CLEVELAND, July 12 — 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 in Washington, D.C., from September 22-27, 2013.
The workshop will take place at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters headquarters with classroom training beginning the evening of Sunday, September 22. All-day classroom training will follow from September 23 to September 25.
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); and
• Understanding individual State Legislative Board bylaws.
After completion of the classroom training, attendees will participate in a full day on Capitol Hill on September 26. September 27 is scheduled for travel home.
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 classroom portion of the workshop will be eligible for a $123 per diem from the North American Railway Foundation (NARF) for the September 22-25 classroom sessions. 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 15 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 https://www.ble-t.org/lr.
After registering, workshop attendees will receive an e-mail confirmation that will include hotel registration information. 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.