What does the Membership expect from the Union's Leadership?

Every International President since 1863 has stared this question directly in its face; now, it is my turn. I certainly welcome the opportunity to respond to the question pondered by the 18 Brothers who preceeded me in the office of Grand Chief Engineer/International President.

Throughout my years of service, I have often heard officers -- and some members -- state that the average member demands more than any leader of this organization can provide. I disagree with those feelings. While I agree that the responsibilities of leadership can be great, I also feel that they can be met, and even exceeded, if a leader is willing to work hard and always keep in mind that the members are the backbone of the organization.

What do our members demand of their leaders? First, and foremost, they demand honesty. They demand that their leaders tell them the truth. Our membership has become more and more educated over the years. They know when they are being lied to. They know when they are being told half-truths. And they know when someone is trying to put a political spin on an issue, a decision or a situation. They will not tolerate anything less than the truth ... as well they shouldn't.

Second, the membership expects their leadership to be aggressive and courageous. They will no longer accept excuses for passive leadership. They know that aggressiveness and courage on the part of their leaders are required, if they are to produce acceptable results at the bargaining table and improvements in their quality of life. The membership demands that we possess or acquire the knowledge necessary -- not just to carry out the narrowest duties of our office -- but to go above and beyond the minimum requirements and obligations. And, the membership will tolerate nothing less than our hard work and most honest effort on every issue we undertake.

Third, our members demand customer service. They are the "consumers" of the representation services provided by the leadership. In the 1980s, corporate America began focusing more attention adapting their goods and services to reflect the changing needs and expectations of consumers; some unions have been too slow to adopt this necessary approach to improving the organization as a whole.

While we must view each individual member as a customer -- whom we need to satisfy with the level of service we provide -- we also have to acknowledge the unique social function that labor unions perform. Besides acting as a pressure group on employers, working to advance the members' interests, unions also promote the members' agenda in the legislative, political and regulatory arenas. This creates the additional duty to inform, educate and mobilize the membership at the grass roots level to act for themselves on those issues where "people power" can influence the outcome.

Fourth, the membership demands innovation on the part of its leadership. The "way we have always done it," "business as usual," and "staying the course" are not acceptable in this era, and have proven to be pathways to failure. Members expect their leaders to find new ways to achieve the goals that can no longer be accomplished by the ways and means of the past. The membership also expects its ideas and suggestions to be considered, in addition to that of our officers.

These are the real demands of our membership. Are these demands so great that they cannot be met by any one individual alone? The answer is yes. But they can be met by leaders willing to use the ideas, suggestions, opinions, views, support, cooperation and active participation of any and every member of the Organization. A leader of any organization cannot expect to meet these demands by acting in isolation from his membership.

As your International President, I cannot be an island and expect to accomplish anything of significance for you. Working together in unity and solidarity, however, our expectations and our successes will grow in proportion to our collective determination. I do not shrink from the responsibility of leadership; rather, I welcome it. Meeting the demands of BLE members is my goal ... finding the avenues to reach that goal is my responsibility and obligation. I intend to meet that responsibility and fulfill that obligation head on.

© 2000 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers