BREWSTER, November 12, 2026 — About 140 engineers and conductors walked off the job at the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway at noon on Wednesday, halting operations across a four-state network. The strike, called by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, centers on the railroad’s use of managers to perform conductors’ work, a practice the union says violates both its contract and a federal court order from 2013.
Picket Lines Go Up Across Ohio
Gary Best, the union’s first vice president, said picket lines were established at four or five locations in Ohio by mid-afternoon Wednesday. Workers gathered at the railroad’s headquarters in Brewster as well as sites in Canton on Gambrinus Avenue Southwest and in Akron on East Market Street. The union posted images of the Brewster picket line showing members holding signs in the cold November air. Best said the walkout would continue until management agrees to abide by the collective bargaining agreement and the prior court decision.
Echoes of the 2013 Dispute
The current confrontation revives a bitter fight from 13 years ago. In 2013, the union struck over the same issue: W&LE’s attempt to replace conductors with managers and, in some instances, operate trains with single-person crews. That dispute ended in federal court with an order the union says explicitly bars the railroad from using managers in place of bargaining-unit conductors. Best said that in the past week, the railway operated a train staffed by two non-bargaining managers instead of a conductor and an engineer. When the union asked for a written commitment to honor the contract and the court order, he said, management refused.
Regional Freight Artery at a Standstill
The work stoppage freezes a critical regional freight link. Wheeling & Lake Erie operates 840 miles of track stretching from Hagerstown, Maryland, through West Virginia and Pennsylvania, serving Pittsburgh and northeast Ohio before terminating in Toledo. The railroad interchanges with three Class I carriers and 16 regional and shortline operators. It moves more than 140,000 carloads a year for over 135 customers, many of them steel mills and heavy industry dependent on just-in-time delivery. The railroad employs more than 425 people and is headquartered in Brewster, about 60 miles south of Cleveland.
New Ownership, Old Conflict
FTAI Infrastructure Inc., a New York-based infrastructure company traded on NASDAQ under the ticker FIP, acquired the railway in 2025 for $1.05 billion. The company also owns the Pittsburgh-based Transtar Union Railroad Co. A spokesperson for W&LE did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. The union characterizes the railroad’s conduct as a “major dispute” under the Railway Labor Act, a designation that permits immediate “self-help” — including a strike — without the prolonged cooling-off periods typical in rail labor disputes.
National Union Backing
BLET National President Mark Wallace, who also serves as president of the Teamsters Rail Conference, pledged the full support of the national union and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. “This employer has not only violated our contract and compromised safety standards; they also have arrogantly thumbed their nose at the federal courts,” Wallace said in a statement. “We will protect the members we represent and the communities this railroad serves by shutting down train operations until this railroad’s management abides by court orders and the terms of our agreement.” Best said Wednesday afternoon that he was not aware of any response from the railroad. “We’re in for the long haul,” he said. “So as long as it takes.”
Sources
- BREAKING NEWS: BLET strikes Wheeling & Lake Erie – Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
- Wheeling & Lake Erie engineers, conductors strike over managers filling crew positions
- Strike called today at one of the nation’s largest regional railroads after employer arrogantly violates directive from the federal courts and its union contract – Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
- BLET members launch strike at Wheeling & Lake Erie
- Workers launch strike against Stark-based Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway
Photo: NSRailfan412 (Public domain)
