CLEVELAND, May 19 — The Conrail SAA/CSXT Northern District General Committee of Adjustment reelected Jim P. Louis by acclamation to his first full term as General Chairman at quadrennial meetings in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 18.
Brother Louis is a member of BLET Division 421 (Buffalo, N.Y.), and he joined the BLET in 1987. He began serving as General Chairman following the retirement of former GC Tom Roberts on February 28, 2009.
Matt Kronyak, Division 235 (Union City, N.J.), was elected to serve as Alternate General Chairman.
Elected by acclamation to fill out the GCA were: Vice General Chairman Pat Driscoll (Division 382, Buffalo, N.Y.); Alternate Vice General Chairman Brian Baginski (Division 601, Newark, N.J.); Secretary-Treasurer Greg Lund (Local Division 421, Buffalo, N.Y.); and Alternate Secretary-Treasurer Bill Nasca (Division 421, Buffalo, N.Y.).
In attendance from the National Division was: National President Dennis Pierce; First Vice President Lee Pruitt; National Secretary-Treasurer Bill Walpert; Vice President & National Legislative Representative John Tolman; and Vice President Gil Gore.
Delegates handled a variety of issues during the long, two-day work sessions.
In addition to their regular duties, the delegates participated in a hands-on Arbitration Workshop sponsored by the BLET Education & Training Department. NST Walpert, Director of the Education and Training Department, led the workshop, along with Ken Kroeger, Coordinator of the Education & Training Department, and Doug Davidson, Assistant Director of Arbitration.
Other BLET guests in attendance included: General Chairman Bob Linsey (Norfolk Southern-Northern Lines); State Legislative Board Chairman Ken Kertesz (Pennsylvania); State Legislative Board Chairman Tim Hanely (Ohio); and State Legislative Board Chairman Dave Kearsing (New York).
President Pierce addressed the delegates regarding the progress of national negotiations, Positive Train Control, on-duty cell phone usage, cab security, and a number of other issues.
“Congratulations to General Chairman Louis and all General Committee officers elected during this session,” President Pierce said. “The Conrail GCA delegates should be commended for elected a hard working and dedicated team of leaders. I have every confidence that Brother Louis and his team will continue to do an excellent job of representing their membership.”
Brother Louis stands ready to serve the BLET National Division as Alternate National Vice President No. 3. He was elected by acclamation to that position at the BLET’s Second National Convention in Reno, Nevada, in October of 2010.
The General Committee is comprised of 15 different BLET Local Divisions on two properties (Conrail Shared Assets and CSXT Northern District) and represents approximately 700 members in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts and New Jersey.