September 25, 2026 | Amtrak, FRA, News, Top News
By Mark Wallace, BLET National President On September 3, 2026, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy put the Trump Administration’s commitments to rail labor in writing. That letter was important. But it also represented something our members do not always get to... August 19, 2026 | Amtrak, News, Top News
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... June 19, 2026 | Amtrak, FRA, Legislation, News, Top News
Not all news was good news from the House Appropriations Committee last week. By a vote of 34-27, the Committee approved the fiscal year 2027 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development (THUD), and Related Agencies funding bill. The BLET is keeping a close eye... April 15, 2026 | Amtrak, FRA, News, Top News
BLET National President Mark Wallace and Amtrak General Chairman Pat Darcy recently represented the union at a meeting of Amtrak’s Executive Leadership where a proposed restructuring of the national passenger railroad was discussed. In February, the Rail Passengers... February 17, 2026 | Amtrak, News, Top News
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is backing off of a misguided plan to run Metro-North commuter trains on Amtrak territory, a move that would have resulted in job losses for members of the BLET. It was a team effort that led to this reversal and a win for BLET. After... February 4, 2026 | Amtrak, FRA, National Mediation Board, News, Railroad Retirement, Top News
The U.S. House of Representatives in late January released the proposed 2026 federal Fiscal Year (FY) final appropriations bills for agencies important to BLET and its members, including the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), the National Mediation Board (NMB), Amtrak,... November 26, 2025 | Amtrak, News, Top News
Amtrak’s recent surge in ticket sales are thanks in large part to the hard work and dedication of the train crews including BLET members. Amtrak photo ____________________ Amtrak trains are selling out from coast to coast thanks in part to surging demand for... September 12, 2025 | Amtrak, Headlines, NS
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice press release, September 9, 2025) The Justice Department today announced a settlement with Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company (together, Norfolk Southern) to resolve allegations that Norfolk Southern... September 7, 2025 | Amtrak, News, Top News
It was a bit of a homecoming for BLET locomotive engineer Ted Graham when he pulled back the throttle to officially relaunch Amtrak’s “Mardi Gras” service along the Gulf Coast on August 19. Graham, a member of BLET Division 18, previously worked as an assistant... September 3, 2025 | Amtrak, News, Top News
Representing BLET at the inaugural run, from left: Vince Verna, VP & NLR; Mark Wallace, National President; and Gary Best, First Vice President. ____________________ BLET locomotive engineer Earl Braxton, a member of BLET Division 482, was at the throttle as... 