CLEVELAND, July 14 — Brother J. L. Dayton has been elected General Chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad Western Region General Committee of Adjustment (UPWRGCA) during the Committee’s quadrennial convention held June 24-26 in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Brother Dayton’s election comes following the unexpected retirement announcement of Brother T. J. Donnigan (Division 228, Pocatello, Idaho), who steps aside following his current tenure of nearly eight years as Chairman.
Brother Dayton, a member of BLET Division 236 (Portland, Ore.), hired on the Union Pacific Railroad in April 1976 as a B & B Carpenter. He transferred into engine service as a fireman in April 1977 and joined BLE Division 236 in November 1977.
Other officers elected during the quadrennial session include:
• Brother S. J. Leyshon (Division 766, Las Vegas, Nevada), First Vice-Chairman;
• Brother B. L. Gates (Division 713, Salt Lake City, Utah), Second Vice-Chairman;
• Brother W. C. Wallace (Division 362, La Grande, Ore.), Third Vice-Chairman (by acclamation);
• Brother S. J. Monson (Division 846, Salt Lake City, Utah), Secretary-Treasurer; and
• Brother T. M. Preston (Division 236, Portland, Ore.), Alternate Secretary-Treasurer.
BLET National Vice-Presidents E. L. Pruitt and D. R. Pierce were in attendance, and addressed the delegates on various facets of issues of national importance.
Designated Legal Counsel (DLC) Joe Weninger (Crow Law Firm, Sacramento, Calif.) discussed the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) and the need for proper personal injury reporting; and DLC Paul Bovarnick (Rose, Senders & Bovarnick, Portland, Ore.) gave a presentation on recently enacted Congressional legislation giving whistleblower protection to railroad workers.
Union Pacific Railroad Employees Health System (UPREHS) President Dell Butterfield gave a presentation on the status of the association and some of the activities and benefits that have come available to the members.
Brotherhood’s Relief & Compensation Fund (BRCF) President Mark Robb discussed the status of that organization and issues of discipline on the various carriers throughout the country.
Newly-elected Chairman Jim Dayton brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this position, having served the Brotherhood in many capacities, including Local Chairman of Local Division 236, General Chairman of the former Union Pacific Oregon Division (1980-1987), BLE International Vice-President (1987-1991), Vice General Chairman-at-Large and Second Vice-Chairman of UPWRGCA (1991-2000).
Chairman Dayton was elevated to First Vice-Chairman of UPWRGCA following Chairman Donnigan’s ascension in August of 2000; and he was reelected by acclamation at UPWRGCA’s 2004 quadrennial convention held in West Yellowstone, Mont. Chairman Dayton also served as a regional mobilization coordinator for International Division of the BLE from 1991-2000. Chairman Dayton and his wife, Peggy, reside in Dayton, Oregon.
Chairman Donnigan’s railroad career spans more than 34 years. He hired on with Union Pacific as a clerk in 1974, and entered the engine service crafts in 1977. His career as a union officer began as Local Chairman of Division 228 in 1982, General Chairman of the Idaho GCA from 1986 to 1991, and First Vice-General Chairman of UPWRGCA following the merger of the four General Committees that now comprise UPWRGCA.
Brother Donnigan was elevated to the Chair of UPWRGCA following the untimely death of Chairman M. A. Mitchell in August of 2000; and was reelected by acclamation at UPWRGCA’s 2004 quadrennial convention held in West Yellowstone.
Among his many accomplishments are the successful and difficult negotiations that resulted in the various agreements that implemented the Union Pacific-Southern Pacific merger; and the recently completed rewrite of the more than 30-year-old Idaho Agreement, bringing that most important document in line with the plethora of changes in national, local and merger agreements that came subsequent to that 1977 agreement.
UPWRGCA consists of 19 different divisions with more than 1,200 BLET Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen members throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Nevada, employed by the Union Pacific, Eastern Idaho, and Portland Terminal railroad companies.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen is a Division of the Rail Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.