General Information
Applications due March 2 for Hoffa Scholarship Fund
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, February 11, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The deadline for applying for an academic or vocational/training program scholarship from the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund is March 2. High school seniors who are the sons, daughters of financial dependents of Teamster members are eligible to apply. (Including members of…
Read MoreU.S. rail traffic continues to slump
(Source: Freight Waves, February 12, 2020) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Continued trade headwinds are putting pressure on year-to-date U.S. rail volumes, with overall traffic down nearly 6% from the same period in 2019. Traffic for the first six weeks of this year totaled nearly 2.9 million carloads and intermodal units for the week ending last Saturday,…
Read MoreFederal court orders BNSF to pay worker $696,173 for lost wages after U.S. Department of Labor finds railroad retaliated against whistleblower
(Source: U.S. Department of Labor press release, February 5, 2020) DENVER, Colo. — The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has ordered Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) to pay $696,173 in lost back and future wages to a former employee who reported track defects, bringing the total paid to the whistleblower to…
Read MoreRRB announces 2020 Pre-Retirement Seminars
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, February 6 — The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has announced is schedule of Pre-Retirement Seminars for 2020. Designed for union officers and railroad employees and spouses planning to retire within five years, Pre-Retirement Seminars will familiarize attendees with the retirement benefits available to them, and also guide them through the application process.…
Read MoreBNSF budgets $3.4 billion for capital expenditures in 2020
(Source: Progressive Railroading 02/04/2020) BNSF Railway Co. will spend $3.4 billion on capital expenditures this year, down from the $3.57 billion the Class I budgeted in 2019. This year’s plan emphasizes maintaining network infrastructure as well as expansion projects designed to meet customer demand, BNSF officials said last week in a customer notification. The plan’s largest…
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