I was asked in union meeting on Wednesday the 12th to inquire from William Wallace on 3 issues:

First question/issue was where are we at with the 11-4 implementation claims?  The General Chairmans answer was he sent the carrier a lead claim telling them we have between 35 and 50 million dollars in basic day claims for not implementing the 11-4 when they should have. Now the second step in the process the carrier has to respond how they wish to proceed. Then we may come to an agreement on the terms, or it will be off to arbitration. So, for the present time we are waiting for the Carrier to respond to our claims.

Second question/issue was dealing with a solid week of vacation if a member did not move the week and it was to be on or begin during our 4 days off period, what has happened in the past to my knowledge is the carrier is moving the week of vacation to begin after or prior to our off days. The General Chairs response is there is currently a glitch in the system and the IT department of UP is fixing it. If we have a week of vacation that we choose not to move it will begin and end when it is set to do so when the glitch is fixed. It can only be moved if the member requests it by either going to "Advance or defer vacation start date" under the Links page of this website or by notifying me and I will request it for you. Remember any moves must be done 7 days prior to your vacation beginning.

The third question/issue is our starts being reset by a dead head or held away at the AFHT? If you are between starts 1-3 yes you can be reset if you have 24 hours off prior to your next start and Dead Heads count as time off as well as held away but only between starts 1-3. On starts 4-5 a dead head counts as a start and held away does not count against you towards your starts.

If you have anything to add or questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, one last thing we did not make the vacation goals for 2026 so we will be force assigning in January, February, and March for the next year 2026. The box is out, and the sheets (pink one priority week, normal white one is regular weeks) need to be done by December 10th.

In solidarity, 

Jeffery Boyce

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, February 2 — As a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, one of the best ways to stay in touch with the National Division is through the BLET website.

Regularly published News Flashes keep members informed on breaking news from the National Division. Also, news from the rail industry and organized labor is published on a daily basis.

Members are also encouraged to register for the Members Area of the BLET website to get instant access to their membership data. Members can update their home mailing address, email address, and other contact information. Members will also see their Division number, dates of monthly meetings, and the names of their Division, General Committee of Adjustment, and State Legislative Board officers when logging into the Members Area. To register, please visit: https://members.ble-t.org/ .

Members who receive the Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen News and the Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen Journal can also sign up for the electronic delivery option for both publications.  To opt-out of BLET publications in print, members will need to go to the Members Only area of the BLET website, click on the “Update Personal Information” option, and then select “Publication Delivery Preference.” Those who opt-out will be alerted by email whenever new publications are available in electronic format.