BLET Members Save the Right to Vote August 30, 2010: By an overwhelming vote of 6,305 to 2,452, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) in the Teamsters have saved the Right to Vote for their top officers. BLET members won the Right to Vote in 2006, by a smaller margin and lower turnout. That was before three of the unions top officers left in disgrace for misusing tens of thousands of dollars of union funds, double-dipping on expenses, and soliciting a $20,000 bribe from an attorney. Members Organize In December, officials from Divisions 13, 98, 155, and 236 started circulating petitions to take away the Right to Vote, and the issue was put to a referendum vote. Behind the scenes, top BLET officers campaigned hard to take away members democratic rights. Right away, rank-and-file members and local officers mobilized to protect their rights. The Right to Vote gives us the tools to hold our leaders accountable, punish officers who violate our trust, and root out corruption from our union, said Hugh Sawyer, President of BLET Division 316 and a member of TDUs Steering Committee, in a letter that was mailed to all BLET members. Why should the members ever give up that right? First Direct Election in Full Swing Now the BLETs first-ever one-member, one-vote election for top officers is moving ahead in full swing. Tom Brennan, a local chairman and candidate for BLET President, supported the Right to Vote vocally from the beginning. The incumbent candidate for president, Dennis Pierce, refused to come out publicly for or against the Right to Vote. Privately he worked to pass the initiative and take away members Right to Vote. Sore Losers Prepare for Round Three? The members have spokenthey want the Right to Vote. But the officials of Division 98 have already submitted a resolution to the union convention that would strip members of the Right to Vote. Their resolution could be heading to the convention floor for a vote in October. Keeping the Right to Vote should be a no-brainer for delegates at the Convention. The members have spoken loud and clear on this issuetwice. We hope Division 98 officials will do the right thing and withdraw their resolution before the convention even begins.
How many BLET members are there? What percentage of the ballots were returned? How many did they have to toss for disregarding instructions?
Members vote to retain rank and file vote for National Division Officers
http://www.ble.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=5013
CLEVELAND, August 31 - By a margin of 72% to 28%, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) voted today to retain rank and file elections for National Division Officers when they rejected an initiative that would have provided for delegate election of National Division officers.
BLET's Bylaws are unique in that they allow for Bylaws changes to be proposed between conventions using the initiative process. The vote concluded an initiative introduced late last year by BLET Divisions 13, 98, 155 and 236. The divisions proposed to restore to convention delegates the right to elect National Division officers. This traditional method of electing the top officials of the Brotherhood was changed by an initiative vote in 2006.
Serving on the committee appointed by National President Pierce to count the ballots were Division 115 Member M. F. Chenchar, Division 190 Member B. Freeman, Division 256 Member J. F. Wilmesher, Division 316 Member G. L. Pack, Division 421 Member G. W. Lund, and Division 659 Member T. J. Curran. The committee was assisted by TrueBallot, Inc., which conducted the referendum election.
National President Pierce was pleased by the results of the vote and he thanked all members who took the time to participate in this monumental event. "Turnout was up significantly from the 2006 initiative; this is proof positive that the mobilization efforts designed to get out the vote make a difference," Pierce said. "The membership has voted to retain rank and file elections for National Division Officers, and our goal going forward will be to encourage all members to exercise their right to vote later this fall when those elections occur."
I had alot of guys tell me they didn't get the ballot. I told them it looked like one of those credit card offers you get with junk mail. "Oh, my wife probably threw it out." I will work harder to get the word out about the next set of ballots.
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I started ophph with nuthin, and I can safely say I have most of it left.... <img
I had alot of guys tell me they didn't get the ballot. I told them it looked like one of those credit card offers you get with junk mail. "Oh, my wife probably threw it out." I will work harder to get the word out about the next set of ballots.
