Q&A with BLET National President-elect Hall
12/21/2022
By Grace Renderman, Associate Editor
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced Dec. 19 that Edward Hall, a locomotive engineer with Union Pacific Railroad and vice local chairman of Division 28 in Arizona, was elected the union’s next national president.
Hall defeated incumbent President Dennis Pierce in a 4,331-to-3,822 vote following a months-long, bitter campaign amid controversial contract negotiations with the nation’s major freight railroads. Pierce has been the union’s national president since 2010.
Hall’s campaign criticized Pierce’s leadership throughout the negotiations, claiming he did not reflect the wishes of the union’s membership.
In a prepared statement issued Dec. 16, Pierce decried “hateful rhetoric, division and infighting” that occurred throughout the race.
“The membership must stand united in the fight against the rail carriers, and stop blaming their union and its officers for the actions of those carriers,” Pierce said.
The union’s Election Protest Committee received several protest filings — which are filed when union members are concerned that a campaign has violated election rules or bylaws — from both campaigns. The committee agreed that one campaign violated election rules, though it did not elaborate on which one. BLET bylaws called for an election rerun, but Pierce announced he would not be a candidate and would instead retire, handing the presidency to Hall.
Pierce will retire Dec. 31; Hall will take office as president on Jan. 1, 2023.
Following are Hall’s emailed responses to four questions from RailPrime regarding his leadership plans.
RailPrime What do you plan to do as national president of BLET?
Hall: This first order of business is to unite our membership. Working with the BLET Advisory Board, I believe we can build a bigger, better and stronger organization that will support every member.
RailPrime What effect will your presidency have on the recent negotiations with the freight railroads? Is there more to come, or is it a done deal?
Hall: The wage and health portion of the national agreement has been ratified by the membership. Now, vice presidents working alongside BLET general chairmen throughout the country will undertake the hard work of on-property negotiations. These negotiations will be centered on the quality-of-life issues that our membership faces daily.
RailPrime What was your reaction to Congress stepping in to stop a potential rail strike, and how do you feel about their ability to do so?
Hall: I, like many leaders in this industry, believe that it is always better to reach a voluntary settlement that satisfies the needs of all the parties involved.
RailPrime Given the close vote of both the tentative agreement ratification and your election, do you think the union is deeply divided?
Hall: I don’t believe the BLET is deeply divided. My thoughts are more on the lines that our membership is not engaged. I intend to seek feedback directly from the rank and file as well as the BLET Auxiliary, and then work with the BLET team (advisory board) to address the issues our members face. In doing so, I believe we can refocus on the fundamentals of a bigger, better and stronger union.
