BMWED Conducts New Officer Development Training Published: Apr 13 2023 1:48PM
Earlier today, participants in the recently revamped BMWED's New Officer Development Program were put through the rigors of a mock discipline hearing. Each student – a newly elected system officer – was asked to prepare defense arguments in support of a member facing disciplinary charges from his manager. Witnesses for both the charged BMWED member railroader and the carrier were interviewed, defense cases were formulated by the students over the course of several hours, and the discipline hearing was conducted today.
For the first time, the mock hearing was held at the BMWED headquarters in Novi, Mich. This afforded the Brotherhood access to staff housed there and utilized a facility and the technology and expertise within it.
The mock hearing day is often the most mentally-taxing, yet informative and beneficial, of the educational course and provides a challenging end to the three day course. Kudos and a great job today to the Brothers who participated in the course.
In addition to the mock hearing, the new system officers were briefed on subjects ranging from claims and grievance writing, negotiation prep, safety protection review ("whistleblower" laws), labor law and history (the Railway Labor Act, right-to-work-for-less legislation), discipline representation, and effective Union communication. Thank you to all who participated.
It should be noted that future educational opportunities will commence in the weeks and months to come and will include programs intended for rank-and-file members who are interested and aspirational to be more involved in our Brotherhood. Those Brothers and Sisters interested in attending future Educational Programs are encouraged to contact their respective General Chairperson and new Education Director Ash Anderson. A listing of contact info is available on the BMWED website.