BLET Distributes Checks from Perrien Fund in Hurricane Harvey Relief Effort

JANUARY 2018 Volume 32, Issue 1 Daily news updates ocomotive WWW.BLE-T.ORG LE NGIN ee RS & T RAINM E N N E WS Published by the BLET, a division of the Rail Conference,• International Brotherhood of Teamsters BLET distributes checks from Perrien Fund in Hurricane Harvey relief effort OVER $91,000 DISTRIBUTED TO IMPACTED MEMBERS IN LATE DECEMBER 2017 n the aftermath of Hurri- Advisory Board also authorized cane Harvey, the BLET’s President Pierce’s request that National Division Advi- $20,000 be transferred from the sory Board approved an Union’s General Fund to the Per- expansion of its Gary rien Fund as part of the associ- Perrien Fund to provide finan- ated fund raising effort on be- Icial assistance to members living half of the Union’s members in Texas and Louisiana who had harmed by the storm. In the days suffered losses from the storm. and weeks that followed more Thanks to the generosity of than 70 BLET General Commit- BLET members and officers, the tees of Adjustment, State Legis- Perrien Fund raised more than lative Boards, Local Divisions, $91,000, which was distributed and individual members made to impacted members in the days donations to more than quadru- before Christmas. ple the National Division’s ini- On December 20, 2017, the tial $20,000 gift. BLET’s Executive Committee — “I am proud of the over- consisting of National President whelming level of generosity Dennis R. Pierce, First Vice Pres- shown by our members, officers, ident E. Lee Pruitt, and Nation- Divisions, State Legislative al Secretary-Treasurer Stephen help in your recovery from this the Convention’s Arrangements than him, leading the delegates Boards and General Commit- J. Bruno — mailed the checks to Disaster,” they wrote. Committee, fell ill and the del- and the Advisory Board to later tees of Adjustment,” President 17 members. “While no one can The Gary Perrien Fund was egates passed the hat to assist in create the Gary Perrien Fund. Pierce said. “For nearly 155 years ever be made completely whole originally established by action his recovery. In a televised re- Brother Perrien recovered and now, our Brotherhood has having endured such an event, of the delegates at BLET’s Sec- port back to the convention retired in the years following thrived on the principle of mem- it is our hope that this small to- ond National Convention in from his hospital bed, Brother the 2010 Convention. bers helping members and this ken of generosity from the mem- 2010. Brother Gary Perrien, then Perrien asked that the funds be As part of the expansion of is a shining example of what it bership of our Brotherhood will an active member serving on used to help those more needy the Fund in August, the BLET means to be a Brotherhood.”• DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW Operating with BNSF power, Norfolk Southern train 380 slithers south through the rolling hills of the NS West Virginia Secondary near Arbuckle, W.Va., on February 4, 2014, following a wet snowfall the day before. Photo: Chase Gunnoe BLET President’s Message Not Guilty Financial Aid FELA under attack in Indiana Jury finds 3 railroaders innocent 2018 BLET Scholarship Directory pg. 2 in Lac-Megantic disaster pg. 3 pgs. 4-5 Register• for News Flash email alerts at: www.ble-t.org/newsflash Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BLETNational• 2 WWW.BLE-T.ORG BLET PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE BY DENNIS R. PIERCE Elections Have Consequences – FELA Under Attack in Indiana his year marks the utes to the injury or death of a 110th anniversary of co-worker, then under the pro- the Federal Employers’ posed Indiana law, the co- Liability Act (FELA). worker would be subject to suit TCongress passed FELA in 1908 by the railroad. for the purpose of providing com- Through the hard work and pensation to railroad employees determination of Brother Far- who are injured on the job. It was kas, pro-worker legislators have created at a time when working stepped forward and secured an conditions were so perilous that amendment to the bill that 12,000 railroad workers were would strike the language that killed on the job in 1908 alone — would have allowed railroads to that’s over 32 fatalities per day. sue their own employees. I want Unlike state worker compen- to thank Brother Farkas for his sation systems, damages paid work in protecting FELA and to an injured railroad worker the rights of railroad workers in under FELA are not capped by Indiana. Our other State Legis- some one-size-fits-all chart. lative Board Chairmen should FELA damages are based upon take note in the event that sim- the severity and permanency ilar legislation is introduced in of an injury, and include all eco- their state legislatures. But the nomic damages, plus pain and fight isn’t over. The amended suffering. bill is expected to be approved It should come as no surprise, by the State Senate in early to then, the railroads have made mid-February, at which time the numerous attempts over the years State House of Representatives to weaken or repeal FELA. If the will take it up in committee. industry was to succeed in this I share this with you to rein- effort, literally millions of dol- force the fact that elections have lars would be transferred from consequences. Like I said two the pockets of injured and de- years ago, lawmakers can repeal ceased railroad workers and their or weaken FELA with the stroke families to the carriers’ already of a pen. When you consider who swollen bottom lines. to vote for, one of your main con- In one of my messages to you President Pierce (top) addresses BLET members attending the BLET Education & Training Department’s cerns should be what each can- training class for Secretary-Treasurer at BLET headquarters on January 23, 2018. two years ago, I discussed the didate says — and what each can- subject of FELA and explained Chairman Brian J. Farkas contributed to the injury. Add- der this chapter if liability in didate has done — regarding in detail about its history, its im- alerted the National Division ing insult to injury, the law was whole or in part relates to an FELA and similar worker pro- portance to railroaders, and how that an anti-worker, anti-FE- crafted in such a way that cor- occupational disease.” In oth- tection laws. the carriers have repeatedly tried LA bill would be considered porations whose negligence er words, Big Business — cor- The actions of politicians in to repeal it over the years. In that by the Indiana General Assem- causes or contributes to occu- porate manufacturers of loco- Indiana should serve as an im- piece, I warned BLET members bly in early 2018. As intro- pational diseases were exempt motives that are excessively mediate wake up call for all to consider carefully when cast- duced, Indiana Senate Bill No. from such potential claims. In noisy or spew dangerous die- BLET members. Collectively, we ing their votes at the ballot box 436 (S.B. 436) would allow rail- other words, workers were tar- sel fumes, and the manufac- need to wake up and see which and urged you all to strongly sup- roads to seek damages from geted for lawsuits while corpo- turers of tools that contribute lawmakers are working for port labor-friendly candidates. third parties to offset their fi- rations were exempted. This is to carpal tunnel syndrome, and working class Americans and Lawmakers can significantly nancial obligations in the event what happens when pro-cor- the corporate manufacturers which ones are working for Big weaken FELA with the stroke of they are found negligent and poration politicians act on be- of the various toxins to which Business. This is all the more a pen, and that is exactly what lose a FELA case in court. half of their benefactors. railroad workers are exposed urgent as national elections will anti-worker legislators are try- The original bill would have Section 5 of S.B. 436 stated in the workplace — all get a be held this Fall. ing to do in the State of Indiana. allowed railroads to sue the in- that a railroad “does not have free pass. However, if the court In late December, BLET In- jured employee’s co-workers as a right of action of contribu- determines that a railroad Dennis R. Pierce diana State Legislative Board third parties if their negligence tion against a third party un- worker’s negligence contrib- BLET National President It should come as no surprise, then, the railroads have made numerous attempts over the years to weaken or repeal FELA. If the industry was to succeed in this effort, literally millions of dollars would be transferred from the pockets of injured and deceased railroad workers and their families to the carriers’ already swollen bottom lines. BLET NATIONAL DIVISION ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS POLICY fficial communications between BLET reference to a specific request and can be used response; however, an e-mail message is not con- President to be aware of the opinions and sug- members and the National Division in future correspondence. sidered an official communication. gestions of the membership, while at the same require a hard copy of the correspon- The volume of e-mails received makes it im- Moreover, anonymous e-mails and e-mails time providing a timely response to the mem- Odence, bearing a signature, being received by the possible for the National President to answer all that do not provide sufficient information con- ber’s unofficial communication, if a response is National President to be considered an “official unofficial communications.

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