CLEVELAND, April 29 — The BLET Education & Training Department, in conjunction with the National Legislative Office and the National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen (NASLBC), will conduct a workshop for BLET Division Legislative Representatives from July 13-17 in Washington, D.C.
The workshop will take place at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters headquarters with classroom training beginning the evening of Sunday, July 13. All-day classroom training will follow from July 14 to July 16, 2014.
The workshop will cover the following topics:
• 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 writing to politicians);
• Understanding individual State Legislative Board bylaws; and
• Division Trustee.
After completion of the classroom training, attendees will participate in a full day on Capitol Hill on July 17. Travel home is scheduled for July 18.
Participation in the workshop is limited to the first 20 who register, with a limit of two representatives from each state.
Those who successfully complete the July 13-16 classroom portion of the workshop will be eligible for a $129 per diem from the North American Railway Foundation (NARF). It will be paid directly to the State Legislative Board or Division 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 18 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.
Register for the class at www.ble-t.org/lr.
The BLET has secured a room block for this class at The Liaison Capitol Hill (415 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001), located right next door to the Teamsters Building, which is adjacent to the Capitol grounds. Reservations can be made by calling (866) 233-4642 and make sure to tell them you are booking under the BLET Legislative Class room block to secure the $259 per night rate. You will need to give them a credit card to hold the room and if you have to cancel for any reason it will be your responsibility to call the hotel directly. You should make your reservations no later than June 12, 2014.
Workshop attendees will receive an e-mail confirmation after registering through the BLET website. Attendees are responsible for their transportation costs, along with the cost of room and board. Members 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, Coordinator of the BLET Education & Training Dept., at (216) 296-4447 or wright@ble-t.org.