BLE regional convention chairmen gathered in Cleveland this month to meet with the BLE Education & Training Department and finalize plans for their four regional meetings in 1999.
During the day-long meeting, the E&T Dept. offered to conduct one or more of its informational presentations at the conventions.
From left: Darvin Faust, Southeastern Meeting Association Chairman; Mrs. Bill Morris; and Bill Morris, Southwestern Convention Meeting Chairman.
E&T Dept. presentations cover such topics as fatigue, a local chairman workshop, and a slide show explaining the proposed formation of a new union between the BLE and the United Transportation Union.
The chairmen reviewed their agendas and tentatively selected which presentations they felt best suited their conventions.
Representing the Eastern Union Meeting Association (EUMA) was Chairman Tommy Roberts and Arrangements Chairman John Rupp; representing the Southwestern Convention Meeting (SWCM) was Bill Morris and his wife; representing the International Western Convention (IWC) was Allan McGunigal; and representing the Southeastern Meeting Association (SMA) was Darvin Faust.
John Rupp, EUMA Arrangements Chair
Representing the E&T Dept. was its Director, Vice-President Bill Walpert, and Larry James, Coordinator of the E&T Dept.
The regional chairmen also discussed budgetary matters with representatives from BLE Designated Legal Counsel, headed by Bill Jungbauer. Legal Counsel also paid for expenses incurred on the trip.
The SMA will be held June 20-24 in Biloxi, Miss. Hotel reservations can be made by calling the Beau Rivage at (888) 567-6667. Write Brother Faust for details at: 709 Burke St., Saraland, AL 36571; or call (334) 679-4818.
Tom Roberts, EUMA Chairman
The IWC is July 5-8 in Calgary, Alberta. Guests will stay at the Holiday Inn Downtown, and can make reservations by calling (800) 661-9378. For details, write: 8989 Macleod Trail South, Suite 309, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 0M2, Canada; or call (403) 640-4115; or fax (403) 640-4140.
The SWCM will be held August 9-13 at the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, La. The Fairmont Hotel is adjacent to the French Quarter, and reservations can be made by calling (800) 527-4727 (U.S. only) or (504) 529-7111.
The EUMA convention is August 17-21, at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center in Hershey, Pa. Register at the hotel by calling (800) 533-3131, and be sure to ask for the reduced BLE group rate. For conventions details, write Arrangements Chairman Rupp at: 333 W. Main St., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055; or call (717) 766-5723.
Allan McGunigal, IWC Chairman
The BLE offers a variety of benefits to its members, and it is the pleasure of the Locomotive Engineer Newsletter to periodically remind the members of these services.
These benefits come in a variety of forms, from the quarterly Locomotive Engineers Journal to the 24-hour Safety Task Force Hotline number.
In this issue of the Newsletter, we look at the toll-free hotline services the Brotherhood offers to its members.
Decertification Helpline, (800) 393-2716
This 24-hour hotline is for BLE members facing a possible decertification event. It is the railroad industry's only decertification helpline and is provided exclusively by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
The line is administered by BLE Vice-President Rick Radek, who is in charge of the BLE's Arbitration Department. Brother Radek reports that the helpline received 1,500 calls per year during the first two years the service was offered.
BLE Safety Task Force Hotline, (800) 306-5414
The BLE Safety Task Force hotline was established in June of 1993, and even though the number has changed, the purpose remains the same.
Members are urged to call the 24-hour hotline if they are involved in or witness to an accident.
Before calling, please be prepared with a description and location of the accident. You will get a voice mail box when you call, so be sure to leave the following information:
The BLE Safety Task Force is routinely given Party Status by the National Transportation Safety Board to help investigate train accidents.
Most recently, the BLE was granted party status to assist the NTSB in investigating the fatal Amtrak collision in Bourbonnais, Ill.
Director of the Safety Task Force is Vice-President William C. Walpert. ·
Safety Hotline, (216) 241-2630, extension HOT
BLE President Clarence Monin established the BLE's Safety Hotline in July of 1997. The latest hotline service offered by the BLE, the Safety Hotline is for members to use when reporting unsafe conditions on their respective properties.
Members can call anytime day or night to voice their safety concerns.
"We are happy to provide this service to our membership as another way of improving safety," Monin said. "We will be able to respond to unsafe situations sooner than ever."
"The Decertification Helpline was the first-ever hotline of its type in the rail industry," Monin said. "With the addition of the Safety Hotline and the Safety Task Force Hotline, the BLE is clearly in the lead among rail labor unions when it comes to concern for safety."
In past years, the BLE Job Bank has regularly published information in this newsletter about vacancies on various Class I railroads. However, these postings have become fewer and fewer.
That's because railroad companies have posted openings in such a short time frame that it has been impossible to publish them within our deadlines. For example, the railroads would only accept resumes for a one-week stretch, making it impossible for us to publish the job openings and get the newsletter to you in time.
To combat these limited windows, members are encouraged to submit their resumes to the BLE Job Bank, maintained by BLE General Secretary-Treasurer Russ Bennett.
"From time to time, various railroads ask us to suggest candidates who may be qualified to fill their vacancies," Bennett said. "If we have a member's resume and preferences in the Job Bank, we can help match available positions with BLE members."
BLE members should mail their resumes and preferences to:
GST Russell Bennett
BLE Job Bank
1370 Ontario St., Mezzanine
Cleveland, OH 44113-1702
General Chairmen with information about job vacancies should contact the GST's office at (216) 241-2630, ext. 227.
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