[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 226 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 226

Recognizing the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of 
 Locomotive Engineers, and congratulating the members and officers of 
     the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for the union's many 
                             achievements.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 8, 2003

Mr. Kucinich submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
           the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of 
 Locomotive Engineers, and congratulating the members and officers of 
     the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for the union's many 
                             achievements.

Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers is the oldest rail union in 
        North America;
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers was founded on May 8, 1863 as a 
        secret, fraternal labor organization and its first meetings were held 
        clandestinely for fear of reprisals from railroad management;
Whereas the climate towards labor organizations at that time was extraordinarily 
        hostile and many of the other organizations founded contemporaneously 
        failed to withstand the negative pressures placed upon them and they 
        subsequently disbanded in their infancies;
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers began to thrive despite the 
        climate into which it was formed;
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers has grown from its original 13 
        members-all from the Michigan Central Railroad-to 59,000 active and 
        retired members located throughout the United States and Canada;
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers' members have contributed, both 
        directly through their railroad activity and in their private 
        capacities, to the war effort in all of the wars of the United States 
        dating back to the Civil War;
Whereas the efforts of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers to improve rail 
        safety for both their members and the public have resulted in a dramatic 
        decrease in the number of railroad accidents in the years since the 
        union's inception;
Whereas, although it accepted for membership only locomotive engineers in its 
        early years, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers enlarged its 
        membership ranks to include other rail employees;
Whereas, in 1964, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers launched an apprentice 
        engineer program to assure the nation of a stable supply of well-trained 
        locomotive engineers and to assure stable employment and earnings to 
        apprentices;
Whereas, in 1993, the 2,500 member American Train Dispatchers Association 
        officially merged with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in order 
        to unite the two key railway professions so as to better facilitate the 
        efficient and safe movement of passengers and freight;
Whereas, in 1995, the Rail Canada Traffic Controllers union also chose to merge 
        with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, increasing the union's 
        membership by 700;
Whereas, in addition to providing representation for its members, the 
        Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers aggressively participates in the 
        labor movement with other unions and organizations to promote the 
        interests of working men and women and their families;
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers is an extraordinary union whose 
        leadership continues to work hard every day-just as it did in 1863-to 
        protect members' health and safety, to guard their financial interests, 
        to give them an effective voice on the job, and to ensure dignity, 
        respect, and security for railway workers in the workplace; and
Whereas the efforts of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers are deserving of 
        our attention and admiration: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 140th anniversary of the founding of the 
        Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers;
            (2) congratulates the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers 
        for its many achievements and the strength of its membership;
            (3) recognizes the tremendous contributions made by the 
        Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers to the structural 
        development and building of the United States and for the many 
        improvements in the well-being of tens of thousands of workers; 
        and
            (4) expects that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers 
        will continue its outstanding work and will have an even 
        greater impact in the 21st century and beyond, and will further 
        enhance the standard of living and improve the work environment 
        for rail workers and other laborers for generations to come.
                                 <all>