Journal, We Will Publish Part 2 of Register to Vote - You Can’T Vote If Es out to Our Parents, Sisters, Broth- Detailed Information of Every Candi- This Article
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BROTHERHOOD OF MAINTENANCE OF WAY EMPLOYES DIVISION Of The International Brotherhood Of Teamsters Volume 115 ■ Number 4 www.bmwe.org August 2006 BMWED STRIKES CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY Message to Carrier is Clear - We Will Not Be Ignored! n the morning of July 19, at The Railway Labor Act, a law in O06:00, BMWED members and effect since 1926, requires that CN IBT volunteers from area Teamster exert every reasonable effort to make Locals (Joint Council 42) established an agreement, to settle the dispute, picket lines at no fewer than twelve and to bargain with the BMWED in work-site locations of the Canadian good faith. The RLA also requires that National Railway (CN) in Ohio, CN meet and confer with the Michigan, and Indiana. The strike tar- BMWED, as the representative of geted CN properties of the former CN’s maintenance of way employees. Grand Trunk Western (GTW), Detroit The CN refused our repeated request Toledo & Ironton (DT&I), and Detroit for meetings. Toledo & Shore Line (DT&SL) After the National Mediation Board Railroads. This action followed a law- (NMB) declined to schedule meetings suit filed against the CN in the U.S. between the parties, the BMWED District Court for the Northern District sought to meet directly with CN. of Ohio (Toledo) two days earlier. Again, the CN refused to respond to Both of the actions directed against any of our written requests to them to the CN were in strong protest to CN’s hold direct negotiations. On July 17, Strike Hits CN Rail Yard Operations - Pontiac, Michigan. violations of the Railway Labor Act the BMWED filed a lawsuit against the (RLA) in the longstanding dispute CN to enforce the Railway Labor Act. submitting new proposals that would all maintenance of way work, allow CN between the BMWED and the CN CN’s actions just prior to the March decimate longstanding employee rights complete discretion in making work over changes in the current collective mediation sessions contributed greatly on the GTW, DT&I, and DT&SL proper- assignments, and impose unprecedent- bargaining agreements on the former to the striking of their properties. It was ties. Among other things, CN proposed ed huge and annually increasing health GTW, DT&I, and DT&SL portions of at that time that the CN suddenly took to eliminate existing seniority rights, insurance contributions. But when CN the CN. a giant negotiating step backward by give CN a free hand in contracting-out See Strikes on Page 3 Say Hello to the Men of the A&O BMWED Extends a Hearty Welcome to Its Newest Brothers n the evening of August 2nd, in a Buckley, seven Trackmen and one Orestaurant a few miles outside of Signalman voted unanimously to ratify Buckhanna, West Virginia, a small a five year agreement which the group of men who work to repair BMWED had negotiated on their and maintain the 150 mile stretch of behalf. It is their first. In doing so, they tracks operated by the Appalachian ended a year and a half long period of and Ohio (A&O) Railroad proudly uncertainty, the amount of time most of celebrated a new beginning. Their new them have been employed at the A&O. beginning. Additionally, they will now enjoy imme- After carefully listening to a presen- diate wage increases and equalization, “Around these parts, if you’re not working in a coal mine or for a railroad, you’re not living,” —Dustin Huffman A&O Railroad tation by Allied Eastern Federation work schedule stabilization, and many Left to Right—Front Row: Randall Brassell, Mark Barbour, Bryan Mallett, General Chairman Randall Brassell, other basic workplace rules which Wes Workman, Noah Shaver. Middle Row: James Conrad, George Patrick, accompanied by Vice General many of us too often take for granted Len Buckley. Back Row: David Lopez, Dustin Huffman, Ben Mooney, Jimmy Chairmen David Lopez and Len See A&O on Page 3 Henegar. ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Sometimes it Takes a Four Letter Word to be Heard . “VOTE” is Rail Labor’s Most Powerful Word - Part 1 of 2 n the Sept/Oct edition of the WHAT TO DO NOW port to our cause. If each of us reach- Candidate Information - PVS has IJournal, we will publish Part 2 of Register to Vote - You can’t vote if es out to our parents, sisters, broth- detailed information of every candi- this Article. It clearly defines the you’re not registered at your current ers, uncles, and aunts, we are very date running for a seat in Congress issues that are of great concern to home address. Make sure you’re cor- likely to double or quadruple that fig- during this election cycle. This will be America’s Railroad Families. We also rectly registered. The amount of time ure. It’s all about helping people extremely helpful to you if you and anticipate providing you with a com- you have to get registered prior to vot- understand what’s at stake for the your family plan to vote in your State’s plete list of labor-friendly congression- ing in a Primary Election or in the family as a whole. An injury to one is Primary Election. You can access their al candidates for your consideration. General Election varies from state to an injury to all. Think about it. web site’s home page by going to Please look for them. state. Find out what rules apply to Request an Absentee Ballot - www.vote-smart.com and searching Once you’ve confirmed that you’re cor- for individual candidate information on ABOUT THIS ELECTION CYCLE you. Again, if you’re not sure if you are currently registered to vote, rectly registered to vote, if there is any your own. During the next two months, there please contact the office that handles possibility that you will be away from Telephone Assistance - If you’re is going to be a flurry of election activ- voter registration in your county or home on an election day, request to not near a computer or you do not ity. “Campaign Information Overload,” state. You don’t want to be turned vote by Absentee Ballot. Again, the have internet access at home, the in other words. This is called a mid- away from the polls on election day laws regarding this option vary from folks at PVS can help. Call their toll- term election cycle (no presidential because of a registration error. Think state to state. Some actually allow free “Voters Research Hotline” at candidates on ballot). Every seat in about it. weekend voting. Think about it. 1-888-868-3762 and they will answer the House of Representatives (435) Help Family Members Register - Talk About It - Ask the people you any questions you have about your and one third of the Senate seats (33) If you do nothing more than assure work with in the other crafts if they’re States election requirements are up for election. that your spouses and voting age chil- registered to vote. If not, tell them and/or the candidates running for First there are the Primary dren are registered to vote, you’ve how easy it is (see Help below). Think office. Elections (various dates), to sort out done something very big. about it. Finally, remember this. As proud the initial sets of candidates for each of members of America’s “Working Consider these estimates. The HELP FOR YOU the parties, and then the General BMWED is about thirty one thousand Class,” we know the difference Election is held on November 7, 2006, members strong. If every registered Register Online - The BMWED web- between right and wrong and we have to decide who will sit in each of these BMWED family member votes on page at www.bmwe.org has a link to a a long and proud history of fighting for seats for the next two years (House) or November 7, we will have given over Project Vote Smart (PVS) web page. what is right. We know what it takes to six years (Senate), respectively. one hundred thousand votes of sup- Look for the Project Vote Smart button fight and we know what it takes to on the left-hand side of the screen. win! PVS is a non-profit non-partisan organi- Registering to Vote gives each of us zation dedicated to helping voters in line a couple of tickets to fight in BMWE Division receive accurate election information. the Boxing Ring of American The link we have established from our Democracy! A ticket for one punch in JOURNAL CONTENTS home page takes you directly to a PVS the Preliminaries and a ticket for one page which requests that you select punch in the Final Round. That adds August. 2006 ■ BMWE DIVISION JOURNAL ■ VOLUME 115 ■ NUMBER 4 your State of residence. Once you’ve up to two punches for every voting- The BMWED Journal is the official news publication of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division done that, all of the information you age member of every BMWED family. of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters need to know about your State’s Together, We Can Win This Fight! Primary and General elections, includ- Freddie N. Simpson Perry K. Geller, Sr. Richard A. Inclima Register to VOTE and be part of the President and Editor Secretary-Treasurer Associate Editor ing how and where to register for them, 2006 Victory Celebration. The BMWED Journal (ISSN 1049-3921 /USPS 067640) is published bi-monthly-6 times annually at 20300 Civic will be shown. Request for Absentee VOTE . The most powerful four- Center Drive, Suite 320, Southfield, Michigan 48076-4169.