advertisement

---

A memorial service honoring the late James Brunkenhoefer, the United Transportation Union’s (UTU) longest-serving national legislative director, will be held Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. (EST) at the Rayburn House Office building in Washington, D.C. Known as “Brokenrail” to all who knew him — and those who simply knew of him — Brunkenhoefer died Dec. 19 after suffering a stroke two days earlier. He was 61.

The service will be held in the main hearing room of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and its Rail Subcommittee, where Brunkenhoefer spent thousands of hours during his career monitoring hearings and testifying on rail, bus and air-related cases affecting UTU members, the union said.

Speakers scheduled to appear at the service include Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) — a long-time and close friend of Brunkenhoefer — and UTU International President Mike Futhey. The service will be accessible live on the Internet and later will be available on the UTU’s Web site.

The Texas-born Brunkenhoefer began his railroad career in 1966 as a trainman for the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. on the Dallas-Sabine District. Promoted to engineer in 1971, he held seniority in train and engine service crafts over Union Pacific Railroad lines in Texas and Louisiana. Brunkenhoefer eventually became active in the union.

In 1969, he was elected local vice chairperson of Local 83 in Houston. Brunkenhoefer later served as local president, local vice president, member of the local’s board of trustees, local chairperson, local legislative representative, delegate and special organizer. In 1980, he was named alternate Texas state legislative director, and in 1982, assumed the full directorship of the Texas State Legislative Board.

Brunkenhoefer was elected national legislative director in 1987, and was re-elected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007.