The BLET Education and Training Department will conduct a comprehensive training class for Local Chairmen, and Vice Local Chairmen with their respective Local Chairman’s consent. The class is designed to provide Local Chairmen with the skills needed to provide the best representation possible for their members. This workshop will be held at the BLET National Division Headquarters in Independence, Ohio, during the week of October 6, 2025.
Full-day classes will be held on Tuesday, October 7 and Wednesday, October 8, and a half-day class on Thursday, October 9, 2025. Hotel check-in/travel day is Monday, October 6 and hotel check-out/travel day is Thursday, October 9. In addition to the in-person training, this class will also be available to remote participants in a hybrid training setting each day.
The Tuesday session will focus on representation of members at disciplinary hearings and include a mock investigation. The Wednesday and Thursday sessions will concentrate on time claim and grievance handling in accordance with the on-property collective bargaining agreement and the Railway Labor Act.
All participants (both in-person and remote) must register for the class at https://members.ble-t.org/EducationTraining/RegisterLC. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email that will contain more detailed hotel information and instructions for making your room reservation if attending in-person, or a Zoom meeting link if attending remotely. In-person attendees will stay at the Embassy Suites Hotel located at 5800 Rockside Woods Boulevard, in Independence, OH. If you have any problems securing your room in our reservation block, contact BLET Special Representative Matthew Kronyak at (201) 978-6436, or by email at: kronyak@ble-t.org.
Upon successful completion of the course, in-person attendees will qualify for a $110.00 per day stipend from the North American Railway Foundation (www.narfoundation.org). The stipends will be paid directly to the Local Division or General Committee of Adjustment, if applicable.
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. The primary focus of these efforts has been in support of organized rail labor — giving back to all the men and women of the railroad community across North America.
For more information, please contact David Estes, National Secretary-Treasurer and Director/Department Head of the BLET Education and Training Department, at telephone number (216) 241-2630 ext. 227, or by email: estes@ble-t.org.