CLEVELAND, May 8 — As the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) marks its 149th anniversary today, National President Dennis R. Pierce announced the formation of a special committee to help the Organization celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2013.
“Our Brotherhood will celebrate its 150th anniversary on May 8, 2013, and set yet another benchmark for the North American labor movement,” President Pierce said. “In an effort to ensure that our observance of this historic event is truly memorable, I am establishing the BLET””s 150th Anniversary Planning Committee. The committee will work as a group to prepare our celebration and will be comprised of members and officers, active and retired, who will plan, coordinate and execute a very special commemoration of our Brotherhood””s major milestone. I am confident that our team””s effort will produce a celebration that all BLET members will point to with pride.”
The BLET is the oldest labor union in the United States, founded as the Brotherhood of the Footboard on May 8, 1863 in Marshall, Mich. In 1864, delegates changed the name of the organization to Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), the name it held for 140 years. In 2004, the BLE merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and became BLET. The BLET is the founding member of the Teamsters Rail Conference. Today, the union represents 55,000 hard working professional locomotive engineers and trainmen throughout the United States.
President Pierce said details regarding the 150th anniversary celebration will be announced as plans become finalized over the next several months.