Members of Mark Kenny’s family in front of Amtrak locomotive #174, which was named in honor of the late BLET General Chairman at a dedication ceremony on March 14.
____________________
BLET National Secretary-Treasurer David Estes paid homage to late BLET General Chairman Mark Kenny at a dedication ceremony to name an Amtrak locomotive in Brother Kenny’s honor. Amtrak locomotive #174 was officially named the Mark B. Kenny at a dedication ceremony in Philadelphia on March 14.
“The fact of the matter is that Mark Kenny left Amtrak a better place than he found it, just as he left the BLET a better place than he found it. Today’s dedication is a fitting memorial to a great man, and a source of comfort and pride to Mark’s family and friends,” said Estes, who worked side-by-side with Kenny for 15 years as Secretary-Treasurer of the Amtrak GCA and eight years as Vice General Chairman.
In addition to negotiating many quality agreements that improved pay, benefits and working conditions for Amtrak locomotive engineers, Estes said Kenny was ahead of his time in securing other contract items that benefitted BLET members, such as Union participation in training program design and curriculum, Union participation in new hire employment interviews, Operation Red Block, critical incident response and support, and confidential close call reporting.
Kenny passed away in late 2024 after a railroad career that spanned over 4 decades, including 26 years as Amtrak General Chairman. Kenny was inspired to become involved in the union movement after he miraculously escaped death in a 1998 train accident.
Numerous members and officers of the BLET joined Brother Kenny’s widow, Kate, and members of the Kenny family at the private dedication ceremony. Please click here to read NST Estes’ full remarks or here to view a video.
A gallery of photos from the March 14 dedication ceremony can be found on the National Division website.