Archive for May 2017
Memorial Day 2017
By Dennis R. Pierce BLET National President INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, May 26 — As we observe Memorial Day 2017, I ask all members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to say a special prayer for the women and men who have given their lives serving in our military and to honor them for defending…
Read MoreStates push for stronger oil train limits
(Source: The Hill website, By Devin Henry 05/22/17) Several state attorneys general are asking federal regulators to strengthen rules on trains transporting crude oil. The six attorneys general, led by New York’s Eric Schneiderman, filed comments with regulators Monday insisting the government set a more stringent limit on the volatility of oil that trains are allowed…
Read MoreAAR: Rail traffic up 5.5 percent over 2016 for week ending May 20
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, May 24, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 20, 2017. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 534,922 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.5 percent compared with the same week last year.…
Read MoreFalse comp time promises must not replace OT pay
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, May 18, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawmakers who cozy up to corporate America love to sponsor legislation that to the uninitiated might sound like a good thing for workers, but in the end is just another pathway for big business to line their pockets with even higher profits.…
Read MoreRRB: Medicare for railroad families
(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, April 19, 2017) CHICAGO — The Federal Medicare program provides hospital and medical insurance protection for railroad retirement annuitants and their families, just as it does for social security beneficiaries. Medicare has the following parts: • Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) helps pay for inpatient care in hospitals and…
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