INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, August 10 — The BLET Education and Training Department will conduct a Local Chairman training class from October 23-27, 2023, at the BLET National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio. The course is designed to help Local Chairmen develop and enhance the skills necessary to provide the best representation possible to our members.
The course will begin with an orientation and overview session at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, October 23. Full-day classes will run from Tuesday through Thursday. Hotel check-out and the travel day home will be on Friday, October 27.
Among other topics, this class will cover BLET organizational structure and functions, representation of members at disciplinary hearings, union leadership skills, and claim/grievance handling. Additional course topics will include an overview of the Railway Labor Act, Section 3 and 6 Notices; arbitration; and appeal and letter writing.
The class is open to all Local Chairmen and Vice Local Chairmen with their Local Chairman’s consent. Registration to attend is only available online through the BLET website at: https://members.ble-t.org/EducationTraining/RegisterLC.
Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email containing more detailed hotel information and instructions for making your room reservation. Attendees will stay at the Embassy Suites Hotel at 5800 Rockside Woods Boulevard, in Independence, OH. If you need help securing your room in our reservation block, contact BLET Special Representative Matt Kronyak at (201) 978-6436, or by email: kronyak@ble-t.org.
Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will qualify for a $98.00 per day stipend from the North American Railway Foundation (www.narfoundation.org). The stipends will be paid directly to the Local Division. 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 Department Head of the BLET Education and Training Department, at (216) 241-2630 ext. 227, or by email: estes@ble-t.org.