Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (center, blue tie) at the BLET Minnesota State Legislative Board meeting in April of 2023.
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During campaign season, politicians will make promises — but can they deliver? Can they be believed? In Tim Walz’s case, the nominee for Vice President, he has a record of delivering on promises made to railroaders.
In 2023, long before most people outside of Minnesota knew who Tim Walz was, he was signing BLET-backed rail safety reforms as governor of Minnesota. And prior to his governorship, he has a long history of supporting rail safety legislation as a member of Congress.
Walz attended the BLET’s Minnesota State Legislative Board’s quadrennial meeting in April of last year where he discussed the dangers of precision scheduled railroading, excessive train length, and various ways to improve the quality of life for railroad workers. Later, he signed the state’s two-person crew bill into law, and earlier this year signed an executive order establishing other rail safety reforms and appointing BLET Minnesota State Legislative Board Chairman Joel Mueller to a labor seat on the Governor’s Freight Rail Council.
Want to know more about the record of candidates on this Fall’s presidential election ballot and if promises made were promises kept? The National Division has published an analysis to compare and contrast how each administration (2016-2020 vs. 2020- to the present) has handled various issues of importance to the BLET, rail labor, rail safety, and the industry as a whole. To read these points of comparison between the two administrations — which include issues such as Railroad Retirement Board funding, Amtrak funding, two-person crews, and Mexican crews operating in the United States — please visit the National Division website.
In advance of the general election on November 5, the BLET National Division published a list of voting recommendations prepared by BLET’s State Legislative Board Chairmen. These recommendations can be found in the Members’ Area of the National Division website. You must first log in to access the information. First-time users will need to register, a quick and easy process that takes just a few minutes. Click here to view in the Members’ Area.