Staff
- Danny Hamilton - Director
- Frank May - International Representative
History
The US Railroad Division was formed in 1969 at the Boilermakers Twenty-Third Consolidated Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. The Division was formed to service solely those members employed in the Railroad industry in the United States.
Our members are employed by major Class I U.S. railroad companies, several commuter railroad companies, Amtrak, and several short line railroad companies. Railroad Boilermakers & Blacksmiths perform work on cars and locomotives, maintenance of way, and facilities. They service and repair locomotives, including wreck repair, and manufacture parts for locomotives and cars, including building snow plows, gear pans, and hundreds of other items used every day in the railroad industry. They also perform welding on tracks, work in reclamation plants, and perform general maintenance work.
Alan Scheer serves as Division Director. He is assisted by an Assistant Director and an International Representative, whom exclusively service railroad members.
Division Structure and Service
The division provides service to its members through a division director and division staff. Currently, the Railroad Division has 13 Lodges that are exclusively railroad lodges, plus ten lodges which are combined lodges, having both railroad members and members who work in other areas. The division has approximately 1,200 members employed in the craft and class of Boilermakers and in the craft and class of Blacksmiths. These members work for every major Class I Carrier.
The services provided to Railroad Division local lodges include assistance to Local Lodge secretary treasurers, as needed; appealing all claims and grievances through second, third, and fourth levels; negotiating all collective bargaining agreements; and arbitrating all issues, as required, to all members employed in the railroad industry in the United States.
The Railroad Division also negotiates collecting bargaining agreements for its members on a national basis with the National Carriers Conference Committee and with individual carriers, in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Labor Act.
Contract disputes are resolved in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Labor Act. We utilize the Second Division of the National Railroad Adjustment Board and Public Law Boards to expedite arbitration of these disputes. Expedited arbitration is sometimes handled through what is called “party pay boards,” with each party sharing in the cost.
The Railroad Division participates in the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, in TTD’s Railroad Division. The TTD works closely with the Boilermakers Legislative office in Washington, D.C., on all legislative issues affecting Railroad Division members. TTD may be contacted at
TTD
888 16th St. N.W., Suite 650
Washington, D.C. 20006
Contact Information
697-A Rhea County Hwy.
Dayton, TN 37321
Phone: (423) 570-0211
More Information
- Benefits for Railroad Members [1]
- Other Information for Railroad Members [2]
Benefits for Railroad Employees
Retirement Benefits
All members employed by U.S. Carriers are covered by the Railroad Retirement Act. Additionally, our members participate in the Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pensions Trust. The Railroad Retirement Board may be contacted at:
United Healthcare [3]
450 Columbus Blvd. 13 NA
Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: (800) 842-5252
Dental Benefits are Provided by Etna.
Railroad Job Vacancies Reported to the RRB [4]
Hourly Rates
The Average Straight Time Hourly Rate of pay (ASTHR) as of July 2004 is $21.20 per hour. Significant overtime work is available, affording these members a much higher earning potential. Differentials of $.25 and $.50 are paid in addition to the Straight Time Rate.
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ Railroad Craft Scholarship Foundation Grant
Eligibility: Applicant must be a child of a member or deceased member of any craft associated with any railroad who has been accepted by an accredited school for admission, and needs financial assistance in order to attend college. Deadline for completed applications is May 1st. You can get an application online, or you can email to receive one in the mail.
Workers with Occupational Illnesses and Injuries
In the United States, some transportation industries, including railroads, never made legal provision for workers compensation. As a result, employees who develop occupational diseases must bring suit against their employer in an appropriate legal forum.
For information about your rights as an injured employee or family member, we recommend you visit the web site of Jones, Granger, Tramuto, Christy & Halstead [5] (formerly Jones & Granger) of Houston, TX (www.railroadasbestos.com [6]), the only attorneys approved and designated by all railroad labor unions. This web site contains valuable information on all types of injuries suffered as a result of employment, including traumatic injuries such as back injuries or broken bones; occupational exposures such as asbestosis and silicosis; repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome; and other types of industrial exposure cases.
Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA)
Railroad employees are not covered by state workers compensation laws. Instead, they are covered by the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), the Jones Act, and the Longshore and Harbor Workers Act. The International Brotherhood has designated the following firms as counsel to represent its members who become injured or sick as a result of their employment in the railroad industry.
Jones, Granger, Tramuto, Christy & Halstead
(formerly Jones & Granger)
10000 Memorial Drive #888
Houston, TX 77024
Phone: (713) 668-0230
Toll-Free: (800) 231-3359
Kaplan Law Firm
5909 W. Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Phone: (323) 930-2744
Crow, Sevey, Gilwee, Weninger, Apler & Tronvig
700 East Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-1230
Phone: (916) 441-2980 ext. 329
Toll-Free: (800) 499-9904
Bauer & Baebler, P.C.
1010 Market Street, Suite 350
St. Louis, MO 63101
Toll-Free: (800) 682-4529
Moody, Strople, Kloeppel, Basilone & Higginbotham, Inc.
500 Crawford Street, Suite 300
Portsmouth, VA 23704
Toll-Free: (800) 368-1033
William R. Moseley, Jr.
Lawson & Moseley, LLP
950 East Paces Ferry Road
Suite 1550 Atlanta Plaza
Atlanta, GA 30326
Phone:(404) 812-0777
Fax: (404) 814-0479
Kujawski & Nowak, PC
1331 Park Plaza Drive, Suite 2
O’Fallon, IL 62269
Phone: (618) 622-3600
Toll Free: (800) 624-4571
Fax: (618) 622-3700
Yaeger, Jungbauer & Barczak, PLC
745 Kasota Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Toll-Free: (800) 435-7888
Fax: (612) 333-3619
Website: www.yjblaw.com [7]
Holloran Stewart & Schwartz
1010 Market Street, Suite 1650
St. Louis, MO 63101
Phone: (314) 621-2121
Fax: (314) 621-8512
C. Marshall Friedman
Thirteenth Floor
1010 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63101
Phone: (314) 621-8400
Toll-Free: 1-800-233-7636
Website: www.marshallfriedman.com [8]