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It all started with a case of poison ivy.
In the summer of 1994 BLE Division 391 Member Tim Lesher went to visit a local physician to get some relief for the poison ivy he had contacted. It was during the visit that Tim mentioned to his doctor the peculiar problem he had been having with his heal/toe walking motion and a minor weakness in his right leg -- a weakness that Tim thought was only temporary and would eventually go away.
Upon examination his doctor noticed a sizable difference between his right and left calves and had early suspicions of what was wrong. It wasn't until Tim saw a group of medical specialists at the University of Iowa Hospitals that his doctor's suspicions were confirmed -- Tim had Lou Gehrig's disease.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurological disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of motor cells in the spinal cord and brain. When the motor neuron cells can no longer send the impulses to the muscles, there is significant muscle weakness, especially in the arms and legs. Victims also have difficulty with speech, swallowing and breathing.
When muscles no longer receive the messages they require to function, they begin to disintegrate. There is no cure and its cause is unknown. ALS can strike anyone. The financial cost to families of persons with ALS is exceedingly high, and sometimes more than $200,000 per year can be spent on care for a patient with ALS.
Brother Lesher started his railroad career in 1976 on the Santa Fe Railroad in Barstow, Calif. In 1979 he pursued his dream and transferred into engine service. Three years later, he came to Ft. Madison, Iowa in an engineers' seniority trade, working in pool freight service between Ft. Madison and Chicago. He joined the BLE on Feb. 1, 1983. Brother Lesher worked out of Ft. Madison for 13 years before his sickness forced him to leave his job.
Because of his disease, the last time Brother Lesher worked steady as a locomotive engineer was in the summer of 1995. In June of 1997 he applied for and was given a disability annuity from the Railroad Retirement Board which became effective in December of 1997.
In the past two and a half years, the medical bills have been mounting and have placed a huge financial burden on his family.
He and his wife Dale have two children. Their daughter Kelly is a 14-year-old freshman at Aquinas High School in Ft. Madison who is already making plans for college. Their son Casey is 13 years old and is in 7th grade at Aquinas Jr. High School. Dale currently works part time as an office assistant for a local chiropractor.
Brother Lesher's current status requires him to pay for his own medical insurance premiums, deductibles, office co-pays, and all of the medical goods required for treatment. He is must use an electric wheelchair (which requires frequent maintenance) and a specially designed van equipped with a wheelchair lift. Each night he must sleep with the aid of a breathing machine. The costs of these necessary medical devices are mounting, especially with the family's limited financial income.
Any BLE brother or sister wishing to help cover the medical expenses of Brother Lesher may do so by sending donations to:
Brother Lesher would like to thank all of his BLE brothers and sisters for their generosity.
"Everyone has been just great," Brother Lesher said. "I can't say enough about the kindness that my family and I have experienced."
First Alternate Vice-President Dale McPherson, left, discusses his new territories with Vice-President Bill Walpert. McPherson was recently added to the International Division staff to coordinate short line railroads.
McPherson will assist in obtaining collective bargaining agreements for short line and regional railroads organized by the BLE.
Prior to his current appointment, Brother McPherson served as General Chairman for Burlington Northern-Santa Fe. He belongs to Division 180 in Glendive, Mont., and joined the BLE on June 1, 1975.
CLEVELAND, March 20 -- Union Pacific Railroad President Jerry Davis conceded that safety issues raised by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers were ignored when his railroad merged with Southern Pacific last year.
Speaking at a National Transportation Board hearing yesterday in Springfield, Va., Davis said that normal safety efforts "needed to be fortified under the extremes of a complex merger and severe service problem."
UP's breach of safety resulted in a rash of 15 accidents that claimed 13 lives last year -- including the lives of BLE engineers Roy W. Adams and Michael E. Brown.
"Many of the safety issues that were brought out later, our employees had brought to management time and time again," said BLE Vice-President Bill Walpert, who also directs the BLE Safety Task Force.
In addition to inadequate safety precautions, UP has grappled with traffic flow problems which have caused extreme congestion in Texas and throughout the West.
BLE Safety Task Force Member Jim Bradford is scheduled to testify at the hearing today. One of 17 witnesses, Bradford will testify on the BLE's role in safety oversight on UP, its participation in the joint UP-FRA-BLE Safety Assurance and Compliance Program, and the operation of trains by UP management. Vice-President Walpert has served as the BLE's spokesman throughout the three-day hearing.
A Federal Railroad Administration report last month outlined four major causes of UP's problems: fatigue, under staffing, insufficient supervision and heavy workloads for dispatchers. Future tragedies can be prevented, the FRA said, if railroad companies focus more on safety than on profits in mega-mergers such as the UP-SP deal.
On top of its current safety and traffic jam troubles, Dow Chemical Co. announced on Wednesday that it filed a $25 million lawsuit against Union Pacific Corp. for breach of contract to provide "reasonable" service.
The lawsuit, filed in Brazoria County District Court in Texas, alleges that the breakdown in Union Pacific rail service that began last summer has cost Dow more than $25 million in alternate shipping arrangements, lost production and sales, and other related losses at two Gulf Coast plants.
CLEVELAND -- A Joint Craft Scholarship is now available through the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers to college-bound children of union members working in all railroad operating crafts.
The $500-$1,000 scholarships are available to children of employees of any railroad represented by any railroad union currently covered under the Federal Employers Liability Act.
"To my knowledge this is the only scholarship program that covers all craft lines and is available on any railroad," BLE Burlington Northern-Santa Fe General Chairman John D. Mullen said.
The program provides financial aid to children who wouldn't be able to attend college without the help.
"There are no stipulations if you are already attending college or are just starting out," Mullen said. "The Committee focuses more on the applicant's financial need rather than his or her academic performance."
Completed applications must be received by April 15. Applications will be reviewed and award winners announced at a Scholarship Committee meeting in May.
For an application packet, please write or call: Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, General Committee of Adjustment, BNSF Railroad/ Santa Fe Railroad Committee, 611 N. Broadway, Joshua, TX 76058, Phone: (817) 426-9003. ·
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