Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen North America's oldest labor union founded in 1863

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen exist to promote and protect the rights, interest, and safety of its members through solidarity, aggressive representation, and education. Vision statement: It is the vision of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to be at the forefront of the labor movement as the result of grassroots involvement, and expanding membership, and a

cohesiveness among its crafts and with other unions. It will be an internationally renown democratic organization with deeply held values and ideals that advance the working conditions, wages, benefits, job security, and quality of life for its present and future members and their families.

Not all news was good news from the House Appropriations Committee in early June. By a vote of 34-27, the Committee appr...
06/19/2026

Not all news was good news from the House Appropriations Committee in early June. By a vote of 34-27, the Committee approved the fiscal year 2027 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development (THUD), and Related Agencies funding bill.

The BLET is keeping a close eye on the proceedings as the proposed legislation provides funding for key rail-related agencies that are important to BLET members, including Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Surface Transportation Board. The bill has historically provided funding for federal railroad grant programs like the Federal State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) and Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI).

The proposed House Republican legislation this year drastically cuts funding for passenger rail programs, including Amtrak, by billions of dollars. It cuts that critical funding by NOT renewing this year any of the advanced appropriations that the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provided Amtrak.

The end result is that direct funding to Amtrak would fall to roughly $2.1 billion — a 69% cut — when factoring in advanced appropriations from the bipartisan IIJA.

While the legislation funds Amtrak’s operations close to the levels requested by President Trump, it does so by transferring outstanding funds from the FSP rail grants program that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA) appropriated funds for and refuses to provide the FSP program any funding, thereby zeroing out the program. The FSP funds critical infrastructure projects throughout the country, including major projects like the new Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel on the Northeast Corridor. The proposed legislation basically cuts capital projects funding to pay for Amtrak’s day to day operations.

The legislation also contains significant funding cuts from last year for two other key rail programs, the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) program and the Rail Crossing Elimination (RCE) program.

The proposed draft legislation provides $271 million of funding to the FRA Safety and Operations functions, which is a slight increase to the amount FRA got last year for those functions ($265 million).

The BLET National Division and the Teamsters Rail Conference oppose this proposed legislation because of the harmful effects it will have on our Amtrak members and the passenger rail system as a whole. The union and rail allies will continue to engage Members of Congress about this bill as the full House of Representatives considers the legislation in the coming weeks.

There will be more information to come as the House debates the bill. For further reading, a House Republican summary of the bill can be found here (blet.link/4vrqg92 PDF).

Amtrak photo by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659

After a three-day strike and years of ongoing contract negotiations, BLET members have overwhelmingly ratified a new con...
06/18/2026

After a three-day strike and years of ongoing contract negotiations, BLET members have overwhelmingly ratified a new contract with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). Ballots were tabulated today, and the vote was 98 percent in favor of ratification.

The BLET bargained as part of a coalition of five labor unions representing 3,500 workers, a majority of the unionized workforce at LIRR. Negotiations included mediated sessions before the National Mediation Board as well as the appointment of two Presidential Emergency Boards (PEBs). Negotiations on behalf of BLET were led by Vice President Kevin Sexton and LIRR General Chairman Gil Lang, as well as Vice President Jim Louis.

“We went three years without raises and negotiated in good faith. We negotiated to the buzzer,” said General Chairman Lang, speaking about the strike to delegates at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters 31st International Convention earlier this week. “I knew we were making history from the second the strike started. We were joined on the picket lines by our brothers and sisters in the BLET and the entire Teamsters Union. It was an incredible display of unity and solidarity. After three long days, the railroad finally met our demands. In my 26 years at the Long Island Rail Road, I’ve never experienced anything like that strike.”

Prior to last month’s strike, the last strike at LIRR occurred in 1987. There were no concessions in the new agreement, which provides general wage increases while protecting existing work rules for BLET locomotive engineers.

The coalition of five LIRR rail unions includes the BLET, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU). BLET is the last of the five unions to ratify the agreement.

The BLET and Teamsters Rail Conference applauded the recent action by the House Appropriations Committee to urge the Sur...
06/18/2026

The BLET and Teamsters Rail Conference applauded the recent action by the House Appropriations Committee to urge the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to conduct a rigorous review of the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern (UP-NS) merger. BLET and the Rail Conference worked with partners in the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition to include the language in the FY2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill, which was included in the Committee’s bipartisan markup of the bill.

The language on page 112 of the Appropriations Committee report bill directs the STB to conduct a rigorous and comprehensive review of the proposed transaction to ensure it delivers substantial public benefits, enhanced competition for rail shippers, and protections for the U.S. economy and consumers.

The committee also reaffirmed the STB’s revised 2001 merger rules, which set a high bar for Class I merger proceedings. Those rules require merger applicants to not only preserve rail-to-rail competition but offer enhanced competitive options for railroad shippers.

“This report language sends another clear signal from Members of Congress that the proposed UP-NS merger must be subject to the highest level of regulatory scrutiny in order to protect against anti-competitive harms, ensure rail shippers have new and enhanced rail-to-rail competitive options should the transaction move forward, and evaluate whether further concentration in the rail industry is necessary and in the public interest,” said the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition. “We applaud continued Congressional oversight of this proposed merger, because the U.S. economy cannot afford a costly deal that drives up prices for rail shippers and consumers, weakens the workforce, and destabilizes the nation’s supply chain.”

The BLET and Teamsters Rail Conference are founding members of the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition, which represents a broad cross section of business, labor, and consumers. The coalition asserts that the proposed merger will ⁠threaten workers, reduce competition, hurt supply chains, and increase costs for manufacturers, farmers and consumers.

Locomotive photos by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659

BLET National President Mark Wallace addressed the 1,572 assembled delegates yesterday during the International Brotherh...
06/18/2026

BLET National President Mark Wallace addressed the 1,572 assembled delegates yesterday during the International Brotherhood of Teamsters 31st International Convention.

“Now let me be clear — real clear,” said Wallace, who also serves as President of the Teamsters Rail Conference. “The BLET is not just affiliated with the Teamsters. We are not just aligned with the Teamsters. We are Teamsters.”

“Today, when the BLET walks into Washington, D.C. — we don’t walk in alone. We walk in as Teamsters. Backed by the full strength of this International Union. That means access. That means influence. And that means results.”

Stop the Rail Merger Coalition today responded to alarming comments made by Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena at an investor co...
06/17/2026

Stop the Rail Merger Coalition today responded to alarming comments made by Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena at an investor conference in which he suggested that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) should rush its review of the proposed UP/NS merger, despite UP/NS’s own failure to provide the information necessary to judge whether the merger is in the public interest. Read the full statement: blet.link/4oTsrzX

06/17/2026

LONDON — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern plan to deliver the additional merger information requested by the Surface Transportation Board in two batches, with the first likely coming in early July, UP CEO Jim Vena told an investor conference today. The second would come closer to the late July d...

America 250 and BLET 163: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conc...
06/17/2026

America 250 and BLET 163: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

So begins the famous Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln. He gave this speech on November 19, 1863, 87 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and just a few months after the founding of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).

The BLET came into existence four score and seven years after America was founded, making it the oldest labor union in North America.

Lincoln is considered by many to be America’s greatest president. In addition to holding the nation together during the Civil War and ending slavery, one of his most significant acts came on July 1, 1862, when he signed the Pacific Railway Act, which provided federal land grants and government bonds to fund construction of a railroad that reached the Pacific Ocean. The driving of the golden spike at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, brought the country together and helped heal wounds from the Civil War. The Pacific Railroad conquered the mountains, prairies and deserts between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean, opening the continent to settlement and speeding the transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an industrial nation.

Growth of the newly-formed Brotherhood reflected that of America’s expanding railroad system. The union was founded on May 8, 1863. The young organization grew rapidly. By 1864, 54 Divisions were organized. By 1875, 189 Divisions were established, representing more than 10,000 members. The early BLET fought to secure better working conditions and increased pay for members, and to uplift the character and social standing of the locomotive engineer

President Lincoln would be assassinated before completion of his railroad to the Pacific. Fittingly, members of the BLET operated Lincoln’s funeral train as it carried his remains from Washington, D.C. to his final resting place in Springfield, Ill. One of those locomotive engineers was Peter M. Arthur, a member of BLET Division 46 (Albany, N.Y.), who operated the funeral train over a segment of the New York Central in April of 1865. Nine years later, Arthur would be elected Grand Chief Engineer, now referred to as National President, of the Brotherhood.

An economic crisis and deadly labor struggles lay ahead for the industry and the Brotherhood. The BLET would use its power and influence to overcome the strife and help secure better working and living conditions for all Americans. More in our next installment.

This informational booth featuring two locomotive simulators, hosted by BLET members this week during the Teamsters 31st...
06/16/2026

This informational booth featuring two locomotive simulators, hosted by BLET members this week during the Teamsters 31st International Convention, gives fellow Teamsters in non-railroad occupations the opportunity to see what it’s like to sit at the throttle and run a freight train.

06/16/2026

O’BRIEN, ZUCKERMAN REELECTED TO SECOND FIVE-YEAR TERM LEADING TEAMSTERS

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced today that Sean M. O’Brien and Fred Zuckerman have been reelected to another five-year term as General President and General Secretary-Treasurer, respectively, renewing a mandate for powerful, militant leadership on behalf of 1.3 million rank-and-file Teamsters across North America.

The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United slate was elected by white ballot at the union’s 31st International Convention in Las Vegas following a secret ballot vote of 1,572 delegates. All voting delegates were democratically elected to the convention by rank-and-file members from more than 330 local unions across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. No opposition candidates received enough votes to meet the Teamsters’ constitutionally required threshold to challenge the O’Brien-Zuckerman team.

“This victory belongs to rank-and-file Teamsters. When we were sworn into office four years ago, our leadership team committed to building a bigger, faster, stronger union, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We’ve organized more than 100,000 new members, won historic agreements including a record contract for 340,000 members at UPS, and put rank-and-file members back in the driver’s seat. The Teamsters is now the most aggressive, effective, and respected labor union on Earth,” O’Brien said. “Over the next five years, we have a lot of work ahead of us. The Teamsters face big fights at UPS and Amazon, and we are prepared to tackle those head on with the militancy and organization that has defined our administration. We will keep growing and never stop working for the members.”

“The Teamsters are stronger, more secure, and more prepared to take on greedy employers than at any point in our 123-year history. We have more than $1 billion in total assets, and our Strike and Defense Fund stands at approximately $365 million, providing the ammunition to take on the boss and protect our members,” Zuckerman said. “The Teamsters have accomplished so much to expand our ranks, exert real political influence, and safeguard our members in an ever-evolving economy. But we’re just getting started. The future is bright and the state of the union is strong in the Teamsters.”

O’Brien is a fourth-generation Teamster from Local 25 in Charlestown, Mass. Zuckerman joined the Teamsters more than four decades ago as a rank-and-file member in Houston and later went on to lead Local 89 in Louisville, Ky. Together, they bring an aggressive grassroots approach to taking on employers and prioritizing member involvement in the union.

Over the next five years, O’Brien and Zuckerman have pledged to continue the fight at UPS and Amazon, strengthen Teamsters density in core industries, defend and improve contracts across every division of the union, and build even bigger bipartisan coalitions to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act and other legislation to benefit working people.
The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United slate will take the oath of office in March 2027.

The 2027-2032 Teamsters General Executive Board includes:

International Vice Presidents At-Large: Juan Campos, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 705, Chicago, Ill.; Lindsay Dougherty, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 399, Hollywood, Calif.; Tom Erickson, President, Local 120, Blaine, Minn.; Greg Floyd, President, Local 237, New York, N.Y.; Peter Finn, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 856, San Bruno, Calif.; Thomas Gesualdi, President, Local 282, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; and James Wright, President, Local 822, Norfolk, Va.;

Western Region Vice Presidents: Mark Davison, President, Local 162, Portland, Ore.; Rick Hicks, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 174, Tukwila, Wash.; Victor Mineros, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 396, Covina, Calif.; and Karla Schumann, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 104, Phoenix, Ariz.;
Central Region Vice Presidents: Danny Avelyn, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 554, Omaha, Neb.; Pat Darrow, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 348, Akron, Ohio; and Dustin Roach, President, Local 135, Indianapolis, Ind.;

Eastern Region Vice Presidents: Rocco Calo, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 1150, Stratford, Conn.; William Hamilton, President, Local 107, Philadelphia, Pa.; and Matt Taibi, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 251, Providence, R.I.;

Southern Region Vice Presidents: Thor Johnson, Vice President, Local 79, Tampa, Fla.; and Brent Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 745, Dallas, Texas;
International Trustees: Sean Cedenio, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 570, Baltimore, Md.; Willie Ford, President, Local 71, Charlotte, N.C.; and Vinnie Perrone, President, Local 804, New York, N.Y.;

Teamsters Canada International Vice Presidents: François Laporte, President, Teamsters Canada, Laval, Quebec; Stan Hennessy, President, Local 31, Delta, British Columbia; and Craig McInnes, President, Local 938, Mississauga, Ontario.

In a major story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week with the headline, “Norfolk Southern doesn’t have the cre...
06/16/2026

In a major story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week with the headline, “Norfolk Southern doesn’t have the crews to keep trains moving, union says,” BLET National President Mark Wallace charged that NS “doesn’t have the needed manpower to keep trains running the way they should. They can’t run normal operations.”

The article documented NS’s ongoing operational deficiencies that have caused network velocity, a key indicator of service performance, to drop to low levels. Network velocity had fallen from more than 24 mph at the start of the year to 19 mph in the last week of May. Operations declined to such an extent that John Orr, the railroad’s Chief Operating Officer, resigned at the end of last month.

While some of the slowdown can be attributed to the brutal winter of 2026, much of the decline is due to short staffing. “It’s hard to retain new hires, younger workers are walking away, mid-level folks are quitting. The workforce that has remained is exhausted. Engineers and other railroaders can’t get time off — even for a day,” Wallace told the Atlanta newspaper. The staffing shortage is forcing the carrier to offer bonus incentives to employees to sell vacation and to step up during their rest days on the weekends.

The railroad has failed to hire enough conductors to keep up with normal attrition and then experienced volume levels they cannot support. Adding to staffing problems and low morale, NS is forcing conductor trainees through the training program at an accelerated pace that has caused additional issues related to safety and service.

Cutting corners on safety combined with worker fatigue, Wallace warned, poses a risk to employees and the general public.

The report comes as Union Pacific seeks to acquire NS in an $85 billion deal. Wallace said it’s unclear to what extent the train crew shortages are tied to the proposed merger.

In April, the BLET and Teamsters Rail Conference helped establish the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition, a broad cross section of business, labor, and consumers, to oppose the UP-NS merger.

The article (behind a paywall) is available on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website: blet.link/4fJLR7H

Locomotive photo by David Hawkins

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