BLET President Mark Wallace spoke to BMWED delegates about the Rail Conference’s opposition to the UP-NS merger, among other topics.
Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) concluded their Sixth Quadrennial National Division Convention in Chicago last week. Along with BLET, the BMWED is a member of the Teamsters Rail Conference.
Delegates from more than 350 local lodges across the BMWED’s 12 system federations (which are similar to BLET General Committees of Adjustment) convened to consider changes to the union’s bylaws and to elect officers. BMWED National President Tony Cardwell was reelected to another four-year term of office, along with Secretary-Treasurer Dale Bogart Jr.
BLET National President Mark Wallace spoke to the assembled delegation, highlighting the renewed cooperation and solidarity between the two unions. He discussed the Rail Conference’s strong opposition to the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, the risks of automated track inspections, and the Rail Conference’s ongoing legislative work to advance pro-worker and rail safety initiatives.
“Over the last several years, our relationship in the Teamsters Rail Conference has never been stronger and that has resulted in us leading in Washington, D.C.,” said President Wallace. “Every locomotive engineer in America depends on the work of the brothers and sisters in this room, and I thank you for your hard work every day building, maintaining and repairing the track on which we ride. There is no better advocate against automated track inspection than a locomotive engineer. Every single time you replace a track inspector with a computer, my members’ lives are at risk.”
Of historical note, BMWED National Vice President Staci Moody-Gilbert announced her retirement at the convention. She is the first woman to serve BMWED as Vice President in the union’s 139-year history.
Read more about the BMWED convention and election results here.
Photo courtesy of BMWED