Engineers must: 1. Run their train safely,  2. Run their train smoothly (if the equipment permits) and  3, If all good things come together, run on time.

Quick Reference Index Updated: 6/20/09

BLET General Chairman's Action Alert Page (Updated 6/20/09) Help needed to document radio problems in Hoboken & MMC.
BLET Injured Employee's Bill of Rights Now in pdf format for easier printing.
BLET Locomotive inspection guide (pdf)
BLET Unofficial membership discussion board (added 3/5/09)
CIRT Committee agreement with NJ Transit  (Updated 2/12/09)
Division 272 Chaplain's Page (Updated 1/24/09)
Division 272 Jackets and Hats
Division 272 meeting dates and location for 2009
Division Officers including GCA and National Officers 
Download a BLE application Not a BLE member but wish you were? Now is the perfect opportunity to join.
Downloadable forms and information courtesy of Rebecca Brown and the BLE 171 Web Page (added 1/6/07)
Family Medical Leave Downloads
        District court decision on FMLA Railroad employees win big in decision against carriers (PDF File added 1/6/07)
        Family Medical Leave Act Form  (PDF File)
        FMLA Fact Sheet  (Printer Friendly Form)
Engineer Training Page  (Updated 3/29/09) Rules study guide update for 2009.
Ergonomics Committee (updated 5//09) Why we need an Ergonomics Committee and a first look at the new ALP45DP Dual Powered locomotive.
FRA Fun Facts Page Stuff engineers would like to know (new stuff added 4/2/08)
Guest Editorials (Added 4/4/08) The True cost of shopping at Wal-Mart.
Holidays for 2009
Humor: 10 Reasons You Should Not Become A Union Officer. 
Links Page (Link added 12/21/08)
Political Action Page and Newsroom (updated 6/14/09) BLET, UTU file joint petition to prohibit one-person crews.
Safety Bulldog (Added 6/15/08) The whys and wherefores of "Behavior Based " safety and why the company wants the employee to "buy" into it.
Ten Commandments for Student Engineers Now with a printer friendly version.
Learning to Qualify for Student Engineers Now with a printer friendly version.
Time claim codes
T'men's Page Who says the BLE is not trying to help?
Weather.com Get your local area forecast right now

New 4/6/09

A quick first look at the coming ALP45DP Dual-Powered locomotives

New 3/5/09
www.njtblet.com

Brothers & Sisters,

With high membership interest, the BLET General Committee is now linking to an hosted and moderated by members, for their use only. It supplements and enhances both division unofficial web sites by allowing BLET/NJT members to communicate and share ideas and opinions in real time. It is not intended to replace or act as report of what goes on in division meetings. It is a private membership discussion board unaffiliated with the BLET GCA

The BLET/NJT General Committee believes the idea has enough membership interest and is of value for BLET union members to be a success. In addition to supplementing Division meetings, a well run discussion board fits well with our union's goal of uniting all BLET NJT members and organizing representation into an interesting exchange of ideas. As with any Union forum, we ask all who participate in the unofficial BLET NJT Discussion Board to respect your brother's and sister's rights to privacy and dignity, attend your division meetings and give support to your union.

Our thanks to Brother Dave (Steamroller) Petersman for the web talent, driving digital force and conceptual vision of what he wanted to do and persistence to accomplish the task. He made it look easy and happen so fast.

Nothing stops Dave.

The BLET GCA thanks Brother Dave Decker for the time, effort and database skills to bring this General Committee into the Twenty First Century and define its vision for the future. You took it home. You are The Man.

Many members and officers contributed and continue to do more in order to get the effort up and moving. Once up, it will be easier to maintain.

There are even more members needed to connect to each other by becoming mobilization captains at the local division level. The more that participate the easier the job will be for all. Our General Committee supports this effort 100%.

In encouraging the effort the BLET/NJT General Committee asks each member to update all Division mobilization contact information through their Local Division Secretary Treasurer/representative. Their updated division mobilization record will be the only gateway to unofficial BLET/NJT Discussion Board. A division member may register on the unofficial BLET/NJT Discussion Board www.njtblet.com by following instructions on the site , but members with missing or inaccurate division contact information will not be granted access to the web site. In order to ensure your access is granted, please confirm all of your contact information is up to date with your local division representative.

The unofficial discussion board address is: www.njtblet.com

Fraternally,

R. Darcy

GC BLET NJT

New 1/09/09

Brothers and Sisters,  
The below New Federal  Statute for Railroad Employees which prohibits any railroad carrier or person  from denying, delaying or interfering with the medical or first aid treatment  of an employee who is injured during the course of employment is provided to  update you and our members on this subject matter. I strongly encourage you to  post this information or your BLET Boards and disseminate to our members at  you Monthly Union Meetings. In fact, I encourage you to make sufficient copies  for each member to carry in their grip and show it to any officers that may  imply interference with medical treatment if someone is injured.         

Fraternally yours,  
Don  Moates, General Chairman
Brotherhood  of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
CSXT -  Western Railroad Lines
 

SEC. 419. PROMPT MEDICAL  ATTENTION.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 20109  is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (i) as  subsections
(d) through (j), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after  subsection (b) the following:
‘‘(c) PROMPT MEDICAL ATTENTION.— ‘‘ (1)  PROHIBITION.—A railroad carrier or person covered under this section may not deny, delay, or  interfere with the medical or first aid treatment of an employee who is injured during the course of employment. If transportation to a hospital is  requested by an employee who is injured during the course of employment, the  railroad shall promptly arrange to have the injured employee transported to  the nearest hospital where the employee can receive safe and appropriate  medical care.
‘‘(2) DISCIPLINE.—A railroad carrier or person covered under  this section may not discipline, or threaten discipline to, an employee for  requesting medical or first aid treatment, H. R. 2095—46 or for following orders or a treatment plan of a treating physician, except that a railroad  carrier’s refusal to permit an employee to return to work following medical  treatment shall not be considered a violation of this section if the  refusal is pursuant to Federal Railroad Administration medical standards  for fitness of duty or, if there are no pertinent Federal Railroad  Administration standards, a carrier’s medical standards for fitness for duty.  For purposes of this paragraph, the  term ‘discipline’ means to bring charges against a person in a disciplinary proceeding, suspend, terminate, place on probation, or make note  of reprimand on an employee’s record.’’
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section  20109 is amended—
(1) in subsection (d), as redesignated by subsection (a)  of this section—
(A) by striking ‘‘(a) or (b)’’ in paragraph (1) and  
inserting ‘‘(a), (b), or (c)’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘(c)(1)’’ in paragraph  (2)(A)(i)
and inserting ‘‘(d)(1)’’;
(C) by striking ‘‘(a) or (b)’’ in  paragraph (2)(A)(ii) and
inserting ‘‘(a), (b), or (c)’’; and
(2) in  subsection (e), as so redesignated—
(A) by striking ‘‘(c)’’ in paragraph  (1) and inserting ‘‘(d)’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘(c)’’ in paragraph (2) and  inserting  ‘‘(d)’’;
(C) by striking ‘‘(c)(3)’’ in paragraph (2) and  inserting
‘‘(d)(3)’’; and
(D) by striking ‘‘(c)’’ in paragraph (3) and  inserting  ‘‘(d)’’.

 

New 12/20/08

Tickets for the Atlantic City Express trains will be available in February, 2009.

Check out their web site and see what the service we will provide will provide.

New 10/18/08
FRA HSL - Changes to Hours of Service Act
Inserted language is underlined and in red and deleted  language is struck-out and in blue.  

New 10/23/08
FRA clamps down on use of electronic devices with Emergency Order 26

In the aftermath of the most deadly passenger rail accident in more than a decade, and just days after the National Transportation Safety Board reported that the engineer of one of the trains involved in the September 12 tragedy had sent and received dozens of text messages while on duty, the Federal Railroad Administration ("FRA") is issuing an Emergency Order that severely restricts the use of cell phones and other wireless communication and personal electronic devices by operating crews.

Read the summary and see the flow chart

Read the full FRA Emergency Order

Read the NTSB Metrolink investigation advisory dated 10/1/08

New 6/23/08
BLET Division 272 Quarterly Safety Picture Contest
The members of BLE&T Division 272 that attended the last meeting thought that the members of Division 373 had a great idea: Document safety issues so that they may be brought before management in a convincing fashion. To this end the members of Division 272 created a Quarterly Safety Picture Contest to encourage all members to participate. The requirements of the BLE&T Division 272 Quarterly Safety Picture Contest are listed below. We are certain that the rewards for the full participation of the membership of Division 272 will go well beyond the monetary rewards offered...for all engineers on New  Jersey Transit.

1. Pictures must be digital, taken in 2008, submitted by a Division 272 member on or before the February meeting. A printed copy of the pictures will be used for voting at the meeting.
2. Pictures must be of a hazard to NJT employee(s) taken in 2008 or 2009.
3. Pictures must not be of a previous hazard photo(s) submitted.
4. Pictures must be labeled by location, date and members name/initials.
5. Send by email to Division 272 Secretary/Treasurer: Jimmy Pratt or bring a printed copy to the August meeting.
6. Judging will be at regular August, 2008 meeting.
7. Judging of pictures or disputed entry will be by secret ballot of majority of members in attendance at February, 2008 meeting.
8. Voters in attendance will be held to total of odd number so no ties.
9. Prizes will be awarded at the February meeting.  
 
First Prize: $50.00.  
Second Prize: $20.00.

New 9/23/07

Now here is something that labor has always known but management hasn't figured out yet:
The setting for a fatal injury rate more than double the rate for all workers, railroads are hazardous workplaces, especially for brake, signal, and switch operators; rail vehicles pose hazards even to workers in nonrailroad occupations.

Read the report from the Federal Government's Bureau of Labor Statistics