BMWED President Tony Cardwell
Tony Cardwell, President of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), shared BMWED’s concerns about the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger as he addressed delegates in the Thursday morning session of BLET’s Sixth National Convention.
Cardwell said the BMWED, side-by-side with BLET leaders, had spent months reviewing the proposed UP-NS merger, consulting members and meeting with Union Pacific leadership to seek enforceable job protections.
“We spent months studying the proposal, talking to members and meeting with Union Pacific leadership. We asked for real, enforceable protections for the workers whose lives would be affected,” Cardwell said. “Union Pacific has not met our demand for real, enforceable position protections. If it ever does, we will give that serious consideration. But even then, we will have to confront what this merger means for rail competition, shippers, communities, and the American public.”
Cardwell also stressed the importance of solidarity between the BLET and BMWED through the Teamsters Rail Conference, saying railroad workers expect their union leaders to advocate on their behalf.
“Our members didn’t elect us to shrug our shoulders and wait around,” Cardwell said. “They expect us to stand up and make the fight. That means taking our case to regulators, elected officials, the public, and the people who rely on our freight rail system every day. It means building alliances and demanding answers instead of accepting promises.”
Cardwell praised BLET for supporting BMWED amid ongoing challenges facing railroad workers and highlighted the close relationship between the two organizations.
“Brother Mark Wallace and I talk constantly, and it seems like every time we talk, there is another attack on railroad workers. I cannot tell you how much it means to know BLET has BMWED’s back. I want every person in this room to know BMWED has yours,” he said.
