CLEVELAND, May 2 — Room is still available for BLET members who wish to participate in the advanced Local Chairman Workshop scheduled for May 22-27 at the National Labor College on the campus of the George Meany Center in Silver Spring, Md.
The advanced workshop will start the evening of Sunday, May 22, and will run all day Monday through Friday, concluding with a banquet on Friday night, May 27.
This workshop is one day longer than the regular Local Chairman’s workshop and will go into greater detail on writing, claims handling, and investigations. Among other assignments, the students will be given a topic to research and report back to the class; there will be a session on Duty of Fair Representation (DFR); the Railway Labor Act (RLA); and several appeal letters will have to be written on cases passed out in class. Again, a highlight of the workshop is when attendees participate in a simulated disciplinary hearing.
You do not have to be a current Local Chairman to attend the May 22-26 workshop. It is open to all past participants of the five-day class, including vice local chairman (attendance at a regional meeting workshop does not apply). BLET members who are interested in registering for the workshop may do so online at https://www.ble-t.org/lcadvance.
Upon successful completion of the course, everyone will qualify for an $86 per day stipend from the North American Railway Foundation. The stipends will be paid directly to the Secretary-Treasurer of the respective divisions.
The BLET Education & Training Department presents these workshops in conjunction with the staff of the George Meany Center. Workshop instructors will include: BLET National Secretary-Treasurer William C. Walpert; BLET Vice-President Richard K. Radek; Assistant Director of the BLET Arbitration Department Marcus Ruef; and Special Representative & Coordinator of Education and Training Ken Kroeger.
The BLET pays the costs of books, equipment, tuition, and a Friday evening graduation banquet. BLET members who attend are responsible for their transportation costs as well as the cost of room and board.
Registration for the Advanced Local Chairman workshop is on a first-come, first-served basis with class size limited to the first 20 who register through the BLET website. For more information, please contact Ken Kroeger, Coordinator of the BLET Education & Training Dept., at (216) 272-0986 or kroeger@ble-t.org.