long Island Rail Road. It is expected that the PEB will...
Wisconsin: Lieutenant Governor joins annual BLET Team Building Session
BLET members at the Wisconsin State Legislative Board's 2025 Team Building Session. ____________________ The BLET Wisconsin State Legislative Board (WI SLB) hosted a team building session during the week of September 29. Chuck Schulz, Chairman of the WI SLB, said the...
BLET members build solidarity at state AFL-CIO convention
Officers of the BLET Nebraska SLB (front row, from left): Travis Kuenning, 1st Vice Chairman, Adam Hausman, Chairman, and Sonny Fankhauser, 2nd Vice Chairman. Back row, from left: Dustin Mintling, LR of Division 623; and Brad Gerdts Secretary-Treasurer. ...
Local Chairmen complete training workshop
The BLET Education & Training Department last week completed a hybrid training class for Local Chairmen, with over 30 members participating who represent members from eight railroads and 16 General Committees across the country. The lead instructors were BLET Vice...
Senate confirms David Fink as 16th FRA Administrator
The U.S. Senate has confirmed David Fink, the former CEO of Pan Am Railways, as the 16th Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). He was part of a block of 107 nominees who were confirmed in a 51-47 party-line vote on October 7. During his Senate...
Movement is being restricted near Santa Teresa, NM to secure the border — why should UP be allowed to operate trains with Mexican nationals there?
U.S. military personnel posting restricted access signs along the border in Santa Teresa, N.M. The area has essentially become a military base. CBS News image ____________________ Does this make any sense? This week, CBS News reported on how the border area near Santa...
Get connected with the BLET
The BLET National Division is investing more time and resources into its various social media outlets. It is the best place to go to get the latest news. Click the link below to get connected! Make sure you are signed up for the BLET Weekly News Recap. It is a...
Chicago comedian asks, “Public transit can be many things — but is it funny?”
According to the Chicago Tribune, public transportation can be many things — convenient, frustrating, cost-effective and a guaranteed way to encounter a cross section of the city’s population — but is it funny? Chicago’s Second City Theater hosted an “educomedy”...
BLET locomotive engineers ratify new contract with Metra-UP Line
BLET members today ratified a new contract with Metra that provides a 3.5 percent general wage increase. Members voted 60-1 in favor of ratification. The agreement covers BLET members employed by Metra who operate on the Metra-UP Lines and are represented by the Union...
RRB: Field Offices relocated in Cincinnati and St. Paul
Last week, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) announced that it has relocated its field offices in Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Paul, Minnesota. The RRB said these moves are projected to save $1.2 million over a 10-year period. Click here for details.
Emidio Gonzalez elected Chairman of Nevada State Legislative Board
Emidio Gonzalez Jr. was elected as Chairman of the BLET Nevada State Legislative Board on September 26. Gonzalez is a Union Pacific locomotive engineer and a member of BLET Division 158 (Sparks, Nevada). He has been an active member of the BLET since 1999 and, in...
Government shutdown continues
A Federal government shutdown began on October 1 after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a proposal to keep government programs and services running. As of publication, it is not clear how long this shutdown will last and no progress has been made toward a deal that...
Rob Cunningham reelected General Chairman of BNSF-ATSF GCA
Rob Cunningham was reelected to his third term as General Chairman of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (former ATSF) General Committee of Adjustment at the GCA’s quadrennial meeting in San Diego last week. Cunningham is a member of BLET Division 134 (Winslow,...
Drug smuggling allegations surface against train crews from Mexico entering the U.S.
How much more evidence do federal authorities in the U.S. need to fully understand that allowing Mexican train crews to operate in the United States would be a threat to border security? In late September, it was reported that employees of Mexico’s largest railroad,...
Support for BLET spans generations in contract fight at LIRR
A former member in the 1880s, Fred Wohlenberg was such a strong supporter of the BLE that he had the union's logo engraved on his tombstone. His great-grandson Brad recently contacted the BLET to express his family's continued support for our union....
Union Pacific: BLET members ratify new contract that runs through 2029
BLET members today ratified a new on-property agreement with the Union Pacific Railroad, which covers rates of pay, work rules, and health & welfare benefits for nearly 6,000 members employed at UP. Members voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratification, with 2,467...
Daily Headlines
Shift to remote-controlled dams, trains raises unions’ concerns
But the lack of clarity surrounding training, or how the equipment would provide “equivalent levels of safety for workers who perform duties around or adjacent ” to the train cars, or the surrounding community and pedestrians, has drawn opposition from unions.
A 60-day pre-strike period kicks in as engineers, NJ Transit negotiate pay hikes
And a 60-day countdown has begun before a possible strike could start.
Appeals court blocks rule allowing movement of LNG by rail
Environmental groups asserted that “the amount of energy contained in 22 tank cars of LNG would be equal to that of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.”
January 19 ceremony to honor UP workers who died in Pecos derailment
The ceremony will take place at the West of the Pecos Museum at 4 p.m.
DOT announces over $1.1 billion in new grants to reduce train-vehicle collisions and blocked rail crossings
The grants for communities in 41 states will fund construction of railroad overpasses and underpasses, helping to reduce the risk of collisions between trains and roadway users and prevent blocked crossings.
Border agency seeks to close security gaps on rail exports to Canada, Mexico
Proposed rule includes penalties of up to $100,000 for each violation.
2 killed, 3 injured when UP train derails in Pecos, TX, after collision
BLET President Eddie Hall said the derailment “should serve as a wake-up call to legislators to improve rail safety.”
January 6, 2025, marks 20th anniversary of Graniteville tragedy
BLET locomotive engineer Chris Seeling was killed in the crash on January 6, 2005. He was 47 years old.
A NJ Transit rail strike could be coming soon
A second Presidential Emergency Board, #252, is evaluating both sides of the argument.
NS line to Asheville, N.C., to be closed until March 2025
Reopening will include 12 miles east of Asheville, N.C; Old Fort Loops segment still being inspected
