CLEVELAND, February 24 — The BLET Education & Training Department, in conjunction with the BLET Arbitration Department, is offering a General Chairman’s workshop in St. Louis, Mo., the week of April 17, 2011.
The five-day workshop begins on Sunday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. Classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 18 through April 20, with a half day class on Thursday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and is limited to the first 10 who register. Interested parties must register through the BLET website at www.ble-t.org/gc.
While there is no tuition for the class, attendees are responsible for all other expenses.
Attendance is limited to General Chairmen and/or any subordinates they designate who are engaged in arbitration work. The Education & Training Department asks that you bring a copy of your basic Schedule Agreement for reference.
Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will qualify for a $123 per day stipend from the North American Railway Foundation (NARF). The stipends will be paid directly to the General Committee Secretary-Treasurer.
NARF is a non-profit operating foundation formed by the Brotherhood’s Relief and Compensation Fund (BR&CF) to support rail history, education, safety, and technology in the United States and Canada. With initial funding and continued Board of Directors stewardship coming from the BR&CF, NARF has supported many non-political projects throughout the United States and Canada over the past 10 years. The primary focus of these efforts has been in support of organized rail labor — giving back to all of the men and women of the railroad community across North America.
General Chairman or their designated subordinates who are interested in registering for the workshop may do so online at www.ble-t.org/gc. If you are not a General Chairman, then you must have your General Chairman’s permission to attend the workshop.
Workshop instructors will include: BLET National Secretary-Treasurer William C. Walpert; BLET Vice President & Arbitration Director Marcus Ruef; Coordinator of Education and Training Ken Kroeger; and Assistant Director of Arbitration Doug Davidson.
The BLET pays the costs of books and equipment. General Chairmen and Vice General Chairmen who attend are responsible for their transportation costs, along with the cost of room and board. Special arrangements have been made at the Hyatt Regency-Riverfront in St. Louis. Once your attendance at the workshop has been approved, you will be sent a confirmation letter that will include instructions on how to register for the hotel.
The General Chairman class will be the sixth workshop that the BLET Education & Training Department has held in 2011. The other five workshops include:
• GCA Secretary-Treasurer workshop in San Diego, Calif. (January 9-12);
• Legislative Representative workshop in Washington, D.C. (February 13-17);
• Secretary-Treasurer workshop in Atlanta, Ga. (February 27-March 2);
• Secretary-Treasurer workshop in Vancouver, Wash. (March 13-16); and
• Local Chairman workshop in Champaign, Ill. (March 20-24).
For more information, please contact Ken Kroeger, Coordinator of the BLET Education & Training Dept., at (216) 272-0986 or kroeger@ble-t.org.