Cory Martin
Illinois State Legislative Board Chairman
Action Alert: Amtrak must be fully funded
http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=5944 INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, March 24 — President Trump has presented his budget to the American people, and despite making public statements that his administration would spend $1 trillion on infrastructure, his first budget proposal consists of cuts that hurt American workers. Included in this budget is the complete elimination of funding for all long distance Amtrak trains. These cuts would negatively impact rail service in 23 states and along 15...
New Online Application for the JRH Memorial Scholarship Fund
A new, online application process is available for high school seniors who are the sons or daughters of Teamster members. Apply today atwww.jrhmsf.org for a college or vocational scholarship. In 2016, the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund distributed $1.2 million in scholarship awards to the sons and daughters of Teamsters in the U.S. and Canada. This year, 2017, the Fund is committed to distributing $1.4 million, an increase of $200,000. We appreciate the support of our local unions...
Join us in the fight to defend your hard earned benefits
BLET NEWS FLASH http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=5936 By Dennis R. Pierce BLET National President (BLET Editor’s Note: The following message from BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce has been excerpted from the Winter 2016 issue of the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Journal.) INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, February 23 — One of any Union’s primary responsibilities is to negotiate for and defend the benefits that make union jobs the best jobs in our proud country. It is no secret — as...
Union Proud, Union Strong
Let’s Join Together To Fight For Your National Contract By Dennis R. Pierce BLET National President (BLET Editor’s Note: The following message from BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce has been excerpted from the January 2017 issue of the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen News.) INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, January 30 — In my last Newsletter message, I issued a Call to Arms for all BLET members to join in our fight for a fair national contract for Class 1 freight members. In the days and weeks...
BLET National Scholarship Directory
2017 BLET Scholarship Directory INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, January 25 — Each year, the BLET National Division compiles a list of scholarship opportunities available to the children of BLET members. Numerous financial aid opportunities are published here in the 2017 BLET Scholarship Directory. The scholarship opportunities vary widely. The following comprehensive list provides members and their families with contact information for each scholarship program. The BLET National Division does not maintain...
BLET, SMART TD members urged to call Congress in support of two-person crew bill
BLET NEWS FLASH http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=5924 CLEVELAND, January 20 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Rail Air and Transportation Workers (SMART TD) are urging their respective memberships to contact members of the House of Representatives about co-sponsoring The Safe Freight Act of 2017 (H.R. 233), a bill that would mandate two-person train crews on freight trains...
Thanksgiving
Lincoln proclaimed the first and official Thanksgiving holiday in 1863. It was during this time that Thanksgiving became an official national holiday, declared on the fourth Thursday of every November. George Washington was the first president that mentioned this term back in 1789. With decades of dispute the ability for the government to rightly recognize and celebrate this holiday, Lincoln made it a reality. "During this month of Thanksgiving I have been reflecting on the things I am most...
IBT Election Results
HOFFA-HALL RE-ELECTED TO FIVE-YEAR TERM TO LEAD UNION International Vice Presidents, International Trustees Also Elected (WASHINGTON) – International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall, International Vice Presidents At-Large, International Trustees and International Vice Presidents in the Eastern, Southern and Central Regions were elected Friday night in the 2016 Election of International Union Officers, according to unofficial results...
Thank you
Thank you to those Brothers and Sisters who have served our country. The History of Veterans Day: World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of...
IT IS HERE: ELECTION DAY !!!!
It is hard to believe it is Election Day! After over a year of preparation, it all comes down to this. If you did not cast an early vote, make sure you get out and vote today! The stakes are too high for you to stay home. You can find your polling place here, and learn about what will be on your ballot here. This has been a long campaign, but a historic one we have been proud to be a part of. Whatever happens today, we know that the work we have done this year is only the beginning in our...
Labor Leaders Urge Congress to Oppose Anti-Worker Resolutions in Congressional Review Act
Labor Leaders Urge Congress to Oppose Anti-Worker Resolutions in Congressional Review Act Today, a coalition of nearly 50 labor organizations sent a letter to lawmakers in Congress that outlines strong opposition to more than a dozen forthcoming Congressional Review...
Rail labor opposes Amtrak request for waiver to deal with ‘loss of shunt’ until testing data is shared
Rail labor opposes Amtrak request for waiver to deal with ‘loss of shunt’ until testing data is shared WASHINGTON — Three labor organizations have opposed Amtrak’s request for a waiver allowing installation of a device the company claims will prevent incidents where...
NTSB to investigate CPKC derailment, UP worker fatality
NTSB to investigate CPKC derailment, UP worker fatality The National Transportation Safety Board has launched investigations into two freight-rail accidents that occurred over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The first incident involved a Canadian Pacific Kansas...
Chicago, Ill., area transit agencies see improved ridership
Chicago, Ill., area transit agencies see improved ridership Chicago, Ill.,'s transit systems have seen an increase in ridership in a post COVID-19 pandemic timeline, as the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Northern Illinois notes May 2024 showed the highest...
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...