July 24, 2026 | News, Top News, UP-NS Merger
These senators join a bipartisan group of more than 100 state and federal policymakers, attorneys general, and agriculture secretaries urging the Administration to stop this unnecessary merger. U.S. Senator Cory Booker, joined by 22 Senate colleagues, is urging the...
July 20, 2026 | Derailment, News, NS, NTSB, Safety Task Force, Top News, UP-NS Merger
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...
July 11, 2026 | News, NS, STB, Top News, UP, UP-NS Merger
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...
June 30, 2026 | News, NS, STB, Top News, UP, UP-NS Merger
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...
June 25, 2026 | News, Teamsters, Teamsters Rail Conference, Top News, UP-NS Merger
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...
June 23, 2026 | Derailment, News, Safety Task Force, Top News, UP-NS Merger
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...
June 18, 2026 | News, NS, STB, Top News, UP, 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...
June 17, 2026 | News, NS, STB, Top News, UP, UP-NS Merger
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,...
June 16, 2026 | News, NS, Top News, UP, UP-NS Merger
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...
May 28, 2026 | News, NS, STB, Top News, UP, UP-NS Merger
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...
