Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen

As part of the BLET’s effort to make members and other railroaders eligible for the overtime tax relief the BLET and the @Teamsters Rail Conference have launched a petition in support of the No Tax on Overtime for All Workers Act (H.R. 5475). Read more: blet.link/4bVuTAN

Leland Eoff of BLET Division 197 (San Antonio, Texas) retired in January 2026 after 48 years of service. Eoff has over 44 years of membership in the BLET and served Division 197 for several years as President and Vice President. Read more: blet.link/41cGmWx

“It’s just time to get this deal done. We’ve now been before two presidential emergency boards. Both boards have heard all the facts in their entirety, and the boards have concluded that what we’re asking for is more than reasonable.” – BLET VP Sexton longisland.news12.com/second-preside…

On March 16, Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) 254, the second board assigned to the long-running contract dispute between a coalition of five railroad unions and the Long Island Rail Road. Read more: blet.link/4sQtvFp

Wishing everyone a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day from the BLET National Division! ☘️🇮🇪

Legislation introduced in Congress, with support from BLET, the Teamsters Rail Conference and the @Teamsters, would put into federal law the current requirement that railroad tracks are visually inspected twice a week and requiring ATI. Read more: blet.link/4bgyNEk

Celebrating Women’s History Month: Mary Elizabeth Walton was a 19th century American inventor who was awarded with two patents that benefited the early railroad industry in the United States. Read more: blet.link/4byTWIO

The @Teamsters Rail Conference today is stronger, more unified, and more influential than it has ever been,” said Mark Wallace, in his keynote report to delegates during the Rail Conference’s Sixth Quadrennial Convention on March 12. Read more: blet.link/4sJgld9

The BLET’s Ohio State Legislative Board conducted its 18th quadrennial meeting last week. Chairman John Esterly was reelected to his second term of office. Full story: blet.link/4saaU75

The BLET has reached a tentative agreement with the Indiana & Ohio Railway (IORY). Ballots were mailed to members in early March. Read more: blet.link/4uvsgx2

with approximately 116,000 women were working in the rail industry by the war’s end. In 1943, Office of War Information photographer Jack Delano captured these women railroaders on film as they did their part to support the war effort. Photos source: Library of Congress (2/2)

Women’s History Month: The BLET is proud to celebrate all women, past and present, who helped make the rail industry what it is today. During WWII, many women were employed by the railroads in roles traditionally held by men, (1/2)

Modern, practical and accessible officer training leads to a stronger BLET: A message from BLET National Secretary-Treasurer David Estes. Read the full message: blet.link/4sA3kTc

Pictured: Brother Greg Jones continues Division 607's tradition of laying a wreath in front of the memorial plaque dedicated to Brother Lou at NS’s Rockport Yard in Cleveland. Watch a highlight video of the plaque dedication ceremony in 2023 here: blet.link/46P7bTX (2/2)

Today, March 7, marks three years since BLET member Lou Shuster was killed in a rail yard accident in Cleveland while working for Norfolk Southern. Brother Lou was a proud U.S. Army veteran who was equally as proud to serve as President of BLET Division 607 (Cleveland). (1/2)

The Teamsters Rail Conference thanks Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV, 1st District) for introducing the Secure Tracks Act. Railroads have been trying to replace the work of Teamsters track inspectors with “automated track inspection,” which is nothing more than a modestly improved version of an existing tool used by inspectors. The Secure Tracks Act would prevent carriers from endangering communities and killing jobs by requiring them to continue conducting safe numbers of visual track inspections. “If railroads implement their dangerous ATI agenda, it won’t just be our members who pay the price. It will be everyday Americans in whichever community bears the brunt of the next catastrophe,” said Tony Cardwell, President of the BMWED of the Teamsters Rail Conference. “With the Secure Tracks Act, we will ensure carriers are required to maintain the visual inspections that keep our communities safe. We thank Sens. Baldwin and Hawley and Rep. Titus for their commitment to union railroaders, and we look forward to working together to get this bill passed.”

It’s not just railroaders at short lines joining unions. The number of workers covered under union contracts jumped to a 16-year high in 2025, according to new data. Read more: blet.link/4lblQyI

The BLET Education & Training Department hosted a hybrid training class for LM-2 filers from February 23-26, with a total of 24 officers participating — both in person at the BLET National Division Training Center and virtually via Zoom. Read more: blet.link/46Mfq3g

BLET members are currently voting on a tentative agreement with the Indiana Rail Road. Ballots will be tabulated on March 13. Eligible members who have not yet received a ballot should call the BLET National Division’s dedicated voicemail line. More info: blet.link/4r9NoWN

Congratulations to Brother Darren Mickelson of BLET Division 848 (South Pekin, Ill.) who safely completed his Last Run on November 25, 2025. His retirement became official on December 3. Read more: blet.link/4rNYWQl