BLE I know. UTU I don’t know. Basic question - how are they different - other than what looks to be the obvious - one is for Engineers and the other is for ? - all the rest?
Hi Jenny,
Up untill the late 60s, early 70s, there were about 6 or 7 different union representing the train and engine employees, yardmasters, conductors. All of them united under one union, except the BLE, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and the “new” union was called The United Transportation Union, UTU. It includes some engineers, most frieght and passenger conductors, yardmasters, bus drivers in some cities, and yardmasters. The “local” unions vote on which one they want to represent them.
Your first guess was right, BLE for a lot of engineers, UTU for the rest.
Stay Frosty,
Ed
ed there are some places that the ble holds the conductors agreement and the engineers they run the utu off. I cant see how a union who is fighting for garbage men and bus drivers in denver and los angeles can get me a better contract on the railroad.
thank you gentlemen! Sometimes all the alphabet soup that is used in the forum really makes me stop and think. At least I have this straightened out!
Jen
Ed, don’t forget there is a portion of the BLE reserved for dispatchers.
I sure hope the BLE doesn’t change it’s name like BNSFCNNSCSX. Is there any rhyme or reason behind all this? I can understand BLE for Engineers, but the rest escapes me.
I don’t care what union someone belongs to, we should always do our best to stick up for any union no matter what they do for a living. BTW, trains haul and switch out millions of tons a garbage for our quality of life. I don’t know what I would do with out a garbage man and I am sure many other would say the same about bus service.
Speaking of “alphabet soup”… any of you care to explain:
cinscocom-tmw
and
CINCSCOCOM
S3
??? [?]
no
I was afraid that’d be the case.
Nor…
I suspect that it’s an informal club of senior members of the forum- I’ve seen a rare post or two which explained the acronyms. I keep hoping that one of these days I’ll get drafted…[swg]
The ATDA became independent again when the BLE became a part of the Teamsters.
Brian, I thought you would have been around long enough to know at least a bit of the origin. I kind of remember the day that Jay was promoted from his old position (I wonder how many around here remember the previous title he carried…)
Well, I guess I get to do what I used to do at work when someone started throwing around an acronym without explaining what it meant…
“I” get to assign what the letters mean…[}:)]
and I just bet the same thing will happen here as what happened at work![B)]
They are the BLET now-a-days “The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen” Most still refer to it as the BLE. Conductors can belong to it, as engineers can belong to the UTU it just depends on which railroad you work for as to which Unions you have to choose from, or if you are given a choice. The BLE used to be a good union before the Teamsters crap came in a messed it all up. That said, the UTU doesn’t stick up for it’s members and it’s time we all stick together and join as one Union.
(maybe they all read Tom Clancy?)
UMMM why?? Is it against forum policy to have that signature?
Te occidere possunt sed te edere non possunt nefas est.
Chris - Who would want to?