CLEVELAND -- Four UTU officers have been elevated to the position of International vice president to fill vacancies created when their four predecessors were removed from office by the UTU Executive Board after being found guilty of violating the UTU Constitution.
Elevated to International vice president were Richard Deiser, William W. Lain Jr., Delbert Strunk and Paul W. Tibbit.
The filling of such vacancies is governed by Article 2 of the UTU constitution
Deiser, age 69, of Dumont, N.J., began his bus operator career with Rockland Coaches in northern New Jersey in 1983. He was elected steward of UTU Local 1558 in 1986, as secretary of his general committee in 1988, and as general chairperson of Rockland Coaches in 1998. In 2007, he was elected alternate vice president-East of the UTU Bus Department.
Lain, age 55, of St. Louis, began his career in 1973 as a locomotive fireman on Alton & Southern Railway, and was promoted to engineer in 1974. He was elected vice president of UTU Local 1929, East St. Louis, Ill., in 1984, and as vice local chairperson for Local 1929's engineers in 1985. He was elected Alton & Southern general chairperson in 1998, and as second alternate UTU vice president-East in 2007.
Strunk, age 59, of Bellevue, Ohio, hired out as a brakeman on Norfolk & Western Railway (now part of Norfolk Southern) in 1973, and was promoted to conductor in 1977. He was elected legislative representative of UTU Local 225 in 1975, as Local 225 chairperson in 1980, and as general chairperson of GO 687 in 1989. He has served on the UTU National Negotiating Committee and the UTU National Wage/Rules Panel, was elected vice chairperson of District 1 of the UTU Association of General Chairpersons, and was elected in 2007 as chairperson of the UTU Constitution Committee. He was elected first alternate UTU vice president-East in 2007.
Tibbit, age 62, of Temple, Texas, hired out as a conductor with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (now part of BNSF) in 1971. He was elected secretary/treasurer of UTU Local 331 in 1982, and local chairperson in 1986. He was elected general chairperson of GO 393 in 1997 and as UTU alternate vice president-West in 2007.
The four International vice presidents who were removed from office by the Executive Board were John W. Babler, Victor Baffoni, James R. Cumby and Constantino A. Iannone after the board found them guilty of acting in opposition to the established policy of the UTU and having usurped the authority of the [UTU] President in violation of [their] duty as a UTU officer.
The four Executive Board members, who were unanimous in their decision, included James A. Huston, chairperson; and members Joe A. Boda, John Risch and Stephen T. Dawson. The board said it reached its decision after reviewing 1,065 pages of transcript and other documents, recordings and exhibits.
The charges were brought Feb. 29, 2008 by numerous rank-and-file members.
Identical charges against two other International vice presidents and a former UTU national legislative director, but those charges were not heard by the Executive Board.
Former International Vice Presidents Roy G. Boling and John D. Fitzgerald retired prior to the charges being heard, and former National Legislative Director James R. Brunkenhoefer died prior to the charges being heard.
