BLE rejects merger
By a vote of 17,251 to 7,425, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers rejected a proposed merger with the United Transportation Union.
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Merger statement by BLE President
Hahs
You have spoken.
On the question of merging our ranks with those of the UTU, by a vote
of 17,251 to 7,425, you have clearly, overwhelmingly, stated your preference.
By as lopsided a margin as one could imagine, you have said, "no."
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Congress OKs Railroad Retirement
reform
BLE and GIA members received an early Christmas present on December 12
when Congress passed the Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement
Act of 2001. The Senate approved the bill on December 9 (by a vote of 90-9),
while the House approved its version of the bill on December 12 (by a vote
of 369-33). President George W. Bush had not signed the bill as The Newsletter
went to press, but it was expected that he would do so on December 20.
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