CHICAGO, July 12 — Approximately 350 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and their families convened here this morning for opening ceremonies of the BLET’s regional meeting.
This is the first year the BLET National Division has hosted a regional meeting. Delegates to the Third National Convention in 2014 changed the BLET’s regional meeting structure so that there are two annual regional meetings each year sponsored by the National Division.
After presentation of flags by the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois Color Guard and the playing of the National Anthem, Paul Piekarski, Chairman of the BLET’s Illinois State Legislative Board, delivered the invocation.
BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce then welcomed all members, families and guests to Chicago. President Pierce introduced members of the BLET Advisory Board who were in attendance. He thanked National Vice President Jim Louis and Special Representative Matt Kronyak for their work in managing and organizing the regional meeting, and thanked Chicago-area arrangements committee members who provided local support: Division 404 Local Chairman Gregg Vogel; Division 683 Local Chairman Sam Lampkin; Retired Division 12 Member Dino Raptis and his wife Kathy; and Retired Division 17 Member Steve Tuck and his wife Chris.
Numerous distinguished guest speakers addressed the body, including: Jim Kabell, Teamsters International Trustee; Pat Quinn, former Governor of Illinois; Kathleen Bisbikis, BLET Auxiliary 2nd Vice President & National Legislative Representative; Joe Szabo, Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency and former Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration; Mike Ciaccio, Political Director of Teamsters Joint Council 25; and Walt Barrows, Labor Member of the Railroad Retirement Board.
In his address, President Pierce spoke about the pride, skill and professionalism of BLET members and the important role they play in the success of the nation’s freight and passenger rail industry.
“(O)ur union — along with the rest of rail labor — has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of our membership’s workplace,” President Pierce said. “Whether it be through collective bargaining agreements or through legislation and regulation, Rail Labor has been at the forefront of the movement to hold railroads accountable, and to protect railroad workers from the ‘all for the bosses, nothing for the employees’ mentality that has plagued the railroad industry since the days of the Robber Barons.
“Your union has fought in the halls of Congress for things like the Railway Labor Act, the Railroad Retirement Act, the Hours of Service Act, the Boiler Inspection Act, the Power Brake Law, the Safety Appliance Act, the Federal Railroad Safety Act and the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, all to protect our members from an industry that has literally made its profits on the backs of its employees.”
The opening ceremony also included a memorial ceremony, in which the names of all BLET members killed in the line of duty since 1989 were shown in a solemn video presentation. They were honored with a moment of silence.
Today’s afternoon session will conclude with a closed meeting for BLET members and an open meeting hosted by the BLET Auxiliary. Members will take advantage of educational opportunities throughout the remainder of the week. Workshops will feature specialized training for BLET Legislative Representatives, Secretary-Treasurers and Local Chairmen. These workshops will also include an overview of the BLET’s Mobilization network.
Photo highlights of the 2016 Chicago regional meeting can be found on the National Division’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/BLETNational.
The second 2016 BLET regional meeting will be held August 22-25 at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach, Calif. For details and to register, please visit: www.ble-t.org/regional/longbeach.
The BLET’s 2016 Chicago regional meeting will conclude with a banquet on the evening of Thursday, July 14.