Subscribe

BLET, WNYP Reach Tentative Agreement

(Photo by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659)
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineering and Trainmen (BLET) announced Oct. 27 that it has reached a tentative five-year agreement with the Western New York & Pennsylvania (WNYP) Railroad, governing rates of pay, benefits, and work rules.

If approved by the membership, the tentative agreement, BLET says, would run through 2030 and would provide for a guaranteed 40-hour work week, a signing bonus, and general wage increases each year through the life of the agreement. The tentative agreement also includes improvements to holiday pay, paid time off, and other provisions.

Members governed by this tentative agreement belong to BLET Division 16, the union’s short line division. The negotiating team consisted of Grievance Chairman Frank Graves and National Vice President James Logan. BLET first organized the WNYP property, which extends across southwestern New York and northwestern Pennsylvania from Hornell, N.Y., to Meadville, Pa., and Oil City, Pa., and north and south of Olean, N.Y., in 2008.

Ballots are due back to BLET’s National Division by Nov. 11.