BLET, Wheeling & Lake Erie agree on tentative contracts

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached two tentative agreements with Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co., one for locomotive engineers and one for trainmen.

The proposed agreements cover work rules, rates of pay, and health and welfare issues for 75 locomotive engineers and more than 130 trainmen, BLET officials said in a press release.

Ratification ballots have been mailed to active members and are due Jan. 18, 2019.

Based in Brewster, Ohio, the Wheeling & Lake Erie operates 840 miles of track in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. The railroad handles more than 140,000 carloads annually and interchanges with CSX, CN, Norfolk Southern Railway and 16 regional, short-line and switching railroads.