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The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) will absorb another rail labor union. Yesterday, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE) announced 76 percent of voting members approved a merger with IBT.

BMWE will become a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference, which was established in January when the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen became the conference's first division. The conference now will represent about 70,000 rail workers — more than 42 percent of all unionized rail employees — and become IBT's seventh-largest division. In addition, jurisdiction over an agreement governing BMWE's Canadian members will be transferred to the conference.

"More than two years ago, the BMWE's leadership embarked on a path of reform aimed at strengthening the union's hand in fighting for its members' interests," said BMWE President Freddie Simpson — who will serve as president of the conference's BMWE Division — in a prepared statement. "The membership's vote today is a milestone in that process — an important step on the road to rail unity [as] our strength at the bargaining table will most certainly be improved."