CLEVELAND, February 18 — The BLET Education & Training Department, in conjunction with the National Legislative Office, will conduct a class for BLET Division Legislative Representatives in Washington, D.C., from May 15-20, 2016.
The class will take place at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters headquarters. Classroom training begins at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, with an orientation and discussion of what to expect during the week ahead. All-day classroom training will start Monday, May 16 and run through Wednesday, May 18, 2016.
Among other topics, the curriculum will cover:
• Computer skills (principles of letter writing and database management);
• Regulatory affairs (reporting and documenting important issues);
• Political affairs (the anatomy of elections, how a bill becomes law, communications skills and correspondence with politicians);
• Understanding individual State Legislative Board bylaws; and
• Trustee responsibilities.
Upon completion of the classroom training, attendees will participate in a full day of lobbying on Capitol Hill on Thursday, May 19, with a travel day scheduled for Friday, May 20.
Participation in this class is limited to the first 20 who register. Curriculum will be geared toward Division Legislative Representatives and new State Legislative Board Chairmen.
Those who successfully complete the May 15-18 classroom portion will be eligible for a $140 per diem, for classroom days only, from the North American Railway Foundation (www.narfoundation.org). Depending on the class, the stipends will be paid directly to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Division, Division President, General Committee of Adjustment, or State Legislative Board.
The North American Railway Foundation (NARF) is a non-profit 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 20 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.
Attendees must register for the LR Class no later than March 4, 2016 through the BLET website at: www.ble-t.org/lr.
After registering through the BLET website, class attendees will receive an e-mail containing hotel reservation information. The BLET has acquired a special hotel room block for this class at the rate from $265 per night. Hotel reservations must be made by Friday April 8, 2016. After April 8, the BLET cannot guarantee you will get the rate quoted above. Attendees are responsible for their own transportation costs and any expenses for room and board.
Participants planning to bring family members may contact the BLET National Legislative Office for help in scheduling a tour of the Capitol. If interested, please call (202) 624-8776.
For more information, please contact Jason Wright, Special Representative and Director of the BLET Education and Training Department: office, (216) 241-2630, ext. 247; cell, (216) 296-4447; or email wright@ble-t.org. Registration to attend must be submitted by Tuesday, March 4, 2016.
The National Division will periodically release new class dates so don’t forget to check the BLET website on the Education and Training Departments webpage for future dates in the following subjects:
• Legislative Representative Class, Washington, D.C.
• Local Chairman Class, Independence, Ohio
• Advanced Local Chairman Class, Independence, Ohio
• General Chairman Class, Independence, Ohio
• Secretary-Treasurer Class, Independence, Ohio