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Nine things to know about the BLET this week
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1. BLET, UP reach paid sick leave agreement
 The BLET reached an agreement with the Union Pacific Railroad on June 5 to provide paid sick leave to approximately 5,600 members. Under the agreement, BLET members will have up to seven paid days to use in the event of illness. Five days will be considered paid sick days with the ability to convert two additional paid leave days for use as paid sick time. The new agreement is effective August 1. In the meantime, BLET members at Norfolk Southern are voting on a similar paid sick leave agreement while the BLET continues to negotiate paid sick leave deals with the other Class I railroads.
“This agreement is really about health and safety,” said BLET National President Eddie Hall. “It’s not in our members’, the public’s or the railroad’s best interest for engineers to be operating trains when they’re sick. Congratulations to our BLET General Chairmen and Union Pacific’s management who reached this agreement at the bargaining table.”
The six BLET General Chairmen involved in negotiating the new deal prepared a Fact Sheet to address potential membership questions. |
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2. BLET members protest shady real estate deal at NJ Transit
 Over the past month, BLET’s members at NJ Transit have been shining a bright spotlight on a shady real estate deal. The transit agency which claims to be suffering from budget woes and has failed to give locomotive engineers a raise since 2019, somehow has $400 million for a brand new office building.
NJ Transit’s administrative staff currently work out of a luxury former corporate headquarters building — when they’re in the office and not working remotely. Now, the transit agency wants to take over Panasonic’s former North American headquarters, a block away. “Millions for penthouse views and not a dime for train crews” is not in the public’s best interest, say BLET’s NJ Transit members.
Watch this video to see BLET members take their fight to the streets of Newark and to the board room of NJ Transit. |
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3. BLET Legislative Representatives in D.C. to lobby on rail safety bill
 Division Legislative Representatives from across the country met at Teamsters Headquarters in Washington during the week of June 5 for training to discuss strategy and to coordinate lobbying activity on Capitol Hill and in the states. The primary focus for the Legislative Reps is promotion of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023, a bill designed to toughen safety standards on America’s railroads.
Among the guest speakers addressing the meeting was the now retired former Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Rep. Pete DeFazio of Oregon. Throughout his career, DeFazio was an advocate for rail labor and rail safety. DeFazio was among the first in Congress to expose the dangers of so-called Precision Scheduled Railroading, or PSR. |
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| Attendees and instructors in front of Teamster headquarters during the BLET's Legislative Representative training class the week of June 5, 2023. |
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4. Bipartisan rail safety bill advances in Pennsylvania
 Pennsylvania State Legislative Board Chairman Tim Laveing reports that the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a railroad safety bill on June 5. Passage comes four months after Norfolk Southern’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, less than a mile from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. House Bill 1028 would establish a minimum two-person crew and a maximum train length of 8,500 feet. The bipartisan bill also establishes the right of union representatives to be involved in safety inspections, a response to reports that workers’ safety complaints are being ignored by rail companies. The bill now moves on to the Pennsylvania State Senate. |
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5. BLET welcomes Christy Smith to National Legislative Office
Christy Smith has joined BLET’s National Legislative Office in Washington, where she will be handling legislative and regulatory affairs. Smith will report directly to BLET National President Eddie Hall and coordinate with BLET Vice President & National Legislative Representative Vince Verna regarding proposed legislation and regulations that impact members and the rail industry.
Smith has a master’s degree from Tulane University and has a comprehensive understanding of transportation labor. She comes to the BLET from the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, where she was a Regulatory Policy Analyst managing TTD’s regulatory portfolio regarding safety regulations and non-compliance issues with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration.
“Christy is an accomplished professional and her skill set will be a huge benefit to the BLET and our members,” said Vice President Verna. “She has the necessary professional skills and first-hand experience working in the regulatory field to begin succeeding on her first day.” |
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| Christy Smith hit the ground running as the newest member of the BLET's National Legislative Office staff this week. From left: Brendan Sullivan, Vince Verna, Pete DeFazio, and Smith. |
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6. Off the rails: Nevada governor vetoes railroad safety bill on an outdated precedent
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo on June 1 vetoed a railroad safety bill citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that no longer sets a precedent. Nevada Assembly Bill 456 was crafted to limit train length, establish standards for the installation and operation of wayside train defect detectors, and require accommodation of first responders needing access to a highway rail crossing blocked by a train.
Calling the bill’s limit on train length “another policy overreach by the Legislature,” the Governor — in his veto message — based his objection solely on a 1945 Supreme Court decision that railroad lobbyists argued preempted the state from taking such action. But, in fact, the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 superseded the 1945 Supreme Court decision.
 Matt Parker, Chairman of the BLET’s Nevada State Legislative Board, said that due to the governor’s veto, “Nevadans are at risk from dangerous practices employed by railroads that the federal government is taking an unacceptable amount of time to address.”
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“Nevadans are at risk from dangerous practices employed by railroads that the federal government is taking an unacceptable amount of time to address.” – Matt Parker |
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7. Memorial plaque installed in honor of Lou Shuster who was killed in 2023 collision
 A memorial plaque honoring the late Lou Shuster, former president of BLET Division 607, has been installed at Norfolk Southern’s Rockport Yard in Cleveland, Ohio. Brother Lou, 46, was killed in an accident while working as a conductor for NS at a steel mill in Cleveland in March. Brother Pat Redmond (left), Local Chairman of Division 607, and Brother Brian Garrison, Legislative Representative of Division 306 (Crestline, Ohio), were on hand to inspect the plaque and pay their respects on June 1. The plaque will be formally dedicated at a ceremony later this year. |
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8. Take a minute: Learn more about BLET’s proud history in our 160th year
 As the BLET marks our 160th anniversary this year, we are proud to honor the brave locomotive engineers who founded our Brotherhood in 1863. William D. Robinson was the driving force behind that movement.
In one year, under terrible conditions created by the Civil War, Mr. Robinson and his associates succeeded in laying the foundation for the Brotherhood that exists today.
We are proud to recognize these Brothers as the Founding Fathers of our union.
Read the full story. |
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9. Plan ahead: BLET’s Eastern Regional Meeting in Myrtle Beach, August 14-18, 2023
As a reminder, registration continues for the BLET’s 2023 Eastern Regional meeting, to be held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, August 14-18. Hotel reservations must be made by July 7.
Click here for more information and to register. |
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