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Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Sadly, I must report to you that the leadership of the United Transportation Union is at it again making another back-door attack on the craft of the locomotive engineer and the membership of the BLE.
The UTU has petitioned the National Mediation Board and demanded that all railroad operating employees be lumped into one craft. The UTU leaders falsely claim that a representation dispute exists throughout the industry. They are calling for a "vote" beginning on the Union Pacific Railroad in an attempt to create a single craft for engineers, conductors and brakemen. Their position that only one operating craft exists in the railroad industry today is totally ludicrous.
BLE leaders pledge to you that we will fight this unconscionable violation of your rights with every weapon at our disposal.
We have already won unanimous support from the Rail Labor Division of the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department. Every rail union except the UTU voted to condemn this action and appealed to the NMB to reject the UTU request. We have filed an official complaint with the AFL-CIO, charging UTU with violating the AFL-CIO constitution.
Will UTU leaders stand with their union Brothers and Sisters who work on the railroad? Or will they continue this divisive, self-serving attack on rail labor unity playing into the hands of management in the rail industry?
I cannot say. After agreeing to end many crafts on the railroad, and losing many members in the process, the UTU appears desperate. How else can we explain this naked attempt to grab power to risk the sanction of the entire labor movement by trying to eliminate yet another craft and steal the members of another union?
I want to make it perfectly clear, to the UTU and any rail carrier that might take pleasure in the divisive action of the UTU, that this union will stand up for its members' rights just as we always have, and in every way we can.
I know from my conversations with union members across North America that they do not want another union to take over representation of our craft. Our members recognize and respect the craft lines that exist in the railroad industry today. Locomotive engineers are proud of the organization we founded in 1863, and we are determined to continue governing our own destiny.
Just this month our Brotherhood finalized a strategic plan based entirely on membership input. We now have a clearly defined mission and vision for the future of our organization.
As with other obstacles locomotive engineers have faced in our history, we will meet this challenge head-on with the strength of our entire membership behind us.
Fraternally,
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 Unions representing rail workers have served notice that they will not allow diversions by rail management or other unions to undermine the solidarity that gives power to the voice of rail workers.
"There is an old maxim in the labor movement that 'an injury to one is an injury to all,'" said Dan Pickett, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and chair of the Rail Labor Division of the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department. "Rail labor can't stand for attacks on any one of our unions."
Pickett was referring to the application the United Transportation Union served on the National Mediation Board asking for the creation of a single class of operating employees. TTD's Rail Labor Division condemned the UTU for a "blatant attempt to raid the membership of other rail unions."
In a resolution passed unanimously by the Rail Labor Division of the TTD (except for the UTU) rail labor called on the NMB to reject the UTU petition, and also urged AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to "insist that the UTU cease and desist from this union-busting attack," using sanctions under the federation's constitution if necessary.
"This is not the first time the UTU and the BLE have had representational problems," Pickett said. "But by rail labor demonstrating its unified opposition to this tactic, we hope that this will be the last time."
"With all the restructuring and consolidation occurring on the nation's railroads, workers cannot afford to fight each other," Pickett said.
"We must maintain our solidarity in fighting together in the interests of all rail workers," he said. ·
Editor's Note: This is the first in a
series of articles that will show how
BLE leadership is implementing the
initiatives set forth in the BLE
Strategic Plan.
With the acquisition of two full-motion locomotive simulators from Canadian National Railway, the BLE has begun implementation of its membership-developed Strategic Plan.
The BLE plans to use the simulators as the basis for two locomotive engineer training schools.
No specific location for the schools has been established, but one will be housed in Canada and the second will be in the U.S.
"Members wanted to focus on mentoring and training engineers because they know how important it is," President Clarence Monin said. "We're taking their plan and their vision for the future and bringing it into fruition."
Strategic Initiatives 2.5, 5.9 and 5.10 directly relate to the acquisition of the simulators.
Strategic Initiative 5.9 calls for the BLE to, "Carry out an analysis of the feasibility of establishing BLE as the training and federal certification agency for all engineers," while Initiative 5.10 reads, "Carry out an analysis of the feasibility of establishing one or more BLE locomotive engineer training facilities which would act as the sole source of trained engineers for all railroads."
"We have the basis for two schools right now with the acquisition of the simulators," President Monin said. "The feasibility studies will be conducted with the Federal Railroad Administration and the various railroad companies throughout North America. It will take some time, but it is definitely an achievable goal established by our membership."
Strategic Initiative 2.5 calls for the BLE to, "Implement a Brotherhood-wide mentoring program."
"The engineer is the most senior and responsible member on the crew we always have been and we always will be," Monin said. "Once the schools are up and running, we will establish a network where our junior workers can come from training."
President Monin said that in the past, the locomotive fireman spent years beside the engineer learning the craft. However, with the elimination of the fireman's position, junior crew members seeking promotion to engineer have had to find alternative means of training.
"We have accepted the responsibility to mentor our junior workers," he said. "We didn't agree to or negotiate this situation we stepped up and accepted it." ·
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