It is certainly refreshing to see the organization formerly known as BLE talk the talk of unity. It would be even better to see them actually walk the walk, as UTU has done since 1969.

Let's review the facts:

• In 2001, UTU and BLE leadership voluntarily sat down together and negotiated an honorable merger of these two organizations, recognizing UTU's longstanding vision of a strong, single union representing all rail operating crafts with equality and autonomy for each craft. It was no surprise that UTU membership overwhelming ratified that honorable merger proposal. We have always advocated such unity, and we have never rejected any reasonable opportunity to unite with other crafts. Sadly, BLE members rejected that merger proposal, just as they have rejected every other attempt to do the right thing and make all crafts equal and autonomous within a single union. Why? Because regardless of BLE's campaign rhetoric and poisonous propaganda, they simply do not want all crafts to be equal and autonomous. Today, just as in 2001 and in 1969 and as far back in history as you want to go, BLE's vision, purpose and goal is to elevate the locomotive engineer at the expense of any and every other craft.
  
  
  
• UTU invited BLE to sit at the table with us in Remote Control negotiations in order to share that new technology equitably, with a very real possibility of implementation through pure attrition, and BLE rejected the offer simply because they wanted complete and unilateral control of the new technology. BLE had already failed in their own negotiations, rejected a partnership, and then subsequently failed in the Courts and at arbitration, leaving its members with no jobs and no protection, and then rejected the 50/50 sharing of protective slots proffered by UTU. BLE clearly saw this as an all or nothing gamble, and then blamed UTU when the very predictable loss occurred.
  
  
• Having failed to ratify an honorable merger with UTU, and after finally learning the bitter lesson that no single craft can stand alone against the inevitable march of technological change, BLE ran into the open arms of the Teamsters in a vain attempt to use the strong-arm tactics of that trucker-dominated union to raid the UTU and create within the Teamsters a new "Rail Conference" with BLE and the locomotive engineer calling all the shots and all other rail crafts submitting to their superiority. Equality and mutual respect are no more part of this arrogant BLE plan than they were part of BLE's infamous "Lake Erie Plan" of the 1980's or their outright lies to UTU Conductors during a representation election on VIA Rail in Canada, which led to their recent conviction in court of "improper collaboration" with the Carrier to rob those Conductors of their seniority and give their jobs to Engineers. That's exactly what BLE has done at every opportunity in the past, and that's exactly what this new "unity" movement is about. In their own arguments to the courts in that VIA Rail case, BLE had the audacity to proclaim that their promises were nothing more than campaign rhetoric, and UTU members had no realistic expectation that BLE would actually live up to their word. I see nothing new in this present so-called "unity" movement.
  
  
• BLE has capitalized on every crew consist change ever negotiated by UTU to increase the Engineers' wages and benefits, called a strike over their demand to be the highest paid member of the crew (which eventually led to the devastating Van Wart Commission), and encouraged their members to cross UTU picket lines to further their own selfish goals. BLE asserts in its propaganda that UTU has "given away" Brakeman and Helper jobs, and completely ignores the fact that on the former BN alone the Carrier is now paying over $60 million per year in additional compensation to ground and engine service employees on reduced crews, not to mention the costs associated with Personal Leave Days, Guaranteed extra boards, Reserve Boards, a Conductor Training Program, the absolute right to refuse to perform certain work, protections against future changes without mutual consent and numerous other benefits all resulting directly from those UTU crew consist negotiations. If UTU had taken the "head in the sand" approach to crew consist that BLE followed in the Remote Control dispute, the Carriers today would almost certainly have unilateral control of crew size and the employees (ground and engine service) would have none of these benefits. Yet BLE still manages to paint UTU as weak or ineffective because we went to work and did our job at the bargaining table (in Crew Consist and Remote Control, etc.) rather than leaving our members' fate to a third party and then blaming someone else.
  
  
• New UTU President Paul Thompson has personally contacted BLE President Don Hahs with an open invitation to renew merger talks and see if there is any merger deal that BLE can ratify, short of making all other crafts subservient to the locomotive engineer and making all rail employees a mud flap on the Teamsters' 18-wheeler. That invitation remains open and unaccepted as far as I know. We all know that UTU can, has and will ratify any reasonable merger deal that respects craft autonomy and guarantees equal status. The problem with unification is not with UTU members. The problem with unification is BLE's arrogant demand that every other craft must give up their rights and protection to further elevate the status of the engineer.
  
  
• The Teamsters have not organized a major trucking company in nearly 25 years, and their most recent attempt was a bone-headed strike against Overnight Transportation Company that ended in dismal failure and outright abandonment. Flight Attendants at Northwest Airlines joined the Teamsters, buying into the same empty promises that are now being made to BLE leadership about how the Teamsters would let them run their own show and provide the financial and political muscle to accomplish their goals. Those Flight Attendants recently withdrew from Teamsters, saying they were disrespected and ignored once the dues money started flowing to Teamsters' coffers.
  
  
• Teamsters' National Master Freight Agreement contains specific requirements to remove trailers from trains and force the hiring of additional truck drivers to operate them over the road. Teamsters' Central States Pension Fund is in dire financial condition, while in stark contrast, Railroad Retirement has a healthy and growing surplus. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess why railroad crafts are attracting the Teamsters' attention, and the list of other direct conflicts of interest is long and obvious.
  
  
• Teamsters have never had any interest in protecting FELA, Amtrak, the RLA or many other legislative or regulatory protections enjoyed by rail employees. In fact, Teamsters now suggest that we don't even need some of those protections, and that they will bypass RLA and strike the nations railroads to force better contracts. Beyond the folly of defying the Courts, the Congress and the White House to attempt an illegal strike, if they can't beat Overnight, I for one have absolutely no faith that they could stand against UP (Overnight's parent company), or BNSF or any other Carrier, and they sure can't stand against the U. S. Military enforcing a back to work order. Let Teamsters show me they can back up their bravado in the trucking industry, and then they can talk to railroaders about how they intend to improve on UTU's leadership in our industry.

The bottom line is that BLE never has wanted and still does not want unity with equality. They want supremacy for the engineer at the expense of all others, and they have sold their heart and soul to the Teamsters to avoid a heads-up fight with UTU.

When Brother Pierce or any other BLE General Chairman is ready to go to our respective memberships and explain why our unions should come together in a voluntary, honorable merger that recognizes craft autonomy and mutual respect, I will meet him anywhere, any time. If he or any other BLE officer wants to publicly debate the history, or the present performance, or the future vision of our respective organizations, I and other UTU officers will gladly accommodate.

In the meantime, here are some very simple and (I think) very pertinent questions that someone in the BLE needs to be answering, rather than circulating more propaganda:

• Will BLE leadership sit down with UTU leadership to negotiate an honorable merger that affords all operating crafts equality and autonomy, and allows the entire membership of a merged union to determine whether they want to affiliate with the Teamsters?
  
  
• Does BLE leadership have sufficient credibility in the eyes of its own members to expect ratification of such a merger proposal?
  
  
• Does BLE leadership have the guts to be governed by the will of the combined membership of a merged union on the question of Teamsters affiliation, or is James Hoffa already dictating BLE's future?
  
  
• When (not if) remote control technology and positive train separation technology and other new innovations make road engineers unnecessary, will BLE join UTU at the bargaining table and protect the engineers’ interests, or will BLE again play the "tough guy" roll and then blame UTU or the Courts or Congress or an arbitrator when more engineers go home with nothing?
  
  
• If BLE somehow gains jurisdiction over UTU ground service contracts, and then these (or other) new technologies adversely affect the traditional crafts, will Engineers share the new or remaining jobs equally, based on the affected employees' seniority in their respective crafts, or will BLE pursue it's historical approach to allow access to those jobs solely on the basis of Engineer seniority?
  
  
• Does BLE really want unity, craft autonomy, mutual respect, and the best for all rail employees, or does BLE just want the resources of the Teamsters and UTU members' dues in order to continue their single-minded pursuit of more money and more job security for engineers?

Still advocating real Progress Through Unity

Robert Kerley
UTU General Chairman