CLEVELAND, April 22 — Political activism and railroad safety were key topics of discussion during the annual meeting of the BLET’s National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen (NASLBC) in Mobile, Ala., from April 14-17, 2010.
Members of the BLET Executive Committee took the opportunity to address the group and update the Chairmen on the current status of the Brotherhood. BLET President Paul Sorrow urged the Chairmen to remain politically active.
“We need to elect candidates who believe in what we believe in,” President Sorrow said, as he presented a check from the BLET-PAC to Alabama State Legislative Board Chairman Tommy Hudson, who is running for the Alabama State Senate. President Sorrow praised Brother Hudson as an example of a pro-union candidate and encouraged other union members to follow in his footsteps.
First Vice President Dennis Pierce also encouraged the group to be politically active, and described his new duties as a member of the Executive Committee. He and President Sorrow were joined by National Secretary-Treasurer Bill Walpert who gave a report about the BLET’s finances, the reorganization of the BLET’s mobilization team, and the upcoming publication of the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Journal.
Vice President & National Legislative Representative John Tolman reminded the NASLBC members of the importance of achieving the BLET’s political and legislative goals.
“This is a team effort,” Vice President Tolman said. “We need your help on the state and national levels in order to get things done for our members.”
Vice President Tolman also gave the group an update on current legislation, the BLET-PAC and 2010 election races nationwide.
Two candidates for U.S. House of Representatives also addressed the NASLBC. Sheila Smoot and Earl Hilliard are competing for the Democratic nomination for Alabama’s 7th Congressional District, and both embody the ideals set forth by BLET President Sorrow.
In addition to politics, safety was a key topic of discussion at the meeting, with Federal Railroad Administration Associate Administrator for Safety Jo Strang and National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Chris Hart addressing the group. Associate Administrator Strang gave the group an overview of the key provisions of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and their implementation status. Vice Chairman Hart discussed the role of the NTSB in accident investigations, and specifically discussed the NTSB’s findings and recommendations in the fatal Chatsworth collision of September 12, 2008.
BLET Director of Regulatory Affairs Steve Bruno also addressed safety issues in his presentation regarding the Rail Safety Advisory Committee.
The NASLBC also held elections during the meeting. Tim Smith, California State Legislative Board Chairman, was re-elected as the group’s Chairman. Also re-elected was Ken Kertesz, Pennsylvania State Legislative Board Chairman, as Secretary-Treasurer of the group. Terry Todd, Arkansas State Legislative Board Chairman, was elected as the First Vice Chairman; and Jeff Kurtz, Iowa State Legislative Board Chairman, was elected as the Second Vice Chairmen. Tim Hanely, Ohio State Legislative Board Chairman; Mike Muscha, North Dakota State Legislative Board Chairman; and Dave Lavery, Florida State Legislative Board Chairman, were all re-elected as Regional Chairman. Bill Verdeyen, Indiana State Legislative Board Chairman, joined them, replacing the retiring Ed Way (Illinois), as Region 3 Chairman.