A Rail Labor institution on the National Railroad Adjustment Board retired effective Monday, March 31. BLET Director of Arbitration Doug Davidson, who also serves as the NRAB’s Vice Chairman, is pulling the pin after a railroad career that spanned 51 years. His replacement, Dan Lucansky of Division 96 in Chicago, took the reins on March 24.
Davidson’s first railroad job as a switchman began in 1973, but after a very lengthy furlough, he hired out with the Chicago & North Western as a road brakeman in 1976. He earned promotion to locomotive engineer and joined BLET Division 96 in June of 1980. Davidson served seven terms as Local Chairman for Division 96, arguing his first arbitration cases at the First Division in 1993. In 2006, he began working full-time for the National Division, first as Assistant Director of Arbitration and then as Director of Arbitration (2010-2025). Davidson holds the unique distinction of being the first non-attorney to successfully handle a certification case at the 409 level (trial de novo), and he served multiple terms as chairman and vice chair of the First Division and chairman and vice chair of the entire National Railroad Adjustment Board (NRAB).
“Director of Arbitration is an important job that goes right to the core of what a union does: protect its members and enforce contracts,” Davidson said. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve the membership. It’s been a long ride, and I’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry since 1973. I’m very proud that I’ve been able to represent our members and do some good.”
Lucansky hired out with the Union Pacific in September of 2004 and earned promotion to locomotive engineer in November of 2005. He is a second generation railroader whose father worked in the maintenance of way department for UP out of Chicago. Lucansky was elected Local Chairman of Division 96 in 2012 and was reelected in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2024. As a young union officer, Lucansky wanted to learn and make his own arbitration cases better, so he would often travel to downtown Chicago in his spare time and observe First Division cases before the NRAB. That learning experience paid off when Lucansky was elected 2nd Vice Chairman of the Union Pacific-Northern Region GCA in 2018 and again in 2022. He began handling the GCA’s First Division cases in 2021, and has handled nearly all its rules cases since 2023.
National President Eddie Hall thanked Davidson for his years of distinguished service to the union. “It is hard to put into words the level of appreciation our Brotherhood has for Brother Davidson,” Hall said. “Countless members have benefitted from his expertise. I wish him the best and hope he will enjoy the fruits of his labor during retirement.”
President Hall also welcomed Lucansky. “We have put a lot of weight on Dan’s shoulders, but I am confident he will be the driving force behind the continued success of our Arbitration Department.”
Dan Lucansky took over as the BLET’s Director of Arbitration this week. He is a second generation railroader and has been a BLET member since 2005.