Newly elected GC William Wallace (front row, center) with members at the UP-Western Region GCA quadrennial meeting. He replaces the retiring Steve Leyshon (front row, 2nd from left).
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William Wallace of BLET Division 362 was elected as the new Chairman of the Union Pacific-Western Region General Committee of Adjustment during the Committee’s quadrennial meeting held June 11-12, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nev. Outgoing General Chairman Steve Leyshon did not seek reelection due to his pending retirement. The UP-Western Region GCA represents more than 1,700 active and retired members across 17 different BLET Local Divisions.
Brother William J. Wallace, not to be confused with BLET National First Vice President Mark Wallace, who addressed the Las Vegas meeting, is a member of BLET Division 362 (La Grande, Ore.). He hired out in March 2004 with the Union Pacific Railroad and joined the BLET in 2004. He served as Local Chairman of Division 362 from 2006 until 2016 and served the GCA as the 3rd Vice General Chairman from 2008 until 2012, 2nd Vice General Chairman from 2012 until 2016 and 1st Vice General Chairman from 2016 until 2024.
Also elected during the quadrennial meeting were: 1st Vice General Chairman Matt Keene, Division 416 Portland and Western Railroad, (Salem, Ore.); 2nd Vice General Chairman Cameron Towle, Division 236 (Portland, Ore.); Jared Worthington, Division 846, (Salt Lake City, Utah); Secretary-Treasurer Chad Holub, Division 766 (Las Vegas, Nev.); and Alternate Secretary-Treasurer Troy Lish, Division 228 (Pocatello, Idaho).
Appointed to the Audit Committee were: Steve Wells, Division 766 (Las Vegas, Nev.); Paul Hutchinson, Division 892 (Seattle, Wash.); and Travis Jeppson, Division 713 (Provo, Utah).
Brother Leyson retires after a railroad career that began on October 5, 1990, when he hired out as a brakeman for the Union Pacific in Las Vegas. He earned promotion to locomotive engineer in September of 1995. Brother Leyshon was first elected to a four-year term as General Chairman in 2016 and then reelected in 2020.
BLET National President Eddie Hall, First Vice President Mark Wallace, and National Vice President Gary Best represented the National Division at the meeting.