Rail Teamsters United, a new coalition of rank-and-file Rail Teamsters, is gearing up for their next contract with an in-person Rail Summit in Chicago for BLET and BMWED Teamsters.

On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, releasing toxic chemicals into the surrounding area.

Rail Teamsters and the IBT made a final push to win paid sick days as Congress prepares to vote to impose a tentative agreement covering 115,000 rail workers, including 48,000 Teamsters. UPDATE 12/1/22: The Senate has voted down the measure to provide 7 paid sick days to rail workers. 

In October, Teamsters in the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED), who build and maintain tracks and bridges, voted down a national tentative agreement with the freight rail carriers.

On Jan 8 a federal judge sided with the Union Pacific railroad to block a strike to protect rail employees’ health and safety. The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the Teamsters moved toward the job action under the Railroad Safety Act, to demand adequate Covid-19 protections for the workers who build and maintain the tracks and right of way.

Allegations of insider-dealing and violations of fiduciary duty swirl around the top officers of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET-IBT), following a tentative labor contract they signed. 

Rail workers – including some 70,000 Teamster engineers, trainmen and track workers – are under a double attack coming from Washington DC. The Teamsters Union should be leading a fight back with other unions and with the public, to save passenger rail service in the USA.

On March 16th, President Trump released a blueprint budget that proposes to slash funding for the Department of Transportation by $2.4 billion, including funding for all Amtrak “long distance” trains, along with funding for dozens of transit expansion projects nationwide. In recent months, Trump has voiced support for massive investment in the nation’s infra-structure. Yet ironically, his first proposed budget not only fails to deliver, it guts funding for existing infrastructure.

Fred Zuckerman and Teamsters United campaigned on a platform of fighting job elimination, outsourcing, and fighting for safety for rail workers and the public. Rail Teamsters responded.