CLEVELAND, January 14 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers continues to receive support from AFL-CIO affiliated unions in its crusade to protect historic rail operating crafts.
In recent weeks, BLE President Don M. Hahs has received letters from the Presidents of four AFL-CIO affiliated unions, pledging to support the BLE and condemning the UTU’s attempted raid of BLE membership. The union presidents also promised to contact the National Mediation Board and express their opposition to a single-craft ruling.
“I am very familiar with the UTU raids on the BLE,” wrote Morton Bahr, president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA). “You can count on us to use our influence with the NMB in opposition to a single craft.”
The CWA represents more than 740,000 workers and is the largest communications and media union in North America.
Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), characterized the UTU’s attempt to raid the BLE as a “discredit to all of labor.”
“We stand proudly beside (BLE) and unite with you in the fight to protect your union from raiding by the United Transportation Union,” President Gerard wrote. “We will immediately contact the National Mediation Board and express our desire that their long-term definition of rail operating crafts not be changed to a single craft.”
The USWA has more than 700,000 members in every manufacturing industry, including the steel and aluminum industries.
The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS) represents nearly 12,000 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense.
“If there is specific legislation pending or key congressional members needing to be influenced, again, PASS would be happy to help,” wrote PASS National President Michael D. Fanfalone. “PASS has supported the BLE in the past and I look forward to our being able to do so again now.”
Perhaps the strongest support of all came from Sonny Hall, International President of the Transport Workers Union of America. Like BLE, TWU is a member of the Rail Labor Division of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, and is intimately familiar with the history of the BLE-UTU conflict.
President Hall wrote a letter directly to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, urging the AFL-CIO to take action on behalf of the BLE.
“You know the situation,” President Hall wrote. “Our responsibility is clear. As I am sure you agree, a union that withdrew from affiliation [with] the AFL-CIO (for the second time) for the sole purpose to raid another AFL-CIO affiliate must be challenged by the full collective force of the AFL-CIO. It simply cannot be acceptable that a former affiliate of the AFL-CIO can gain by leaving the united family of the AFL-CIO. We must deny the UTU the ability to win their raiding efforts against BLE.
“At this point, I look to the leadership of the AFL-CIO to establish an active committee (task force) to assist the BLE, who are under attack by the independent UTU.”
In essence, the UTU is seeking to take over the BLE by eliminating the historic operating crafts of locomotive engineer, conductor, brakeman, switchman, fireman, hostler, and hostler helper, and combining them into a single craft of “train and engine service employees.” If the NMB votes to create a single craft, it will force a representation election to determine which union will represent the new craft, thereby allowing UTU to use its greater numbers as leverage in an attempt to raid the BLE — and to ultimately destroy it.
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