The BMWED National Association met June 26 in Cherokee, N.C. for a full day’s agenda of pressing topics facing the Brotherhood and its membership.

Regulatory and legislative matters, collective bargaining strategy and combating rail management’s depreciatory plans, and various other important union issues were chief among a full day’s slate. The collective body of officers from every system federation in the Brotherhood, as well as National Division officers and staff, and several rank-in-file members in attendance for the first time, were updated on old and new business and brought up to speed on pressing matters currently facing the BMWED.

Among a slew of guest speakers was Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose, who reiterated his unwavering support for our members and all rail workers throughout the country. Under Administrator Bose, the FRA has made tremendous progress in protecting visual track inspections in the face of a strong carrier push to decrease their frequency in favor of automation.

“Visual inspections remain vitally important,” Bose said. “It is imperative and critical that technology cannot supplant the judgement of human eyes and ears on the ground.”

Bose touted his administration’s work in rule making, strengthening whistleblower and retaliation protections for workers, partnerships with Rail Labor around infrastructure funding, and putting the agency’s muscle behind us in contractual paid sick day policy and pushing back on carriers who choose to greedily furlough members.

“As long as I am administrator, the safety of workers will be the FRA’s foremost priority,” Bose said. “You have our commitment. The FRA is not satisfied with stagnant safety policies and will continue to use our rule making authority to improve and better them in favor of workers. We are going to deliver and make all these things better for you.”

On the legislative front, a bevy of speakers pointed to ongoing efforts at the state and federal levels to advance the interests of BMWED members. Legislative initiatives like the Rail Safety Act, the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act, state rail crossing laws, and others are important and take consistent and diligent effort not only BMWED officers and staff, but arguably more so from the rank-and-file members.

One immediate way we can buoy these efforts is through funding the Teamsters DRIVE political action committee. BMWED Director of Government Affairs devoted most of his speaking time emphasizing the critical need to fund DRIVE, which stands for Democratic, Republican, Independent Voter Education, a non-partisan PAC that combats the rail carriers and their millions of dollars of spending to curry support for their anti-worker, avariciously greedy plans.

“I understand how uncomfortable it makes people to ask for money but we have to explain how crucial it is,” Brother Joines said. “What we do with DRIVE is the single most important thing an individual of this Union can do to help us succeed in Washington, D.C. and in statehouses across the country. We support lawmakers across the board, regardless of party, that will stand with us and progress law that makes our lives and jobs as railroaders better, safer, and stronger. It is imperative that we get our message across and I can tell you that DRIVE is one of the biggest and most effective tools in our toolbox to get that done.”

Cole Scandaglia, Teamsters Senior Legislative and Policy Advisor, pledged the International’s support to its rail division, which includes the BMWED and our Brothers and Sisters with the BLE-T. The Teamster Rail Conference is a portion of the International, but Brother Scandaglia reemphasized our importance to the horse heads.

“Our department promises you the full force of all 1.3 million Teamsters,” Brother Scandaglia said. “That’s how we go about our business and BMWED members deserve that support in D.C. It’s my promise to deliver it.”

The Teamsters have been instrumental in assisting our efforts to strengthen the Rail Safety Act currently pending in the U.S. Senate and policing sneaky amendments and changes proposed by the carriers that would whittle down and kill important protections to visual track inspection and safety requirements to BMWED members who are among the first to respond to dangerous derailments such as the one in East Palestine.

“I think they hoped that we wouldn’t find these changes, but we did and we killed them,” Scandaglia said. “Rest assured, we are committed to ensure that rail safety legislation will protect Teamster rail members and provide your members what they deserve.”

Brother Mike Smith, the newly appointed Director of the Teamsters Rail Conference, made his first speech to our National Association, echoing Teamster support for our membership.

“I pledge to you that I will work diligently with your leadership to raise wages, provide safe working conditions and advance the interests of the BMWED-IBT,” Director Smith said. “More can and will be done.”

Longtime advocate and friend, Labor Attorney Rich Edelman also discussed two recent filings with the Surface Transportation Board filed on behalf of Rail Labor. Brother Edelman is among the strongest and foremost allies of Rail Labor and illustrated the insatiable greed of the rail carriers, who continue to hunger for increased profits year after year, with no qualms about reducing workforce manpower to unsafe levels to satisfy those financial desires.

In all, it was an informative and successful National Association gathering, with the focus on the betterment of the membership at foremost importance.