CLEVELAND, September 10 — The BLET Education & Training Department is seeking participants for a Local Chairman Workshop scheduled for October 31-November 4, 2010, at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md.
The workshop will start the evening of Sunday, October 31, and will run all day Monday through Thursday, concluding with a banquet on Thursday night, November 4. Check out is on Friday, November 5.
National Secretary-Treasurer Bill Walpert, who heads BLET’s Education & Training Department, said attendance at the workshop is limited to the first 22 who register. He said the class was open to all Local Chairmen, but encouraged new Local Chairmen to attend, particularly those elected during the recent triennial election cycle.
Among other assignments, the workshops will include BLET organizational structure and functions, representing members at disciplinary and decertification hearings, union leadership skills, claim and grievance handling, and writing and editing skills. Participants also will learn how to effectively use the BLET arbitration database. A highlight of the workshop is when attendees participate in a simulated disciplinary hearing.
BLET Local Chairmen who are interested in registering for the workshop must do so online at:
https://www.ble-t.org/lc
Upon successful completion of the course, everyone will qualify for a $123 per day stipend from the North American Railway Foundation. The stipends will be paid directly to the Secretary-Treasurer of the respective divisions.
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.
The BLET Education & Training Department is presenting the workshop in conjunction with the staff of the National Labor College.
Workshop instructors will include: BLET National Secretary-Treasurer William C. Walpert; BLET Vice-President & Arbitration Director Marcus J. Ruef; Special Representative and Coordinator of Education & Training Ken Kroeger and Assistant Director of the BLET Arbitration Department Doug Davidson.
The BLET pays the costs of books, equipment, tuition, and the Thursday evening graduation banquet. BLET members who attend are responsible for their transportation costs as well as the cost of room and board.
Registration for the Local Chairman workshop is on a first-come, first-served basis with class size limited to the first 22 who register through the BLET website. For more information, please contact Ken Kroeger, Coordinator of the BLET Education & Training Dept., at (216) 272-0986 or kroeger@ble-t.org.