Your choices at the ballot box will go a long way toward protecting crew size
(Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from the upcoming August/September 2014 issue of the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen News.)
By Dennis R. Pierce
BLET National President
CLEVELAND, September 17 — During the week preceding this edition of the Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen News going to press, members and officers of our great Brotherhood gathered in St. Louis for the 79th Southwestern Convention Meeting. This was the last of the four BLET regional meetings this year, and as with all of the preceding regional meetings, the turnout was tremendous. I would like to offer my personal thanks to all of the Brothers and Sisters who worked so hard to put on this year’s regional meetings. I would also like to add a special thanks to Brother David Grimes and his wife Gail who chaired the Arrangements Committee for last week’s Southwestern Convention Meeting. The Brothers and Sisters of the UP Hubs in St. Louis and Little Rock have suffered many losses in recent years, but the recognition given those who have passed too early was moving to all in attendance.
I must also thank Brother Grimes for giving me a special privilege during the SWCM Banquet on Wednesday night of the convention. As over 350 members and their families entered the banquet hall that evening, I received word that the tentative crew consist agreement between BNSF and the SMART-Transportation Division failed ratification. Brother Grimes granted me the honor of announcing that news to the BLET members and families present, and the rousing ovation and ensuing celebration amongst the BLET membership present was truly moving. It was clear to me and to all present that continuing our effort to preserve two-person crews as a minimum is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.
As I have said since the horrible and tragic accident in Lac-Megantic, Canada last year, there are three venues that we can work in to preserve two-person crews. The first is on the legislative front, and we have labored side by side with National Representatives from SMART-TD in support of H.R. 3040 in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition, just last week the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2014 was proposed in the U.S. Senate (S. 2784), which also includes crew size language similar to that found in H.R. 3040. BLET and SMART-TD are now working in support of that portion of S. 2784, as it will take legislation in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to make two-person crews the law of the land.
In addition, BLET and SMART-TD continue our efforts on the regulatory front. As most members are aware, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will be issuing crew size regulations through its rulemaking process in the coming months, and we have worked long and hard to make sure that FRA knows how important this issue is to the safety of our memberships.
The third leg in this process is Collective Bargaining. As I have said many times, the BLET National Division is prepared to work with SMART-TD in the coming bargaining round to protect two-person crews should the issue make its way to the national bargaining table. On the heels of the failed BNSF proposal, the intentions of the nation’s rail carriers should be clear to all.
The political makeup of our nation is where all three of these venues intertwine. We cannot realistically expect that certain politicians in the Senate or the House of Representative, who constantly attack unions and the working class Americans that unions represent, will support our legislative efforts. This proves true every time an effort is made to return our government to the American people instead of the 1%; politicians consistently vote along party lines, as was the case last week when the Senate took up a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. That decision opened the door for corporate America to buy election after election, ensuring that corporate interests are protected by the government at the expense of working class Americans.
These groups will work very hard this fall to take control of the Senate, and if they are successful, then your interests as working class Americans will be at risk. Further, they will work to take the White House in 2016, and if they control the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the White House, then all of the laws and legal protections that working class Americans have come to count on will be in jeopardy. In addition, those at FRA who write the regulations that we labor under would be appointed by an anti-worker President. Finally, should crew size get to a Presidential Emergency Board under the steps of the Railway Labor Act, that Board would be appointed by an anti-worker President.
These anti-worker politicians are sponsored by the same corporate America that wants single-person crews. Those who want to preserve two-person crews must not be fooled by anti-worker politicians whose real intent is to make the richest Americans richer. They must not be distracted by that politician’s positions on the social issues of the day. These wolves in sheep’s clothing will try to convince you that you and they share the same position on some social issues, all the while working against your interests in the workplace. The straight truth is that these social issues will never protect you in the workplace, they will never put food on your family’s table, and they will never ensure that our workplace is its safest with two-person crews the mandatory minimum. Be heard this fall when you go to the voting booth. Don’t be fooled by politicians whose real master is the richest of Americans. Vote for candidates that will work for working class Americans.