BLET ratifies contract with Great Western Railway

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Great Western Railway of Colorado (GWR).

The new contract runs through 2023 and provides upfront wage increases of 38 percent for locomotive engineers and 40 percent for conductors. Members also will receive 2 percent general wage increases each year throughout the remainder of the contract, BLET officials said in a press release.

Additionally, the agreement contains "no harmful work rule changes," they said.

The BLET organized the GWR in 2003. Its members belong to Division 256 in Denver, and they are represented by the BNSF General Committee of Adjustment for contract negotiations and enforcement.

Part of OmniTRAX Inc., the GWR operates more than 80 miles of track in Colorado, where it interchanges with BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad.