News Team

Fall 1999
Volume 106 - No.3

News Team

Dynamic duo keeps BLErs 'in the know'

The two-person Public Relations Department of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers' International Division is a dynamic duo responsible for producing press releases, publications and website News Flashes.

John Bentley Jr., editor of the BLE's monthly Locomotive Engineer Newsletter and quarterly Locomotive Engineers Journal, and Kathleen Policy, associate editor of both publications, are charged with the task of informing 58,000 BLE members about the union's activities.

It's not an easy job, but the two have excelled, bringing industry-wide recognition to the BLE for quality of its publications.

Earlier this year, BLE publications were given 10 different awards for excellence from the Association of Railway Communicators (ARC) and the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA), AFL-CIO.

Production of the BLE's two publications is the department's main focus. Both Bentley and Policy write articles for publication after completing an extensive research and interview process. Bentley then designs the Newsletter in-house while the Journal is designed by an outside agency.

The Department also updates the daily news section of the BLE website, placing industry news in the "Today's Headlines" section and posting important BLE news in the form of "News Flashes."

The Department writes and distributes press releases to generate media attention to issues of importance to BLE and its members. They then handle the resulting inquiries from newspaper and television reporters.

Bentley, a Cleveland native, began working for the BLE in August of 1995. He earned a bachelors degree from Marietta College in May of 1994, majoring in journalism and minoring in political science. He was married to Carolyn in September of 1999.

Policy, the associate editor, is new to the BLE, having started in April of 1999. She received a bachelors degree in political science and mass communications from Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Ind., in 1998. She is a native of Hubbard, Ohio, and is new to the Cleveland area.

"It's a lot of work and it keeps us on our toes," Bentley said. "We're proud of the awards we have received, but we do make mistakes from time to time. I always hear about them because BLE members are never shy about pointing them out."

In September 1999, the Newsletter received two first-place awards from the Association of Railway Communicators, North America's oldest industrial editors organization, for "Best Newsletter" and "Best Photography."

Historically, the Public Relations Department can trace its roots to January of 1867 when the first issue of the Locomotive Engineers Journal was published. The BLE has issued a publication to its members every year since for the past 132 years.

Today, the Public Relations Department has the ability to spread news to BLE members on a daily basis through its internet web site.

Accurate, fast and frequent communications will be important in the near future if the UTU continues its raiding tactics on the Union Pacific Railroad.

"When I first started working for the BLE four years ago, we didn't even have a website," Bentley said. "Now we have one of the best in the rail industry and we're updating it every day. Communication is the key. It started in 1867 with the Journal and will continue in the future through the internet. The website will become more important in the future, but for now, the Newsletter and Journal are still the primary modes of communication with BLE members."

Editorial content for the Newsletter and Journal is determined and coordinated by the BLE's Publications Committee. According to the union's Constitution & Bylaws, the committee is made up of International President Edward Dubroski, First Vice-President Jim McCoy, General Secretary-Treasurer Russ Bennett, U.S. National Legislative Representative Leroy Jones, and Editor John Bentley. The committee meets once a month to discuss material for the upcoming publications.

In addition, the day-to-day oversight of the Public Relations Department is handled by Thomas A. Pontolillo, Director of Communications and Strategic Coordination. Pontolillo belongs to BLE Division 11 (New York, NY) and first joined the BLE on Sept. 1, 1973.