Summer 2000
Volume 107 - No. 2
Summer 2000
Volume 107 - No. 2
BLE General Secretary-Treasurer Bennett, right, meets with Vice President Al Gore during the AFL-CIO convention in 1997.
"Stewardship - To establish financial stability, to manage the BLE assets, to provide member services, to encourage education and training and to promote long-term growth."
This is how BLE General Secretary-Treasurer Russell Bennett defines his role in the BLE. He sees himself as a steward for the membership and works to achieve success following this ideal.
Bennett was elected to the BLE's chief financial office on July 18, 1996, at the BLE's Sixth Quinquennial Convention. Since that time, he has advocated being responsible with the BLE's money and provided financial accountability to the members.
"It has been an extremely interesting four years," said Bennett. "I have made decisions with the membership in mind even when it was not the easy path. I seriously looked at what we needed to do during these rapidly changing times."
"There is a six letter word that most businesses use to stop growth or change - budget!" Bennett said. "A budget guides you and provides a benchmark when you track your progress towards your goals. It should not prevent us from doing the things we need to do to make the BLE grow or change. It requires us to make intelligent and wise choices."
Bennett knew coming out of the 1996 International Convention
that the Executive Committee was going to have to make some difficult choices.
"Our Constitution requires a lot of value-added member services, but there are no specific provisions to fund those new services," said Bennett. "One can easily throw money at a problem, but it takes sharp management skills and sound business decisions to address those problems in an fiscally responsible manner."
Born into a railroad family on June 24, 1954, he followed his father and his brother into the railroad industry. His father was a conductor on the Santa Fe and urged his son to go into engine service based upon his own experience in train service. Bennett remembers the family difficulties that arise from not having enough seniority to work, being bumped, working rotary boards and holding an away-from-home assignment.
Bennett noted, "Many of our members experience a lot of heartache just to have an opportunity to work. It is very gratifying when we can improve their quality of life."
Russ began his professional railroad career in 1973, as a carload-tracking clerk for Union Pacific in Los Angeles. In 1976, he moved to Portland, Ore., where he revised and implemented a new filing system for the pricing and sales departments. He made the jump into engine service on the Union Pacific in October 1979 and earned his promotion to locomotive engineer on Jan 9, 1981.
"Timing is an interesting thing; I was bumped off my job in the pricing department the same day I received a call for an engine service interview. Ironically, I had applied for it almost a year earlier," said Bennett.
A BLE member since Oct. 1, 1979, his first union office was Vice-Local chairman of Division 236, from 1981-83. He was elevated to Local Chairman and served from 1983-86, before he became General Chairman on the UP General Committee of Adjustment over the Oregon District in 1987.
Before his election to GST, he served a dual role as Vice-Local Chairman of BLE Division 236 in Portland and Alternate Secretary-Treasurer of the UP General Committee of Adjustment Western Region, from 1993 to 1996.
"Two of the proudest moments of my railroad career were when I was promoted to an engineer and when I became a General Chairman," said Bennett. "They were sweet because my father shared both of them. He died just after I became a General Chairman. He would be very proud to know that I was elected to an International position. My proudest railroad career moment was becoming GST."
His family and friends urged Russ to return to college and he graduated in 1994 from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He double-majored in Human Resource Management and Information Systems & Quantitative Analysis. He jokes that, "he knows about people and he knows about figures and likes both of them." Bennett said he went back to school for two reasons: To fulfill a personal goal and to make himself a better representative for BLE members.
He enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Cindy, and his dog, Mikey. The couple relocated to the Cleveland area following his election in 1996.
His varied experiences have given him a respect and appreciation for the people who work with him.
"Secretary-Treasurers rarely receive any accolades. Their work is difficult, frustrating and time consuming. I really appreciate the work they do," said Bennett. "One of my goals is to develop more tools to make the ST job easier, such as 'The BLEST' computer software program."
Bennett and the ID staff are working to achieve a vision that will move the BLE towards real-time processes. It includes plans to develop and implement on-line filing of remittance and governmental reports. The BLE strives to achieve 100 percent compliance.
"Our staff reflects the dedication of our members," said Bennett. "They go above and beyond the call of duty. They sacrifice their personal time with their families in order to make the BLE successful. I'm extremely proud of them."
As for his own future, Bennett would like to serve at the BLE ID office for another 20 years.
"I ran for GST because I thought I could make a difference,"
said Bennett. "I continuously pursue that never-ending goal."
© 2000 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers