BLET prepares for move to new HQ in Cleveland suburb

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen's (BLET) National Division expects to move into its new headquarters in Independence, Ohio, by early to mid-March, the union announced late last week.

The BLET will move from its historic Standard Building in Cleveland to the new facility about a year earlier than initially anticipated. Construction on the new location has been moving at a quick pace, BLET officials said in a press release.

The new headquarters will provide more room for National Division officers and staff, as well as space for an improved state-of-the-art education and training center, they said.

AM Higley Co. of Cleveland is the construction contractor.

The BLET selected Cleveland as its headquarters in 1870 due to its central location for serving U.S. and Canadian members.

From 1910 to 1989, the union's national office was located in the Engineers Building, the BLET's original headquarters building in Cleveland. That building was sold in 1988 to make way for the Marriott Key Tower. The Standard Building, which was originally constructed by the BLE and dedicated in 1924, has served as National Division headquarters since 1989.