The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is a Division of the Rail Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and also the nation’s oldest labor union.
The union began in 1863 as the Brotherhood of the Footboard; a year later, its name was changed to The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. This year marks the union’s 160th anniversary. The BLE merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and became the BLET on January 1, 2004.
As of August 2023, the union represents 51,000 locomotive engineers and other railroad service workers at Class I railroads, as well as short line, passenger rand commuter railroads across the United States, including Amtrak.
