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BLET Weekly News Recap, 3-28-24
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Follow the BLET online and stay up-to-date on all the latest union news and information.
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JOIN US THIS SUMMER!:
Registration now open for BLET’s Kansas City regional meeting |
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Registration is now open for the BLET’s Western Regional Meeting, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, the week of June 3, 2024.
Guests will stay at the Marriott Kansas City Downtown (200 West 12th St., Kansas City, MO, 65105, telephone: (816) 421-6800). Meeting registration and hotel reservations can be made through BLET’s regional meeting website, bletregionals.org. Room rates are $199 per night (plus tax) and reservations must be made by April 23, 2024.
More info can be found here.
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END OF AN ERA:
Amtrak General Chairman Mark Kenny retires |
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Division 11 Member Mark B. Kenny retired on December 31, 2023, bringing an end to more than a quarter century as Chairman of the Amtrak/KCS/VRE/Caltrain General Committee of Adjustment. Brother Kenny was elected to seven consecutive terms as General Chairman (1998, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021), all by acclamation. He negotiated dozens of collective bargaining agreements with, and represented members in several hundred arbitration cases against, the railroads where the General Committee held representation rights. Prior to becoming General Chairman, Kenny served as Alternate General Chairman and, for multiple terms, as Eastern Region Chairman. Read the full story here.
See a gallery of photo highlights of Brother Kenny's BLET career. |
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ORGANIZING:
BLET seeks to represent workers at Arizona Eastern Railway |
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On March 26, the BLET filed an application with the National Mediation Board (NMB) to secure union representation for 21 workers at the short line Arizona Eastern Railway (AZER), a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary.
During a recent organizing drive, the BLET obtained signatures on Authorization Cards from a majority of the 21 AZER train and engine service employees. The NMB is expected to act on BLET’s petition in the coming days.
The AZER operates 206 miles of track in Arizona and New Mexico, and interchanges with the Union Pacific at Lordsburg, New Mexico.
Photo courtesy: Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659 |
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GET INVOLVED:
Unions are Not a Spectator Sport |
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This fall, the BLET will hold elections for all Local Division Offices. The process kicks off with nominations being held at each Division’s first regular meeting in September. All eligible members are encouraged to run for office.
The IBT Constitution provides that members are eligible to run for election only if they are “in continuous good standing . . . and actively employed in the craft . . . for a period of twenty-four (24) consecutive months prior to the month of nomination” (IBT Constitution, Article II, Section 4(a)(1)).
In general, “continuous good standing” means the timely payment of dues for each of the twenty-four (24) months during the applicable period, together with no interruptions in active service during that period. If exempt from the payment of dues, a member who wishes to maintain continuous good standing must pay dues at the non-working rate.
Read the full story here. |
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CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH:
Civil Engineer Olive Dennis an innovative pioneer with Baltimore & Ohio Railroad |
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Olive Dennis (1885-1957) was an American engineer whose design innovations changed the nature of railroad travel. In 1920, she became only the second woman to obtain a Civil Engineer degree from Cornell University. She was hired by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to design bridges, and soon became the railroad’s first “service engineer.”
Her innovations improved passenger train travel for all customers, including reclining seats, stain-resistant upholstery, ceiling lights that could be dimmed at night, air conditioned compartments, and individual window vents (which she patented) to bring in fresh air while trapping dust outside. The B&O launched a special passenger train, the Cincinnatian, that incorporated all of her innovations. |
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EASTER 2024:
We hope your Easter is egg-stra special this year! |
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Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen · 7061 East Pleasant Valley Road · Independence, OH 44131 · USA
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