INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, March 23 — BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce today announced the appointments of nine members to the BLET Safety Task Force (STF), the rail industry’s first and oldest labor-based accident investigation team. National Secretary-Treasurer Stephen J. Bruno will continue serving as Chairman of the STF, while Brother Brian Fransen (Division 207, Casper, Wyoming) remains STF coordinator and Randy Fannon (Division 37, Norton, Virginia) remains the assistant coordinator.
Brother Fransen has served the STF as coordinator since May of 2019. He is a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) locomotive engineer and has been a BLET member since September 1, 1995. Brother Fannon has been the STF assistant coordinator since late 2019. He is a Norfolk Southern (NS) locomotive engineer who also serves the BLET as General Chairman of the NS-Eastern Lines General Committee of Adjustment.
“Brother Fransen’s service on the STF to date has been distinguished, and he has consistently shown leadership in his role as STF coordinator,” President Pierce said. “Our STF has worked hard to earn the respect of the National Transportation Safety Board, and I thank Brother Bruno, Brother Fransen, Brother Fannon, and all members of our STF for setting the standard for rail labor participation in accident investigations.”
President Pierce announced the appointment of nine new STF investigators, each assigned to fill vacancies in their geographic region. They are as follows: H.S. (Howie) Allington, Division 758 (Vancouver, Washington), BNSF; Kenny W. Abell, Division 553 (Calwa City, California) BNSF; Nick T. Mugavero Jr., Division 790 (Chicago, Illinois), CP Rail; Michael S. Banks, Division 13 (La Crosse, Wisconsin), BNSF; Scott R. Bunten, Division 301 (Roanoke, Virginia), NS; T.J. (Jamie) Sizemore, Division 423 (Tuscumbia, Alabama), NS; Dewayne L. Dehart, Division 548 (Peru, Indiana), NS; G.S. (Scott) Brown, Division 259 (Easton, Pennsylvania), NS; and Chad M. Skinner, Division 20 (Los Angeles, California), Amtrak.
The list of returning STF investigators includes: Paul T. Aird, Division 173 (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin), Canadian National; Scott P. Alexander, Division 523 (Chickasha, Oklahoma), Union Pacific (UP); Oscar A. Burrola, Division 839 (Richmond, California), BNSF; Steven D. Facklam, Division 130 (Kansas City, Kansas), BNSF; Mike A. Galvani, Division 664 (San Luis Obispo, California), UP; Donald Hill, Division 71 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), SEPTA; Erich M. Jeske, Division 256 (Denver, Colorado), BNSF; D.B. Kenner, Division 195 (Forsyth, Montana), BNSF; Shawn D. Lawton, Division 382 (Buffalo, New York), CSXT; Jim D. Maynard, Division 28 (Tucson, Arizona); UP; Kelly T. Nesmith, Division 699 (Council Bluffs, Iowa); UP; John Prokop, Division 475 (Smithville, Texas); UP; and David P. Wyatt, Division 216 (Tampa, Florida), CSXT.
The BLET became the first labor union in the railroad industry to establish a formal accident investigation team when it created the Safety Task Force in 1989. The STF assists federal agencies in the investigation of rail accidents, helping to determine probable causes and making safety recommendations. The STF is typically granted Party Status by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist with accident investigations, depending on the type and severity of the accident. The STF studies accidents from the viewpoint of locomotive engineers and trainmen to help determine how the accident occurred and how to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
“I thank these Brothers for their dedication to our Brotherhood,” President Pierce said. “Our Safety Task Force investigates accidents from the human perspective, and more importantly, from the perspective of the operating employees. I cannot overstate how important that is, especially in an industry that is increasingly more focused more on financial balance sheets and less focused on worker safety.”