General Chairman John M. Karakian was reelected by acclamation to his ninth consecutive term of office at the BLET’s CN-Grand Trunk Western (GTW) General Committee of Adjustment quadrennial meeting, held in Novi, Mich., on August 16, 2023. Brother Karakian, a member of Division 122 (Port Huron, Mich.), first joined the Brotherhood on June 1, 1977. Karakian replaced outgoing General Chairman Paul Hicks in 1992, which makes him the longest serving General Chairman in the BLET. The GTW GCA is comprised of four Divisions and represents approximately 200 locomotive engineers who operate over 700 miles of track predominantly in Michigan. The GTW’s main corridor is from Port Huron, Mich., to Chicago, but also has operations in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and the province of Ontario, Canada.Also reelected by acclamation were: Vice General Chairman Brian Miscikowski, Local Chairman of Division 850 (Flat Rock, Mich.); General Secretary-Treasurer James La Budde, Secretary-Treasurer of Division 33 (Battle Creek, Mich.); and Alternate Secretary-Treasurer Chris Hicks, President of Division 33 (Battle Creek, Mich.). Representing the BLET National Division at the meeting was National Vice President Pete Semenek. Additional members in attendance were: Derek Burnside, Local Chairman of Division 122 (Port Huron, Mich.); Chad Tedder, Local Chairman of Division 33 (Battle Creek, Mich.) and Chris Smith, Local Chairman of Division 920 (Pontiac/Flint, Mich.).
BLET’s longest-serving General Chairman, John Karakian of the Grand Trunk Western, is reelected by acclamation
