(The Associated Press circulated the following story on December 8.)
CLEVELAND — After 140 years as an independent labor union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers is about to merge into the Teamsters.
The merger was approved in ballots that were counted Friday.
The vote in the United States was 81 percent in favor of merging and in Canada 62.4 percent in favor.
The merger will become effective on Jan. 1. The BLE will become the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, a division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Rail Conference.
BLE members in Canada will now be members of Teamsters Canada and will be a part of the Canadian Rail Conference.
“The membership has spoken and we are pleased with their decision to merge with the Teamsters,” BLE International President Don M. Hahs said.
The addition of “Trainmen” to the name of the new organization is a significant step, Hahs said. Trainmen have jobs on trains other than engineers, such as conductors and breakmen.
“Throughout negotiations, it was our intent and the Teamsters’ intent to allow the new organization to represent trainmen under the umbrella of the IBT Rail Conference. We welcome trainmen with open arms,” he said.
The BLE has 59,000 members, including about 36,000 active workers in the United States and Canada.