CLEVELAND, September 16 — In a conference call held with all BLET General Chairmen yesterday morning, National President Dennis R. Pierce announced that preparations are underway to poll members to authorize a strike in the event one becomes necessary to attain the Organization’s bargaining goals.
The National Mediation Board released the BLET and several other Rail Labor unions from mediation with rail carriers on September 6, triggering a 30-day cooling off period, which expires at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 7, 2011. At that point self-help is available to the parties, unless President Obama appoints a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) pursuant to Section 10 of the Railway Labor Act. A PEB would halt any strike or lock out by the parties, and would investigate and issue a report and recommendations concerning the dispute.
BLET members who are employed on the railroads where the dispute exists and where the BLET has representation rights for their craft are eligible to participate in the strike authorization vote. The following members may participate in the vote:
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by the Belt Railway Company of Chicago.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by BNSF Railway.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Consolidated Rail Corporation.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by CSX Transportation.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Kansas City Southern Railway Company, including the following subsidiaries: Kansas City Southern Railway; Louisiana and Arkansas Railway; MidSouth Rail Corporation; Gateway Western Railway; SouthRail Corporation; and Texas Mexican Railway Company (locomotive engineers and train service employees).
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Longview Switching Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Norfolk Southern Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Portland Terminal Railroad Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Soo Line Railroad Company d.b.a. Canadian Pacific.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Union Pacific Railroad Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Winston Salem Southbound Railway Company.
Beginning early next week, these members will receive a mailing from TrueBallot with toll-free voting instructions. Voting will begin at 11:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, September 20, and members will have until 10:00 a.m. EDT on Monday, October 3 to cast their votes. Authorization does not mean a strike will occur, nor does it mean that all railroads polled may be struck.
The BLET National Division has retained TrueBallot, Inc., to conduct the strike authorization vote via telephone. TrueBallot, which is a nationally-renowned election service provider, previously conducted a membership initiative election for the BLET in 2010.
National President Pierce urged all BLET members who receive a notice from TrueBallot to vote. “While we anticipate that President Obama will appoint a Presidential Emergency Board near the deadline, we must be prepared for all eventualities,” he said. “Now is the time for all BLET members to deliver a unified message to the carriers that we will not stand for shifting health care costs to the backs of older and sick workers and families with children, and that our wage increases should better reflect our members’ contributions to the industry’s record profits.”