BLET News
FRA advances rulemaking for two-person train crews
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, March 15 — On Tuesday, March 15, The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) establishing minimum requirements for the size of train crew staffs depending on the type of operation. FRA’s proposed rule provides compelling reasons trains should be crewed by at least two persons. BLET applauds…
Read MoreReminder: Applications for 2016 Hoffa scholarships due March 31
CLEVELAND, March 3 — As a reminder, the deadline for receipt of completed materials for the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund is March 31, 2016. Completed materials should be mailed to the BLET’s new headquarters building: BLET National Division ATTN: National Secretary-Treasurer 7061 East Pleasant Valley Road Independence, OH 44131 Applicants must be a…
Read MoreUnion Pacific workers file class action Americans With Disabilities Act complaint against railroad
(Source: Nichols Kaster, PLLP press release, February 29, 2016) SEATTLE, Wash. — On February 19, 2016, six current and former employees of Union Pacific Railroad Company filed a class action lawsuit in the Western District of Washington at Seattle (Case No. CV15-1865JCC), asserting that Union Pacific engaged in a pattern and practice of discrimination in violation…
Read MoreRRB announces dates of Spring 2016 Pre-Retirement Seminars
CLEVELAND, February 10 — The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has announced the dates and locations of the agency’s spring 2016 Pre-Retirement Seminars. Designed for railroad employees and spouses planning to retire within five years or less, Pre-Retirement Seminars will familiarize attendees with the retirement benefits available to them, and also guide them through the…
Read MoreBLET petitions FRA for immediate halt to LEADER, Trip Optimizer technology
CLEVELAND, February 5 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has asked the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for an emergency order that would immediately prohibit the carrier-mandated use of Locomotive Engineer Assist/Display & Event Recorder (LEADER) and Trip Optimizer technologies. The BLET contends that the mandated use of these electronic devices creates unsafe…
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