BLET ratifies pact with Alstom for MARC commuter-rail engineers

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) members who operate Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) trains voted unanimously last week to ratify a new four-year contract with operator Alstom.

The contract is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024, and runs through Dec. 31, 2027, BLET officials said in a press release. The agreement address work rule improvements and health and welfare benefits, and provides general wage increases of 3.25%, 3%, 4% and 3% over the four years. 

Under a contract for the Maryland Transit Administration, Alstom operates MARC's Camden and Brunswick lines on CSX-owned track. Amtrak operates MARC's Penn Line on Amtrak track. The ratified contract  covers engineers who operate the Alstom lines. 

Members governed under the agreement belong to BLET Division 97 in Baltimore and the CSXT-Northern Lines General Committee of Adjustment.