BLET News

(Source: GeekWire, August 18, 2021) EUGENE, Ore. — Three of every five voters in Oregon and Washington support a regional, high-speed rail line, according to a poll released by proponents of a proposed high-speed rail system to carry passengers from Eugene, Ore., to Vancouver, B.C. Full story: www.geekwire.com Thursday, August 19, 2021

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, August 18, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Corporate pay for the nation’s top big business bosses has been out of control for a while now. And a new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows it didn’t take a break during the coronavirus either – it actually got worse.…

(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, July 21, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 17, 2021. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 513,255 carloads and intermodal units, up 6.6 percent compared with the same week last year. Total…

(Source: Associated Press, July 22, 2021) OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s second-quarter profit jumped 59% as the railroad hauled 22% more cargo than a year ago when shipments fell to the lowest levels of the coronavirus pandemic. The reported Thursday that quarterly net income was $1.8 billion, or $2.72 per share. That’s up from $1.13…

(Source: Wolf Street, July 22, 2021) NEW YORK — Over the past six years, the Class 1 railroads have axed 33% of their workers through layoffs and attrition. According to the Surface of Transportation Board (STB), the Class 1 railroads slashed their headcount from 174,000 workers in April 2015 to 116,000 workers in June 2021.…