CLEVELAND, October 25, 2001 — BLE members and their families are encouraged to continue lobbying for the Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2001 (S.697), by calling their Senator’s offices on a daily basis.
Members should contact their Senators by e-mail and phone as opposed to mailing letters due to the anthrax threat in the Senate. Also, contacting the district offices of the Senators is encouraged. These addresses and phone numbers can be found in the local telephone directory.
BLE International Vice-President and U.S. National Legislative Representative Raymond Holmes said, members should contact their Senators regardless of whether or not they are already cosponsoring the bill. If the Senator is a cosponsor, ask him or her to contact Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and ask him to pass Railroad Retirement legislation this year. If the Senator is not a cosponsor, read the following message and then urge him or her to contact Senator Daschle:
“Don’t leave railroad retirees and widows behind. While we recognized that the Senate has much unfinished business related to the events of September 11, please don’t forget to pass S. 697, railroad retirement reform. S. 697 has 75 cosponsors. The House has passed its version overwhelmingly, 394-33. Pass railroad retirement this year.”