CLEVELAND, June 28 — BLE International President Don M. Hahs is working steadily to secure funding for Amtrak that will keep the national passenger railroad on track now and in the future.
This past week in Washington, D.C., President Hahs and key BLE legislative leaders met with dozens of congressional leaders to lobby for Amtrak funding. Key political figures, such as Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and Amtrak CEO David Gunn, held private meetings with the BLE President earlier this week.
First Vice-President & Alternate President Ed Rodzwicz and Vice-President & U.S. National Legislative Representative Raymond Holmes also participated in these high-level meetings.
In addition, more than 25 members, including several BLE State Legislative Board Chairmen and Amtrak General Chairman Mark Kenny, were called in to Capitol Hill. They assisted in the lobbying campaign, which was held in conjunction with other AFL-CIO affiliated unions under the direction of the Transportation Trades Department.
President George W. Bush addressed a special BLE-Teamster coalition of legislative and political leaders during a meeting at the White House. BLE President Hahs attended the meeting with James P. Hoffa, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In addition to Hoffa and Hahs, other Teamster and BLE International Officers, BLE State Legislative Board Chairmen, the BLE national negotiating team, and more than 150 Teamster legislative leaders attended the Bush address. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao also spoke to the BLE-Teamster group, as did Senior Adviser to President Bush Karl Rove.
Currently, an agreement between the Bush Administration and Amtrak is supposed to keep the railroad running through September. However, many congressional supporters of Amtrak are skeptical and believe the plan merely delays the railroad’s inevitable shutdown.
In spite of this skepticism, President Hahs and all BLE leaders are working diligently to save Amtrak.