BLET, Amtrak reach tentative pact

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative agreement for more than 1,400 locomotive engineers who operate Amtrak's passenger and commuter trains over its 21,000-mile, 46-state route system.

The seven-year agreement calls for full retroactive payments dating to July 1, 2022. If ratified, the pact will run through 2028, according to the BLET's weekly newsletter.

Contract highlights include:
• a 30% general wage increase (34.12% compounded);
• 10 weeks of paid parental leave;
• a "significant" increase in away-from-home expenses;
• improvement to bereavement leave, transitioning from three calendar days to three working days; and
• the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.

Ratification ballots will be mailed Nov. 15 and counted Dec. 6, with results to be announced later that day.