Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes

10/31/2026

Kansas workers also have a stake in this fight. Union Pacific employs more than 1,000 railroad workers in our state, and rural communities cannot afford to lose good-paying railroad jobs as a result of another major consolidation. More than seventy percent of workers represented by many different unions on the UP and NS railroads are opposing this merger.

I spent decades practicing medicine in Great Bend. The farmers, grain handlers, railroad workers, and small towns affected by this merger are not statistics to me. They are my neighbors.

That is why I am urging the Trump administration to oppose this merger. His administration has an opportunity to stand with farmers by making clear that rural America should not be sacrificed to these railroads and their investors’ appetite for consolidation.

Kansas farmers should not be forced to finance an $85 billion Wall Street merger through higher shipping costs and fewer choices so I oppose this merger, and I will keep fighting it.

https://hpj.com/2026/10/30/kansas-farmers-need-a-fighter-to-address-rail-merger/

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween! 👻

Beware of ghosts, goblins, managers & rats!

10/31/2026

https://www.trains.com/pro/freight/class-i/cpkc-urges-stb-to-end-review-of-up-ns-merger-due-to-ceo-comments/

WASHINGTON — CPKC today asked the Surface Transportation Board to toss out the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application, arguing that conduct of UP and its chief executive “has undermined the integrity of this proceeding.” At issue: Remarks that UP CEO Jim Vena made at the Southwest A...

10/30/2026

📢 Make your voice heard! Fill out the form at https://railmergercomments.org/ by Nov. 18 to tell the government to block the merger!

10/29/2026

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2026/10/28/csx-outage-causing-operational-disruption-leaving.html

A CSX spokesperson said the technology outage began Oct. 27 and that key functions for the company remain limited.

10/28/2026

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/rail-merger-arises-as-key-issue-in-tight-nebraska-senate-race

Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn has made rail policy a key topic in his fight to unseat Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts in a state whose economy largely depends on railroads and their customers.

10/27/2026

Tonight!

BMWED-IBT members, especially those on UP and NS:

Please join us for a discussion of New York Dock (NYD) protective conditions. What they are, when they matter, how we got them, and what our members can DO regarding NYD. This online event will also discuss other topics and issues related to the proposed UP-NS merger, including "cramdown."

This event will be 90 minutes long, with a standard Presentation + Open Discussion format.

This event will happen twice on Tuesday, October 27th in order to ensure that folks in every time zone can join at a relatively decent time in the evening. There is no need to attend both sessions as they will cover the same material.

1st session direct Zoom link - https://zoom.us/j/97398901593?pwd=jxkl7E3zu0vGntYcG3tIxzUNolDbv4.1
2nd session direct Zoom link - https://zoom.us/j/92636369041?pwd=UJgutCVKHTAALfBmIcAa1ILuwrNIlk.1

10/27/2026

BMWED Vice President Galen Owen joined the Elijah Haahr on Missouri's KWTO to explain the pitfalls of the UP/NS merger and ask the public to submit comments to the STB in advance of the Nov. 18 deadline:

Listen to the full interview by clicking the graphic and submit comments at the link below.

https://railmergercomments.org/

10/27/2026

⚠️ The Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-way Employees and Signalmen (FAMES) Committee is a voluntary, consensus-based Committee focused on identifying risks, trends, and factors impacting roadway worker safety. FAMES will periodically issue findings and recommendations based upon its review of available safety data. The Committee’s activities are focused on education and prevention.

The FAMES Committee dedicates its efforts to all roadway workers who have lost their lives in the performance of duty and to the families, loved ones, and coworkers they have left behind.

For more information about FAMES and how the committee operates, check out the Introduction to the FAMES Committee | FRA (dot.gov)

https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/introduction-fames-committee-1

10/27/2026

Rail shippers representing thousands of American businesses paying for freight, including coal-burning utilities and captive shippers, warn further consolidation threatens competition, energy affordability and supply...