The U.S. Department of Transportation is postponing from August 25 to November 1 a new regulation that would subject employees to mandatory direct observation during drug tests conducted when a transportation worker returns to work after a positive drug test and during follow-up drug tests. Read More Delegates attending the quadrennial meeting of the North Dakota State Legislative Board have returned Mike Muscha by acclamation as Chairman in meetings that concluded here on August 15. Read More The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, along with seven other rail unions and the BNSF Railway, has filed a lawsuit challenging a new Department of Transportation (DOT) regulation that would subject employees to a "strip search" during mandatory drug tests. Read More Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have reached a tentative contract agreement with Norfolk Southern. Read More Jim Keele was reelected by acclamation today as Chairman of the Kansas State Legislative Board at meetings in Kansas City yesterday. Read More The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued an interim final rule, effective immediately, codifying a section of Public Law 110-53, the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 ("the Act"), which prohibits public transportation agencies, railroad carriers, and their respective contractors and subcontractors from knowingly misrepresenting Federal guidance or regulations concerning security background checks for covered individuals. Read More BLET members are encouraged to attend a two-day Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored radiological transportation training workshop at the George Meany Center from September 8-10, 2008. Read More The BLET National Division has established a Flexible Benefit Plan information center on its website, www.ble-t.org, for members seeking more information on the program. Read More The members of BLET Division 609 in Jefferson City, Mo., are raising funds for Brother Jason Perry, who tragically lost his eight-year-old daughter Cassidy on June 5. Perry, 35, is a Union Pacific locomotive engineer and member of Division 609. Read More Tom Roberts was reelected Chairman of the BLET Eastern General Chairmen's Association at their annual meeting on July 8. Read More Registration for the money-saving Flexible Spending Account (FSA) begins in just over two months, and members are encouraged to take advantage of this valuable new health and welfare benefit. Read More Amtrak is recruiting Locomotive Engineers to fill job vacancies in the following areas: Jacksonville, Fla.; Raleigh, N.C.; Florence, S.C.; Miami, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; Lorton, Va. (Auto Train); and Richmond, Va. Read More Over the past two weeks, the National Division and the National Legislative Office have received numerous inquiries concerning a Final Rule published by the Office of the Secretary of Transportation on June 25, and scheduled to become effective on August 25. The new Final Rule amends certain portions of DOT's Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs published at 49 CFR Part 40. Read More The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has successfully concluded negotiations for first contracts with WATCO subsidiaries' South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL) and Stillwater Central Railroad. These bargaining victories occurred after BMWED prosecuted two federal lawsuits against WATCO for bad faith bargaining and other violations of the Railway Labor Act. Read More Brother J. L. Dayton has been elected General Chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad Western Region General Committee of Adjustment (UPWRGCA) during the Committee's quadrennial convention held June 24-26 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Read More A fund has been established in the name of William Hopkins, a member of BLET Division 200 (Davenport, Iowa) and an employee of the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad. Read More The Switching Operations Fatality Awareness (SOFA) Working Group is urging railroad workers engaged in switching operations to stay vigilant in the coming weeks. Forty-seven switching fatalities have occurred since 1992 in the months of June, July, and August. Read More On June 16, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) responded to several Petitions for Reconsideration of its February 13 Final Rule, which federalized railroad operating practices pertaining to point protection for shoving movements, operating switches and fixed derails, and leaving equipment in the foul. The revised Final Rule is effective immediately. Read More On June 5, the U.S. Department of Transportation warned the Federal Railroad Administration about the possible dangers of rail workers in safety sensitive positions using an anti-smoking drug known as Chantix. Read More The Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund is accepting applications for assistance from members in the state of Oklahoma after severe storms, tornadoes and flooding caused major damage on and after May 10. Read More AUBURN -- A man talking on a cell phone while walking Wednesday on railroad tracks was hit by a train and killed. He was the second person in the area to be killed by a train while talking on a cell phone in the past two weeks. Read More CN is seeking two qualified and experienced Locomotive Engineers for current openings in Illinois. A minimum of two years current operating experience as a Locomotive Engineer for a Class I railroad is required. Read More Mike Priester was reelected by acclamation to the office of Chairman of the Western General Chairmen's Association (WGCA) during the WGCA's annual meeting in Reno the week of April 28. Read More Deadline for the 70th Annual Eastern Union Meeting Association (EUMA) is fast approaching, and BLET members are encouraged to make their reservations as quickly as possible. Read More Leaders of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen gathered in Reno, Nevada, the week of April 28 for the annual meeting of the National Association of State Legislative Board Chairman (NASLBC). Read More BNSF Railway Co., the nation's top hauler of container rail freight, is parking miles of rail cars in Montana and elsewhere because there isn't enough freight to keep them rolling. Read More By a nearly 6-to-1 majority, BLET members ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Amtrak. Read More Amtrak is recruiting Locomotive Engineers to work in the following areas: Chicago, Ill.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Milwaukee, Wisc.; St Louis, Mo.; Toledo, Ohio; and Little Rock, Ark. Read More The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is taking applications to fill a position on the Executive Staff at its National Division headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. Read More Ed Rodzwicz is the new National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, effective immediately. Read More