BLET News

(Source: AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) press release, September 12, 2018)  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Executive Committee of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), gathered today to set an aggressive agenda focused on creating and sustaining the kind of good jobs working families want and need by strengthening America’s transportation network and improving workplace safety. This…

(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, September 12, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 8, 2018. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 502,208 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.1 percent compared with the same week last year. Total…

(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, August 27, 2018) CHICAGO — Under the Railroad Retirement Act, a “current connection with the railroad industry” is one of the eligibility requirements for occupational disability annuities, and is one of the factors that determine whether the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) or the Social Security Administration has jurisdiction over the…

(Source: Associated Press, August 27, 2018) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Unions representing teachers and other public employees sued on Monday to try to block a new Missouri law that they claim imposes “a raft of harsh restrictions” that “effectively eviscerates” their right to organize and bargain on behalf of employees. A Missouri law set to…

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, August 27, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa about the bilateral agreement-in-principle announced today between the U.S. and Mexico to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). “The Teamsters Union has long been a leader in demanding real reforms…