CLEVELAND, October 17 — Brian J. Farkas was elected by acclamation to serve as Chairman of the Indiana State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting in Indianapolis, October 8-9, 2014.
Brother Farkas is a CSX locomotive engineer who has held continuous membership in BLET Division 121 (Indianapolis, Ind.) since September 1, 1997.
Also elected to the Board’s Executive Committee were: 1st Vice Chairman James R. Radtke, Division 548 (Peru, Ind.), reelected by acclamation; 2nd Vice Chairman Michael Harting, Division 754 (Elkhart, Ind.), reelected by acclamation; Secretary-Treasurer Carl W. Fields, Division 682 (Hammond, Ind.), reelected by acclamation; and Alternate Secretary-Treasurer Chris Hubbard, Division 343 (Princeton, Ind.), elected by acclamation.
All terms of office become effective November 1, 2014. Incumbent Chairman C. Ray Ford, Division 742 (Evansville, Ind.), who has served in that role since August 2013 following the retirement of Bill Verdeyen, will continue serving as Chairman until November 1.
Officers representing the BLET National Division at the meeting were: National President Dennis R. Pierce; and Vice President and National Legislative Representative John P. Tolman.
“I offer my congratulations and sincere thanks to all officers of the Indiana State Legislative Board for their commitment to representing our members in the proud state of Indiana,” President Pierce said. “Brother Farkas is a bright young man and a dedicated union officer. I have every confidence that he will excel in his new role as Chairman of the Indiana State Legislative Board. I would also like to thank Ray Ford for his leadership during his chairmanship of the Board after Brother Verdeyen retired.”
Additional BLET guests included Illinois State Legislative Board Chairman Paul Piekarski and retired Indiana State Legislative Board Chairman Bill Verdeyen, who held the Chairman’s position for five terms prior to his retirement in 2013. Brother Carl Fields, Coordinator of the BLET Safety Task Force (STF), gave a presentation regarding hazardous materials that focused on crude oil and ethanol transportation by rail.
Representative Scott Pelath (D-District 9, Michigan City, Ind.), the ranking minority leader of the Indiana House, was on hand to address the delegates. Also, the delegates heard a presentation from Mr. Sherrill Benjamin, U.S. Department of Labor, regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) whistleblower program.
The Indiana State Legislative Board consists of 22 Divisions representing more than 1,200 locomotive engineers and trainmen throughout Indiana.