New lawsuit filed on behalf of 394 residents in CSX’s 2015 train derailment in Maryville
(Source: The Daily Times, June 30, 2018) MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A new lawsuit was filed Friday in Blount County Circuit Court on behalf of 394 residents suing over the July 2015 train derailment in Maryville. Like prior lawsuits over the derailment, it targets the owner and operator of the train, CSX Transportation Inc., as well…
Read MoreCanada’s rail safety watchdog calls for training overhaul for remote control crews after 74-car runaway train rolls through Toronto
(Source: CBC News, June 27, 2018) TORONTO — A probe into how 74 rail cars were allowed to roll uncontrolled for five kilometres onto a busy track just north of Toronto has resulted in investigators calling for Transport Canada to overhaul training requirements for some railway employees. Full story: www.cbc.ca Tuesday, July 3, 2018
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Sound Transit light-rail tunnel construction nearly finished
(Source: Progressive Railroading: 07/02/2018) Construction of Sound Transit‘s East Link light-rail tunnel in downtown Bellevue, Washington, is more than 90 percent completed, the agency announced late last week. Crews are on track to finish the tunnel within 15 months, or about five months earlier than scheduled, Sound Transit officials said in a press release. In mid-July,…
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House Democrats warn FRA against PTC exemptions
(Source: Progressive Railroading 07/02/2018) House Democrats last week warned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) against issuing exemptions that allow railroads to avoid implementing positive train control(PTC). In a letter to FRA Administrator Ron Batory, the lawmakers said the exemptions included in the FRA’s PTC regulations were “overly broad.” Although Congress did not authorize exemptions to the PTC mandate, the…
Read MoreGroup funded by conservative billionaires launches anti-union campaign following Supreme Court ruling
(Source: Bloomberg, June 28, 2018) NEW YORK — Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that millions of public sector workers can stop paying union fees, a group tied to Republican billionaires long opposed to organized labor — and its support of the Democratic Party — has pledged to build on the landmark ruling to further…
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North American rail volume up 3.3 percent in Week 25
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/28/18) North American rail volume for 12 U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 749,390 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending June 23, resulting in a 3.3 percent increase in traffic compared with the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week. U.S. carloads for…
Read MoreOpinion: Janus ruling harms us all
(Source: Opinion column by Marc Boom, Associate Director of Government Affairs for the National Resources Defense Council, June 28, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Public sector unions, which represent nurses, teachers, firefighters, EPA employees, and other public servants, have long been strong allies in protecting our environment. On climate change these unions are the core of…
Read MoreBLET fighting for members’ jobs at the US/Mexican border
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, June 27 — BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce and BLET Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex) General Chairman Chris Heise today rejected a plan by Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) to replace American crews with Mexican crews in Laredo, Texas, setting the stage for a BLET strike on the Tex Mex at 12:01…
Read MoreGeneral Chairman Update 06/26/18
Below is an update from General Chairman Steve Leyshon.
Read MoreAAR reports rail traffic for week ending June 16, 2018
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, June 20, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 16, 2018. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 558,098 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.1 percent compared with the same week last year. Total…
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The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen - UP Western Region GCA represents locomotive engineers working in the Western Region of the Union Pacific Railroad, which encompasses Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and portions of Nevada. We also represent members on the Portland & Western Railroad as well as the Portland Terminal Railroad.
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