By Dennis R. Pierce
BLET National President
(Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from the upcoming November 2014 issue of the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen News.)
CLEVELAND, November 24 — September 29th of this year, our Brotherhood assembled for its Third National Convention as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, a Division of the Teamsters Rail Conference. This was our third convention since the International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, becoming the pioneer Division of the Teamsters Rail Conference. Prior to the merger, the BLE had convened 61 International Conventions, bringing our total number of International and National conventions to 64 since our founding in 1863.
I share those facts so all members are aware of the proud tradition that was continued by all in attendance at this year’s National Convention. I also want to take this opportunity to offer my personal thanks to all BLE and BLET members, past and present, who have participated as delegates to any one of our many Conventions. While in session, the delegates are the governing body of our proud organization, and they are tasked with setting the course for the union and with ensuring that we are a strong, vital and transparent organization.
To that end, this year’s delegation was asked to consider many resolutions, all crafted to make our union stronger and more stable, and our Bylaws more understandable. I don’t have to tell those of you who have served as a convention delegate that working on Bylaws resolutions is not always exciting work, but it is work that must be done for the betterment of the Brotherhood. This year’s delegates should be proud of the determination and work ethic that they showed, and they have my personal thanks for seeing that the work of the Brotherhood was completed in a timely fashion.
I also need to thank the many members and their families who took their personal time to attend the convention. Our conventions are open to all members, and it excites me to see members who care enough about our Brotherhood to come see our democracy in action. I must also thank all who participated in our convention preparations, and offer a special thank you to those who served on our Arrangements Committee. That Committee is comprised of a diverse group of members from across the country who volunteer to help us host the convention without any real idea of what will be asked of them. Their visible efforts assisting the delegates and guests, as well as their behind-the-scenes efforts, were in large part why we were able to host a professional convention that all members can be proud of.
Along with that group, I must also thank the staff of the BLET National Division, both those who took time from their schedules to travel to Las Vegas and assist with the convention, as well as those who stayed on Cleveland to assist in the day-to-day operations of the union.
It is obvious to me that the success of our convention was not due to the efforts of any single individual, but instead was a team effort by all who were involved. I tip my hat to everyone on the team.
Finally, I would like to thank the membership of our proud Organization. It has been my honor to serve as your National President for the past four years, and I am even further honored to have been given the opportunity at the Convention to serve you for another four years. I can speak for all of the elected officers in saying that you have our commitment to do everything in our power to represent the BLET’s members as best we can. And as part of that commitment, we will continue our efforts to make the BLET the strong, effective organization that you deserve and can be proud to belong to.