Rail

BLET Officials Move to Take Away the Right to Vote

TDU — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:51:48 -0600

December 4, 2009. Just two months after the national president of the BLET was arrested for taking a $20,000 bribe, some officials have proposed taking away members’ right to vote for their top officers.

Teamsters Deal with Speed-Up

TDU — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:55:32 -0500

May 1, 2008: Teamster employers are implementing new technology in a big way—making us change the way we work and creating new challenges for our union.

Let’s Put Teamster Power to Work

TDU — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:37:05 -0500

May 12, 2008: Those of us who work in transportation don’t have to be the victim of the downward spiral of wages and working conditions that is hitting so many of our union brothers and sisters.

Agreement with Rail Carriers Protects Jobs but Eliminates COLA

TDU — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:30:24 -0500

April 2, 2007: After three years of working without a national contract, the BLET announced a deal with the National Carriers’ Conference on March 5.

Railroad stocks down as labor deadline nears

TDU — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:12:05 -0600

November 07, 2011: Shares of major freight railroads fell in afternoon trading Friday ahead of the weekend deadline for a presidential board to propose a settlement of labor talks between the industry and unions.

97 percent of BLET members authorize strike

TDU — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:20:13 -0500

October 6, 2011: An overwhelming 97 percent majority of BLET members have voted to authorize a strike when a mandatory 30-day cooling off period under the Railway Labor Act comes to an end later this week.

Rail Carriers Make Huge Profits

TDU — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:04:19 -0500

August 10, 2011: The second quarter brought good news again for the US's four major public rail carriers, while Old Dominion again flew high among less-than-truckload carriers in a quarter that all improved their results if not exactly deliver outstanding results in some cases.

Rail Unions Urge “No” on UTU Contract

TDU — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:54:20 -0500

July 15, 2011: Teamster rail workers are urging fellow unionists in the United Transportation Union (UTU) to reject a substandard contract negotiated by UTU leaders.

UTU Breaks Solidarity; Teamster Rail Workers Urge “No” Vote

TDU — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:05:55 -0500

July 14, 2011: An Appeal To Reason - United Transportation Union (UTU) recently released to the public their tentative national agreement with the Class 1 Freight Railroads resolving wages, health care and rules covering the six year period from 2010-2016.

Fair Elections for Airline & Rail Workers

TDU — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:37:37 -0500

March 30, 2011: Imagine an election where all non-voters are counted as “NO” voters. It’s undemocratic, and it would make it extremely hard to get enough “YES” votes to pass anything.

BLET Members Stop the Latest Attack on the Right to Vote

TDU — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:14:30 -0500

October 5, 2010: Delegates to the BLET Convention have withdrawn a resolution that would have taken away members’ Right to Vote.

Teamsters Review CN’s Train-Crew Offers

TDU — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:45:40 -0500

September 28, 2010: Canadian National Railway offered new contract terms that include cutting the crew size on some trains, said a spokesman for the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, and the union is preparing a response.

How We Saved Our Right to Vote

TDU — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:01:24 -0500

September 28, 2010: In August, BLET members voted 6,305 to 2,452 to save their Right to Vote.

BLET Members Save the Right to Vote

TDU — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:22:23 -0500

August 30, 2010: By an overwhelming vote of 6,305 to 2,452, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) in the Teamsters have saved the Right to Vote for their top officers.

BLET Members Voting on the Right to Vote

TDU — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:56:49 -0500

August 2, 2010: The ballots are out and BLET members are voting on whether or not they should keep the Right to Vote for their top officers. The ballots will be counted on Aug. 30.

More Shake-Ups at the BLET

TDU — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:47:51 -0500

July 1, 2010: The third BLET president in a row has resigned. The initiative to take away the Right to Vote is headed to a vote.

BLET Anti Democracy Initiative Passes First Hurdle

TDU — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:34:53 -0500

June 4, 2010: In 2006, BLET members voted two-to-one for the Right to Vote for top officers. But now some officials are trying to take it away—and they’re one step closer to their goal.

BLET National President Announces Resignation

TDU — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:45:07 -0500

June 3, 2010: BLET National President Paul T. Sorrow submitted a letter to National Secretary-Treasurer William C. Walpert today, advising that he is resigning the Presidency effective July 1, 2010, in order to retire.

Head to Head in the BLET

TDU — Sat, 29 May 2010 11:01:46 -0500

June 1, 2010: BLET National President Paul Sorrow and rank-and-file engineer Tom Brennan are running for the union’s top job in the BLET’s first ever one-member, one-vote direct election.

Kansas City Star: Transportation unions hail new rule

TDU — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:23:07 -0500

May 11, 2010: A 76-year-old transportation law was swept away Monday under a rule change announced by a federal agency.

Pac Fed Teamsters Lose Right to Vote

TDU — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:52:34 -0500

April 2, 2010: In 2006, members in the Pacific Federation of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) in the Teamsters held their first-ever one-member, one-vote election for officers.

Ex-railroad union president admits bribery

TDU — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:17:07 -0600

March 5, 2010: The former president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has pleaded guilty to bribery charges for accepting $20,000 in bribes from a St. Louis lawyer.

BLET Officials Halfway Over First Hump

TDU — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:54:06 -0600

February 15, 2010: Officials from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Trainmen and Engineers in the IBT (BLET) are getting closer to their goal: to take away members’ Right to Vote for top BLET officers.

BLETers Team Up to Save the Right to Vote

TDU — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:18:30 -0600

January 29, 2010: Some rail officials are trying to take away the Right to Vote for BLET officers before members ever get a chance to use it.

BLET Members Stand Up for the Right to Vote

TDU — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:14:26 -0600

December 18, 2009: Just two months after the head of the BLET was arrested for taking a $20,000 bribe, some rail officials are trying to take away the Right to Vote for BLET officials.

NY Times: Railway Strike Is Ended

TDU — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:00:14 -0600

December 3, 2009: About 1,700 locomotive engineers ended their strike against the Canadian National Railway on Wednesday after reaching a settlement.

Progressive Railroading: Canadian locomotive engineers launch strike at CN

TDU — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:27:17 -0600

November 30, 2009: On Saturday, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC)-represented locomotive engineers walked off the job at CN.

Journal of Commerce: Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Strikes the CN

TDU — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:58:58 -0600

Novemeber 30, 2009: Canada’s labor minister plans to offer legislation to force an end to the two-day-old strike against Canadian National Railway by locomotive engineers.

BLET Bribery Scandal: Rodzwicz Resigns

TDU — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:20:52 -0600

November 20, 2009: Ed Rodzwicz, the President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen of the IBT, stepped down today after he was arrested last month for taking a $20,000 bribe.

Berkshire Hathaway to Buy BNSF for $100/Share

TDU — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:01:30 -0600

November 3. 2009: Berkshire Hathaway Inc., controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett, said Tuesday it will buy freight railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. for $100 a share, in a transaction worth about $44 billion.

Union-Vote Rule Change Rankles Transport-Agency Head

TDU — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:20:02 -0600

The chairwoman of the National Mediation Board has sharply criticized the federal agency's proposal to change a decades-old election rule that would make it easier for airline and railway employees to unionize, exposing a sharp rift at the agency's three-person board.

Plain-Dealer: Is Rodzwicz on Paid Leave?

TDU — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:28:52 -0500

October 16, 2009: The president of a national locomotive engineers union based in Cleveland has been placed on leave after being arrested on federal charges that he accepted $20,000 in bribes from

Update: BLET President Takes Leave of Absence in Bribery Scandal

TDU — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:57:02 -0500

UPDATE October 16, 2009: Ed Rodzwicz has taken a leave of absence from his union post after being arrested for accepting a $20,000 bribe.

BLET VP Embezzled Members Money

TDU — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:39:06 -0600

January 20, 2009: The second BLET officer in two years has been charged with embezzling union funds.

Rejection Wins Improvements on Norfolk Southern

TDU — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:15:19 -0500

September 19, 2008: BLET members on the Norfolk Southern railway have ratified a new six-year contract that contains improvements after voting down a weaker tentative agreement last year.

BNA Daily Labor Report: UTU Merger on Hold

TDU — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:04:28 -0500

June 30, 2008: A federal judge June 26 enjoined the pending merger between the United Transportation Union and the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, finding that UTU members were not a

UTU Merger on Hold

TDU — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:52:44 -0500

June 27, 2008: In a victory for rank-and-file democracy, Judge John Adams has issued a preliminary injunction stopping the merger of the United Transportation Union and the Sheet Metal Workers.

Members Spying on Members on the Rails?

TDU — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:02:51 -0500

June 20, 2008: All Teamsters want to work safely, without injury. But company programs that put the blame on union members—rather than unsafe working conditions—won’t make our jobs safer.

BNA Daily Labor Report: UTU Members Ratify New National Contract

TDU — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:07:38 -0500

June 11, 2008: Members of the United Transportation Union, which represents approximately 45,000 employees of more than 30 freight railroads, have voted to ratify a retroactive collective bargainin

BNA Daily Labor Report: Amtrak Engineers Ratify Contract

TDU — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:56:04 -0500

April 1, 2008: Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a collective bargaining agreement with Amtrak covering approximately 1,300 locomotive engineers, the uni

Reuters: CP Rail Canadian Train Crews Ratify New Contract

TDU — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:11:19 -0600

February 15, 2008: Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd's train operating crews in Canada have ratified a new five-year contract, the union said on Wednesday.

As Cargo Chains Grow, So Does Workers’ Leverage

TDU — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:23:10 -0600

January 30, 2008: A new study from Labor Notes magazine shows the power transportation workers have in the new economy.

Hahs Faces Harsher Penalty

TDU — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:32:41 -0600

December 17, 2007: Charged with embezzling members’ money, Don Hahs faces harsher punishment now that the Independent Review Board has rejected a proposed settlement as too light.

BNA Daily Labor Report: Review Board Rejects IBT-BLE Plan for Penalty on Financial Misconduct Charges

TDU — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:28:22 -0600

December 17, 2007: The Independent Review Board Dec. 13 rejected an agreement between International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James P.

Hahs Cuts a Deal on Embezzlement Charges

TDU — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:27:20 -0600

December 11, 2007: Charged with embezzling $58,000 in members’ money, BLET president Don Hahs has made a settlement with the International Union for a six-month suspension.

Rail Teamsters Reject Early Deal

TDU — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:54:15 -0600

December 11, 2007: Teamster engineers have voted down an early deal in a close vote on the Norfolk Southern.

Rail Workers Build Solidarity Caucus

TDU — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:34:15 -0600

December 5, 2007: Rail labor activists from across North America are coming together to form a new cross-craft inter-union caucus that includes all rail workers in North America—Railroad Workers

Norfolk Southern: Early Agreement Hits the Rails

TDU — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:55:41 -0600

November 9, 2007: The BLET Norfolk Southern General Committees have negotiated an early deal with the carrier—over two years before the current on-property agreement is set to expire.

BLET President Caught Embezzling

TDU — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:42:50 -0500

September, 17, 2007: The president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Don Hahs has been charged with embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the union.

UTU Merger: What Would It Mean for Teamster Engineers?

TDU — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:34:45 -0500

July 12, 2007: by Jim Eubanks and Ed Michael: The United Transportation Union (UTU), the main union for conductors on the railways, is proposing a merger with the Sheet Metal Workers International

Reuters: CP Rail Track Workers Got Wage Hike, Bonus in Deal

TDU — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:17:10 -0500

June 13, 2007: The deal that ended a strike by Canadian Pacific Railway track workers includes bonuses but kept to the railway's pre-strike wage demands, according to documents distributed on M

COLA: A Pay-Day Loan from the Railroad?

TDU — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:17:40 -0500

June 8, 2007: What if your employer told you that your raises for the last two years were just a loan? That’s just what happened to rail Teamsters in the BLET.

Canadian Track Workers Shut Down Construction on the CP

TDU — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:15:15 -0500

June 8, 2007: A strike on the Canadian Pacific Railway has entered its third week.

Rail Workers Blame Woes on Earlier Cuts

TDU — Tue, 29 May 2007 09:07:29 -0500

May 29, 2007: by Brent Jang from Transportaion Reporter: When Shayne Brighton started his job 28 years ago at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., he didn't have to worry about toiling nights and wee

Rail Teamsters Say “Vote No!”

TDU — Fri, 25 May 2007 11:10:42 -0500

May 25, 2007:Rail Teamsters have launched a campaign to vote down the proposed national BLET agreement.

Traffic World: Canadian Pacific Workers Strike

TDU — Mon, 21 May 2007 11:04:21 -0500

May 21, 2007:Traffic World, Journal of Commerce: Unionized track maintenance workers with Canadian Pacific Railway went on strike Wednesday after contract talks failed to produce an agreement.

Canadian Pacific track workers to strike Wednesday

TDU — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:10:32 -0500

May 14, 2007: MONTREAL (Reuters) - Some 3,200 workers who maintain track at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd, Canada's second-largest railway, are set to strike early on Wednesday, the company and

Rail Unions Go Back to the Bargaining Table

TDU — Thu, 10 May 2007 12:36:52 -0500

May 9, 2007: Going back to the table gives the two unions a chance to fix problems in the proposed agreements.

CSX Teamsters Give Up Wage Increases

TDU — Thu, 10 May 2007 12:34:31 -0500

May 9, 2007: Teamster engineers on the CSX lines have ratified an agreement that swaps wage increases for performance bonuses.

Traffic World: Canadian National Strike Over

TDU — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:02:45 -0500

April 19, 2007: by Courtney Tower, Journal of Commerce : Rail operations at the Port of Vancouver were returning to normal Thursday as Canadian National Railway lifted its lockout of striking uni

New York Times: CN Locks Out Conductors

TDU — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:58:48 -0500

April 12, 2007: New York Times: Labor disruptions again hit the Canadian National Railway after workers overwhelmingly rejected a tentative contract leading to pickets in lockouts in some cities.

Canadian Conductors Back on Strike

TDU — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:37:02 -0500

April 11, 2007: Canadian conductors are back on strike against the Canadian National line after UTU members rejected a tentative agreement by 79 percent, with over 80 percent of members voting.

Bloomberg: Canadian National Rail Conductors Reject Contract, Plan Strike

TDU — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:50:21 -0500

April 11, 2007: Canadian National Railway Co.'s 2,800 union conductors and yard workers rejected a proposed one- year contract from the country's biggest railroad and voted to strike.

Canadian Rail Workers May Strike Again

TDU — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:25:48 -0500

April 10, 2007: Traffic World—A union vote count that will be released at the close of the business day on April 10 could allow a strike in Canada to quickly flare back up against Canadia

Canadian Trainmen May Leave UTU for Teamsters

TDU — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:20:31 -0500

April 2, 2007: Last month’s strike on the Canadian National shows why we need to have unity on the rails—and why having a democratic union is so important.

UTU Trainmen Strike in Canada

TDU — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 09:44:13 -0600

Over 2,800 members of the United Transportation Union (UTU) went out on strike against Canadian National Railways at midnight on Saturday, Feb. 10.

How Long Can Rail Teamsters Go Without a National Contract?

TDU — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 09:39:45 -0600

Rail Teamsters are starting to wonder just how long they can go without a new contract.

Rail Teamsters Push to Merge Rival Unions

TDU — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:05:26 -0600

Railroad engineers and trainmen from two unions are out to win greater solidarity and union democracy on the rails. On Jan.

Is Union Pacific Geting Ready for One-Person Crews?

TDU — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:02:08 -0600

The rail carriers have dropped their demands for single-person crews in this round of bargaining.

BLET Teamsters Win the Right to Vote

jen — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:21:11 -0500

Similar Effort in BMWED Suffers Setback

Canadian Rail Teamsters Win Right to Vote for Their National Officers

jen — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 16:43:58 -0500

Victory Is Part of Trend towards Democracy in Rail

October 18, 2006. For the second time in three months, railroad engineers and conductors have scored a victory for the right to vote.

Rail Roundup

jen — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 18:35:27 -0500

Canadian Rail Teamsters Set for First Election

A rank and file activist has set his sights on one of the top spots of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference. This summer, members won the right to vote for their top three national officers by voting for bylaws changes proposed by Gerry Ranson of Division 320 in Vancouver. Subsequently, Ranson was nominated at the TCRC Convention in September to run for the office of vice president. He is running with incumbent Gilles Halle for president and Benoit Brunet for secretary-treasurer.

Dues Money Funds Vacations for BLET President’s Wife

jen — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 18:33:27 -0500

October 18, 2006. Don Hahs, President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Division of the Teamster Rail Conference, has spent more than $6,000 flying his wife to Alaska for a cruise, footing the bill for her airfare to various events, and paying for her meals on trips, according to documents obtained by TDU.

BLET Fails Trainmen in El Paso

jen — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 18:31:59 -0500

October 18, 2006. When the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers merged into the Teamsters two-and-a-half years ago, they added the words “and Trainmen” to the end

BLET Members Going for Right to Vote

admin — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:20:36 -0500

Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference) will soon have the opportunity to vote for an important change to their bylaws. On April 19, a ballot was sent to every member to ask if the election of National Officers should be changed to be “one member, one vote.” Currently, national officers are elected by delegates at the BLET Convention, the same way Teamster International officers used to be elected before TDU won the Right to Vote.

One of the architects of this referendum is W. L. Morris, an officer in the small Division 316 with about 60 members who work for the Norfolk Southern in Georgia. Convoy Dispatch spoke with Morris to find out more about this watershed election.

Resignation Letter

admin — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:19:57 -0500

February 6, 2006

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Since joining the IBLE in 1974, I have devoted my entire career to improving the lives of locomotive engineers and their families. I have always put the best interests of the membership first. Regrettably, President Hahs and I have too many fundamental differences about how the organization should represent the members’ best interests. In my opinion, his views and decisions are adversely impacting the survival of our craft and organization. Consequently, I do not believe it is possible for me to continue to serve the members’ best interests while working on the Executive Staff supporting his decisions.

BLET President Hahs to Face Challenger in 2006 Election

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:16:42 -0600

A high-level official of the Teamster Rail Conference’s Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced that he will challenge President Don Hahs for leadership of the BLET. Tom Brennan served as the staff counsel for the national division for eight years, before suddenly resigning his position in early February.

“In my opinion, [Hahs’] views and decisions are adversely impacting the survival of our craft and organization,” Brennan wrote in his resignation letter. Since then, he has exercised his seniority on the Norfolk Southern. In his declaration of candidacy, he claims that the “business as usual” attitude of Hahs and past presidents has made the BLET weaker with respect to the carriers and to rival union UTU, even as the rail industry is reaping “record profits.”

Rail Workers Pressure Leaders To Fight Against One-Person Crews

admin — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:12:11 -0600

Imagine trains carrying toxic chemicals or nuclear waste through your town and across the wilderness. Now imagine that the train is operated by a lone employee working long hours. The first part is already reality. The part about a lone employee is the goal of the railroad employer group, the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC). All-Out Attack on Rail WorkersThe carriers first put out their plan to go to single-employee operations about 15 months ago, when they issued their bargaining demands to the Teamsters Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET) and the United Transportation Union (UTU).

Shake-Up Coming Down the Tracks in Rail

admin — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 10:14:59 -0600

February 9, 2006. A high-level official of the Teamster Rail Conference’s Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced his resignation amid speculation that he will challenge President Don Hahs for leadership of the BLET. Tom Brennan, the staff counsel for the national division announced he will return to operating a train rather than continue working under the leadership of BLET President Don Hahs. “I do not believe it is possible for me to continue to serve the members’ best interests while working on the Executive Staff supporting [Hahs’] decision,” Brennan wrote in a resignation letter dated February 6.