CLEVELAND, August 31 — The BLET Education & Training Department will conduct an expanded Local Chairman Workshop on the campus of the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md., October 16-22, 2011.
The workshop will be one day longer than previous Local Chairman workshops. The workshop begins the evening of Sunday, October 16 and concludes on the evening of Friday, October 21. Check-out and travel home is Saturday, October 22.
Bill Walpert, National Secretary-Treasurer and Director of the Education & Training Department, said the decision to expand the course came after he and other workshop instructors reviewed commentary and feedback from past workshop attendees, who expressed a desire to meet for one more day.
“The members have spoken,” Brother Walpert said. “The additional day of class will allow our Local Chairmen to take advantage of more in depth training than ever before.”
Ken Kroeger, Coordinator of the Education & Training Department, said that this workshop is not for only Local Chairmen but that Vice-Local Chairmen are also eligible to attend, but precedence will be given to Local Chairmen. All attendees other than Local Chairman must be approved by their Division’s Local Chairman.
Among other assignments, the workshop will include BLET organizational structure and functions, representing members at disciplinary and decertification hearings, union leadership skills, claim and grievance handling, and writing and editing skills. A highlight of the workshop is when attendees participate in a simulated disciplinary hearing.
Local Chairmen must register for the workshop online through the BLET website at:
www.ble-t.org/lc.
Workshop instructors will include: BLET National Secretary-Treasurer William C. Walpert; BLET Vice-President and Director of Arbitration Marcus J. Ruef; Special Representative & Coordinator of Education and Training Ken Kroeger; and Assistant Director of Arbitration Doug Davidson.
The BLET National Division pays the costs of books, equipment, tuition and a Friday evening graduation banquet. BLET members who attend are responsible for their transportation costs as well as their room and board. Members will be provided with instructions on how to make room reservations after registering for the workshop through the BLET website.
Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will qualify for a $123 per day stipend from the North American Railway Foundation (NARF). The stipends will be paid directly to their Division Secretary-Treasurer.
NARF is a non-profit operating 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 over the past 15 years. The primary focus of these efforts has been in support of organized rail labor — giving back to all of the men and women of the railroad community across North America.
The workshop will begin with an orientation meeting the evening of Sunday, October 16 (6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.), and will conclude after a graduation ceremony and banquet the evening of Friday, October 21. Travel home is slated for Saturday, October 22.
Registration for the Local Chairman workshop is limited to the first 20 people who register through the BLET website.
In October 2010, delegates to the BLET’s Second National Convention in Reno, Nevada, voted to establish an Education & Training Fund. The BLET has taken advantage of the fund thus far in 2011 to hold more training, increasing the length of some workshops so members receive more in depth training.
Including the upcoming Local Chairman workshop, the BLET Education & Training Department has conducted eight full workshops in the first 10 months of 2011. This does not include workshops held at regional meetings, General Committee meetings and State Legislative Board meetings.
Anyone with questions should contact Ken Kroeger, Coordinator of the Education and Training Department, at: (216) 272-0986 or Kroeger@ble-t.org.