As the December JOURNAL went to print last year, we learned that the United Transportation Union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, whose merger talks had broken down in early October, had adopted a statement of principles "that will provide the foundation for a new organization to represent operating employees on the railroads of North America."

In concurrent actions Nov. 23, 1998, the UTU Board of Governors and the BLE Advisory Board approved the principles, including a framework for drafting a new Constitution and Unification Agreement by Oct. 1, 1999. Member of the UTU and the BLE would then vote on ratification, with a majority vote by both memberships necessary to create the new union, effective Jan. 1, 2000.

"In committing ourselves to put aside decades of differences, we're looking forward to achieving a better quality of life for the families of those charged with the responsibility to operate the trains," said Clarence Monin, president of the BLE. "Unification between the UTU and BLE is the most significant event in rail labor since the UTU was founded nearly 30 years ago," said Charles L. Little, UTU president.

Monin and Little thanked "the good offices of AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Secretary-Treasurer Rich Trumka -- and the excellent work of our mediator, former president Tom Donahue," who facilitated the negotiations since March of 1998. In addition they thanked "those members of the UTU and BLE who have worked so hard to make unification possible."

Sonny Hall is New TTD President

Sonny Hall became the third president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department on Sept. 23, 1998, following his unanimous election. He took over for Ron Carey, who had served as president of TTD since September 1994.

Hall, president of the 100,000-member Transport Workers Union, vowed to "fight for transportation workers at every turn." He pledged an activist agenda for TTD, stressing that transportation workers are under increasing assault.

"Anti-government forces and corporate America are on a mission to destroy the gains we have made over the years," Hall declared. "They won't succeed. TTD will continue its aggressive advocacy of job protection, safety and workers rights, fighting to ensure that federal policy is fair to working people."

Do You Remember Frontier College?

Frontier College -- celebrating its 100^th Anniversary in 1999 -- is Canada's oldest national literacy organization and for years has been involved with Canada's railways.

In the 1950s until the early 1990s, the College placed university students on rail gangs to work for the summer. These young men, and a few women too, lived, ate and worked as laborers alongside the other men on the gangs.

In the evenings and on their days off, the Frontier College students volunteered their time to tutor their coworkers. Along the way, many lasting friendships were made.

As part of many events planned throughout 1999 in celebration of their 100^th anniversary, Frontier College would like to get in touch with their old members across the country. The BMWE JOURNAL is pleased to help by printing the following announcement:

Do you remember Frontier College? Were you a laborer-teacher who worked on the rails or did you take classes from a "college kid" during the summer on your gang? If so, we want to hear from you! We will be celebrating our 100^th anniversary in 1999 -- and we'd like you to take part in it. Please give us your stories and memories. Call us toll-free at 1-800-555-6523 (ask for Erica). Or write to Frontier College, 35 Jackes Ave., Toronto, ON M4T 1E2. Or E-mail us at labourerteacher@frontiercollege.ca.

AIL Contributes to Project Vote on Behalf of BMWE

American Income Life Insurance Company makes yearly contributions to worthy causes at the request of the international union presidents who constitute its Labor Advisory Board.

As a member of AIL's Labor Advisory Board, BMWE President Mac A. Fleming, requested that AIL contribute to Project Vote for 1998 for the work that Project Vote does in low income and minority communities.

In their thank you letter for the $5,000 contribution, Zach Polett, Executive Director, and Betsy Carlton, Director of Development, said, "by supporting Project Vote's non-partisan efforts to register, educate and turn out low income and minority voters, Labor ensured that the interests of working Americans were protected in this year's elections. Battles on such critical issues as raising the minimum wage, protecting unions' ability to organize politically and preserving voting rights are now winnable thanks to the mobilization of low income and minority Americans in the 1998 elections. ... Thanks to your continued support, Project Vote was able to build the voter mobilization networks necessary ... so that the voices of hundreds of thousands of working Americans were heard this critical election year! Working together, we can keep the labor movement strong."

Hurricane Mitch Relief

"The devastation inflicted on Central America last year by Hurricane Mitch has left thousands of workers and their families homeless, sick, out of work, alone and starving. The storm killed more than 30,000 people; in Honduras alone more than half a million people are now homeless. The destruction of fields and factories has left thousands of workers without jobs and without hope," said AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney.

In response, union activists and international unions immediately began trying to help their members and communities throughout the region. But the need for assistance is far from over.

In Honduras, the local unions are using their offices and clinics to provide shelter and medical assistance for families whose homes were destroyed. In Guatemala, the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center worked with local unions to rescue nearly a thousand banana workers trapped by a flooding river. Unions in hard-hit Nicaragua and El Salvador have also mobilized to bring disaster relief to suffering communities.

If you would like to contribute to this effort, you can make contributions payable to the "AFL-CIO Central America Hurricane Relief" and send to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, Attention Selma Padron, "Hurricane Relief," Suite 300, 1925 K Street, Washington, DC 20005. Contributions will be used by our union brothers and sisters in Central America to target humanitarian assistance, including emergency medical care, food and basic housing, to those with the greatest needs.

In addition, a wide variety of international relief agencies are channeling donations to the region.Central American unions are working with international aid organizations to distribute this assistance. Just a few are: Habitat for Humanity International, "Hurricane Mitch Emergency Building Fund," P. O. Box 6439, Americus, GA 31709-9952; American Red Cross, International Response Fund, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013, 1-800-Help-Now; Salvation Army, World Office, 615 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22313, 703-681-3528; Catholic Relief Services, P. O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203, 1-800-235-2772; Baptist World Aid, 6753 Curran Street, McClean, VA 22101, 703-790-8980; Save the Children, Hurricane Mitch Emergency Appeal, P. O. Box 975-M, 54 Wilton Road, Westport, CT 06880, 1-800-243-5075.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, in the interest of effective coordination, is encouraging concerned citizens to provide monetary donations as transportation of relief supplies is limited by capacity, infrastructure damage and continuing weather restraints and it is often difficult to move supplies into the affected countries. In addition, unsolicited donated goods often place a burden on relief workers and local governments to store, transport and distribute these supplies.

Those interested in providing specific relief services or supplies should contact Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) for information and guidelines. VITA can be reached at 703-276-1914, or via the internet at www.vita.org.

Black and White Find Unity in Tragedy

On Sunday, June 7, 1998, James Byrd, Jr.--49 year old father of three -- was abducted by three white men, beaten until he was unconscious, chained to the back of a pickup truck, and dragged three miles (through his own neighborhood) to his death.

"If this is not a violation of a human being's civil rights, nothing is!" said Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. "The full weight of federal law must be brought to bear on these three terrorists." Rev. Jackson called Mr. Byrd's killing perhaps the most heinous race crime since the Emmett Till lynching in Mississippi nearly 50 years ago.

"The attack was random. It was not planned, which is worse than had it been planned because it means that any African American could have been victimized. James Byrd was killed for no reason other than the color of his skin."

"The most encouraging aspect of the response to James Byrd's murder is the way the white church has rallied its support behind the Byrd family. Instead of one side of town mourning while the other side of town is observing, whites in Jasper, Texas (led by their ministers) have reached out to blacks-- offering their larger church for the funeral services. Beyond color. Beyond culture. There is character."

Rev. Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition is building a fund that would assist James Byrd's three children (Ross, Renee and Jamie) with college tuition, room, board and various life expenses. BMWE President Mac A. Fleming sent a check last June for $1,000 representing the BMWE's contribution to the education fund for Mr. Byrd's children and expressed the moral outrage of the membership over this heinous racist crime.

Contributions marked "James Byrd Education Fund" can be sent to the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition at 930 East 50^th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60615.

BMWE JOURNALs Anyone?

Grand Lodge is running out of space to store extra JOURNALs it has since 1994. We have some available for most months but particularly the year end issues of 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, October/November 1998 and the Convention 1998 issue. Rather than throw them away, we'd rather send them to anyone who is interested or possibly school and public libraries. If anyone is interested or knows of anyone who is interested, please contact the Communications Department at 248-359-2624 or SUE@BMWE.ORG or (FAX) 248-948-7150 or Suite 200, 26555 Evergreen Road, Southfield, MI 48076.

Georgine (formerly Carlough) Class Action Terminated

In January 1993, a proposed class action settlement known as Georgine v. Amchem Products, Inc. was filed in the United States District Court in Philadelphia. (The Georgine class action was formerly known as the Carlough class action.) The class action involved the proposed settlement of personal injury asbestos claims against the companies that are members of the Center for Claims Resolution (CCR).

The U.S. Supreme Court held that this class action could not go forward, and the class action was decertified (ended) on August 5, 1997. Accordingly, any tolling or suspension of the statute of limitations for claims against the CCR companies ended on August 5, 1997. Any asbestos personal injury claim against a CCR company must be filed in court in a timely fashion under state law.

All class members should direct any further questions about this notice to their own counsel, or to one of the following class counsel: Gene Locks, Greitzer and Locks, 1500 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, 800-334-1147, (Fax) 215-985-2960; Ronald L. Motley or Joseph F. Rice, Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole, 151 Meeting Street, Suite 600, Charleston, SC 29402, 843-720-9000, (Fax) 843-577-7513.