BLET members OK first contract with Arizona Eastern Railway

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen members working for the Arizona Eastern Railway (AZER) have unanimously ratified their first labor contract with the short line. 

The 22 AZER workers joined BLET in June 2024. The new five-year agreement establishes working rights that BLET members have at other railroads, BLET officials said in a press release. Those rights include a seniority roster with prior rights protections; grievance procedures and union protections from discipline; guaranteed work weeks with rest days; a process to promote engineers; a formal training process; paid time off; general wage increases and a signing bonus.

Owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc., the AZER operates 206 miles of track between Clifton and Miami, Arizona. The short line interchanges with Union Pacific Railroad in Lordsburg, New Mexico.

Workers covered by the AZER agreement belong to BLET Division 16, the union's short-line division.