Cory Martin
Illinois State Legislative Board Chairman
Illinois Primaries March 17th 2020!
The Illinois primaries are upon us! (Tues. March 17th 2020) It is vital that we encourage every member, every friend, neighbor and family member to VOTE! Please educate them about our union’s endorsements and why we have selected them. Our State Legislative Board’s...
National Voter Registration Day 9/24
National Voter Registration Day National Voter Registration Day is a national holiday celebrating our democracy. It was first observed in 2012 and has been growing in popularity every year since. Held on the fourth Tuesday of September, National Voter Registration Day...
Illinois governor signs two-person crew bill
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, August 13 - Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a two-person crew bill into law on August 9, becoming the third state to pass such a railroad safety bill in 2019. Senate Bill 24, or the "Two Person Freight Train Act," provides that: "no...
Urgent: Act Now On Two-Person Train Crews, Mexican Cross-Border Issue!
BLET NEWS FLASH INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, July 24 - The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is urging all members to contact their Representatives and Senators in Congress to support the union's two most pressing legislative issues: two-person train...
President Pierce to testify before Congress on “State of the Rail Workforce”
http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=10234 INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, June 19 - BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce will testify before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials at a hearing titled "The State of the Rail Workforce"...
Governor signs two-person crew bill in Nevada
Governor signs two-person crew bill in Nevada http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=10218 INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, May 15 - On May 15, organized labor secured a major victory for railroad workers and safety when Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak (D) signed a two-person...
SB24 Rail Safety Bill
Last week in Illinois House Transportation Roads and Bridges Committee SB24 was called. Myself, Bob Guy, (IL SMART Leg Director), and Mike Renkin (SMART) gave testimony in support.of the legislation. Seated in the hearing room from the BLET were ISLB 1st Vice Chris...
Two-person crew bill becomes law in Colorado
BLET NEWS FLASH http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=9198 INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, March 22 - Colorado Governor Jared S. Polis signed a two-person crew bill into law on March 21, signifying a significant boost to railroad safety in the state. The bill reads in...
Support IL SB24 Call Now!
Tomorrow Wednesday March 20, 2019, SB24 "Two Person Freight Train" is scheduled to be heard in Senate Executive Committee at 2 pm. I have listed some of the members of the Executive Committee that need to hear from their constituents. "Please support SB24 and vote yes...
Illinois Dem congressmen eyeing bigger jobs after midterms
November 08, 2018 06:00 AM UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO Illinois Dem congressmen eyeing bigger jobs after midterms Now back in the majority, local representatives are in a position to chair key subcommittees and more in a Democratic-run House. GREG HINZ On Politics Bloomberg...
New Amtrak Service Proves That Even Slow-Ass Trains Can Beat The Airlines
New Amtrak Service Proves That Even Slow-Ass Trains Can Beat The Airlines Trains! They’re too slow, goes the refrain. Too old-fashioned, or too expensive in the case of their high-speed brethren. And yet, run the numbers, and you’ll find that Americans actually want...
AFL-CIO President Applauds Biden Administration Action to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement in response to a newly proposed standard from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to protect workers from the dangers of extreme heat: “As we enter the second summer with temperatures...
Project 2025 Is A Blueprint For Business Disaster
Project 2025 Is A Blueprint For Business Disaster A Race Few Wanted Though it's only June, we're already back in presidential election season. This week saw the earliest-ever general election debate in our history, as President Joe Biden and former President Donald...
AFL-CIO President Condemns Supreme Court Decision Weakening Federal Agencies
AFL-CIO President Condemns Supreme Court Decision Weakening Federal Agencies AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless Inc. v. Department of...
SCOTUS limits power of federal government to regulate environmental, energy issues
SCOTUS limits power of federal government to regulate environmental, energy issues The US Supreme Court curtailed the power of federal regulatory agencies, including those responsible for environmental and energy policy, in a series of decisions issued as its term...
NTSB derailment investigation renews concerns about detectors, tank cars and Norfolk Southern
NTSB derailment investigation renews concerns about detectors, tank cars and Norfolk Southern The National Transportation Safety Board’s daylong hearing on what caused the disastrous East Palestine train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last year gave the...
Illinois lawmaker wants ‘two and a half’ hour rail service from Chicago to St. Louis
Illinois lawmaker wants ‘two and a half’ hour rail service from Chicago to St. Louis T. LOUIS – An Illinois lawmaker makes his case for a faster high-speed rail service between Chicago and St. Louis, specifically a route that could cut most commutes by car or train...
STB chairman takes a parting shot at activist investor’s plans for Norfolk Southern
STB chairman takes a parting shot at activist investor’s plans for Norfolk Southern CHICAGO — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman on Wednesday blasted activist investor Ancora Holdings, saying that its plans for Norfolk Southern are a threat to...
Union Pacific undermined regulators’ efforts to assess safety, US agency says
Union Pacific undermined regulators’ efforts to assess safety, US agency says OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific managers undermined the U.S. government’s efforts to assess safety at the railroad in the wake of several high-profile derailments across the industry...
Long Chicago-Quad Cities Amtrak service impasse illustrates hurdles for new routes: Analysis
Long Chicago-Quad Cities Amtrak service impasse illustrates hurdles for new routes: Analysis MOLINE, Ill. — Among the 69 projects receiving Federal Railroad Administration Corridor Identification and Development Program grants last December was a familiar route:...