CLEVELAND, May 16 — Wisconsin Central General Chairman John W. Reynolds was reelected by acclamation at the General Committee’s quadrennial meeting in Green Bay, Wisc., from May 9-12, 2011.
It is the third time that Brother Reynolds has won reelection by acclamation. He is a member of BLET Division 209 in Green Bay, Wisc., and has been a BLET member since Sept. 1, 1997.
Also elected by acclamation were: 1st Vice General Chairman Eric Hau of BLET Division 173 (Fon du Lac, Wisc.); and 2nd Vice General Chairman Scott Reinke of BLET Division 188 (Superior, Wisc.).
Also elected were: 3rd Vice General Chairman Jason Alexander of BLET Division 184 (Schiller Park, Ill.); Secretary-Treasurer Eugene “Shy” Ziegler of BLET Division 173 (Fon du Lac, Wisc.); and Alternate Sec.-Treas. Tim Foster of BLET Division 173 (Fon du Lac, Wisc.).
Wisconsin State Senator Dave Hansen was a special guest and featured speaker. Senator Hansen, a former Green Bay Department of Public Works employee and a 20-year Teamster member, was one of the “Wisconsin 14.” He joined 13 other Democratic State Senators in leaving the state earlier this year in the fight to protect union workers’ collective bargaining rights. They left the state so that Governor Scott Walker would not have the necessary quorum to pass his anti-worker legislation.
Representing the National Division at the meeting was BLET National President Dennis Pierce; First Vice President Lee Pruitt; National Secretary-Treasurer Bill Walpert; Vice President & National Legislative Representative John Tolman; and Vice President Marcus Ruef.
President Pierce congratulated Brother Reynolds on winning election to his third term of office by acclamation and thanked the newly-elected officers of the General Committee for their commitment to the Brotherhood. “Having served alongside Brother Reynolds as a General Chairman, I am well aware of his dedication to his membership. I look forward to working with Brother John and the team that the CN/WC General Committee has assembled in session,” President Pierce said.
In addition to their regular duties, the delegates participated in a hands-on Arbitration Workshop sponsored by the BLET Education & Training Department. NST Walpert, Director of the Education and Training Department, and Vice President Ruef, Director of Arbitration, led the workshop, along with Ken Kroeger, Coordinator of the Education & Training Department, and Doug Davidson, Assistant Director of Arbitration.
Additional invited guests included David Brown, Chairman of the Minnesota State Legislative Board; Paul Aird, First Vice Chairman of the Wisconsin State Legislative Board; and Gina Forman, BLET Auxiliary National 1st Vice President and National Outreach Coordinator.
Members of the GCA recognized outgoing Secretary-Treasurer John Fenlaciki. Brother Fenlaciki had served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin Central GCA since its inception in 1997. The delegationpresented Brother Fenlaciki with a plaque and thanked him for his many years of selfless and dedicated service to the Wisconsin Central GCA.
Representatives from the Brotherhood’s Relief and Compensation Fund (BRCF) and the Locomotive Engineers & Conductors Mutual Protective Association (LE&CMPA) were also in attendance.
Delegates also went over new and old business and reviewed their by-laws.
The Wisconsin Central operates over approximately 2,850 miles of track and trackage rights in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan””s Upper Peninsula and Ontario. The BLET organized the Wisconsin Central property in 1997, and the railroad was purchased by CN in 2001 for $1.2 billion.