The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) was recently informed that the decision to close upwards of 40 field offices has been reversed and that the nine RRB field offices that had their leases scheduled to be terminated will stay open. This news follows a meeting that Rail Conference President Mark Wallace, BLET President Eddie Hall, and BMWED President Tony Cardwell had with the White House to emphasize the importance of the Railroad Retirement Board to BLET and BMWED members and the vital role that those field offices play in ensuring that rail workers get the benefits that they have earned. This decision will ensure that 690,000 active and retired railroad employees and their families continue to receive vital in-person services.
The nine RRB field offices slated for closure that are now confirmed to stay open are: Mesa, Ariz.; Joliet, Ill.; Wichita, Kan.; Covina, Calif.; Scranton Pa.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Cincinnati, Ohio; St. Paul, Minn.; and Altoona, Pa.
The decision to keep the RRB field offices open comes after a coordinated Rail Labor campaign that the Teamsters Rail Conference and BLET led with support from other rail unions and employers. Meetings also were held with key members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to explain that eliminating RRB field offices will not save taxpayers or the federal government any money, due to the fact that the RRB is self-funded.