CLEVELAND, May 25 — The BLET’s National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen (NASLBC) observed a moment of silence for the victims of the tornadoes in nearby Joplin, Mo., when they opened their 26th annual meeting in Kansas City on May 23, 2011.
After Chairman Tim Smith of California brought the meeting to order and Secretary-Treasurer Ken Kertesz of Pennsylvania gave his report, the BLET Executive Committee addressed the group.
In his remarks, BLET National President Dennis Pierce noted that he is making a concerted effort to raise the BLET’s profile in Washington, D.C., as the BLET’s President and Chairman of the National Legislative Board. President Pierce also noted that the recent events on the state level, in Ohio, Wisconsin and other states, are only one front in the war on workers.
“We will continue to stand with our fellow workers,” President Pierce said. “Not only to support them, but also because we acknowledge that they are coming for us, too. These attacks won’t stop with public employees. It is only a matter of time before private entities like the railroads decide the time has come to try to reduce our pay and benefits too.”
He also pointed out that the thousands of BLET members who work for Amtrak and various commuter railroads essentially are public workers because of taxpayer subsidies for passenger rail operations.
“The State Chairmen will be busy in the next year with the 2012 elections – which are vitally important – and I plan to stand by and pledge all of our support for these efforts,” Pierce added.
First Vice President E. L. “Lee” Pruitt gave a report on collective bargaining, but also acknowledged that bargaining was not the only way to make changes to the industry.
“You can’t do everything in collective bargaining, and I would be mistaken if I didn’t thank all of you, and all of those State Legislative Board Chairmen before you, who have made large changes to the industry possible. Things like the Safety Appliance Act and various other improvements in the industry would not have been possible without your work,” First Vice President Pruitt said.
National Secretary-Treasurer William Walpert took the opportunity to announce that he has been named to the Board of Trustees of the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (NRRIT). This position will allow him to help oversee the investments made by the Trust. He also updated the group on the changes and the future of the BLET’s Safety Task Force, the Department of Internal Organizing, Mobilizing and Strategic Planning, and the Education & Training Department. He also gave a report on the BLET’s finances, and surprised the group by showing one final slide – the plans for the BLET’s new education and conference center that will be built in the Standard Building, the BLET headquarters building in Cleveland.
“I’m very excited about the future of the Education & Training Department,” Secretary-Treasurer Walpert said. “This new state-of-the-art conference center will enable us to make the best education and training department in labor even better.”
Along with the BLET Executive Committee, Vice President & National Legislative Representative Tolman and Vice President Steve Bruno also gave presentations.
Vice President Tolman gave a report on the federal legislation the BLET is working on, including amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act, technical corrections to the Hours of Service laws, and defeat of the so-called National Right to Work Act. He noted that the National Right to Work Act, S. 504, which would remove the legal right to union shop and dues deduction agreements in the railroad and airline industries, is another facet in the war on workers in this country, and is simply an extension of what is happening at the state level.
“Every year, I stand up here and I tell you that this election is the most important ever,” Vice President Tolman said. “But this time, with all that is going on, I believe that this is truer than ever before. The state of the American worker is dire and we need to support politicians who are our friends and make sure that this war goes no further.”
Vice President Bruno gave an update on several regulatory issues, including: positive train control, conductor certification, risk reduction programs, passenger hours of service and dark territory.
There were several guest speakers in addition to the BLET officers who spoke, including: Michael Collins, Office of the Labor Member of the Railroad Retirement Board; and Jo Strang, FRA Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer.
She noted there have been several recent tragedies after a period in which safety had been improving on the railroads.
“We need everyone to focus on safety in order to save their lives,” Strang said. “Everyone needs to go to work alert, rested and ready.”
Representatives of the BLET Auxiliary also spoke, including Auxiliary President Anita Caruso and Vice President & National Legislative Representative Sereena Hogan.
The NASLBC has met annually since 1975 to hear from each State Chairmen about railroad related safety and health issues as well as their state””s political climate.
The various committees of the Association also met and conducted their business for the year. The group will meet next year in New Orleans.