CLEVELAND, April 7 — 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 May 16, 2010.
This workshop will be a departure from previous General Chairman workshops — it is more of a writing course that will focus on the preparation of submissions for arbitration and general business correspondence.
“The Education & Training Department has received numerous requests from General Chairmen for a workshop format that focuses on elements of good, persuasive writing of arbitration submissions,” said BLET National Secretary-Treasurer Bill Walpert, who heads the Education and Training Department. “The upcoming workshop takes those requests into consideration.”
The workshop will be held from Sunday, May 16 through Thursday, May 20, at the Hyatt Regency in St. Louis, Mo.
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 https://www.ble-t.org/gc.
The five-day workshop will be held from May 16-20 (Sunday-Thursday), starting at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, with a half a day on Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon.
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 $116 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 https://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; Special Representative & 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.
For more information, please contact Ken Kroeger, Coordinator of the BLET Education & Training Dept., at (216) 272-0986 or kroeger@ble-t.org.