A version of the following article was published in the Fall 1999 issue of the Locomotive Engineers Journal as a Guest Comment by President Mac A. Fleming.

BMWE is currently considering voluntary affiliation/merger/federation with several unions. Thus far we have met with the Railroad Signalmen (BRS), Transport Workers (TWU), the Boilermakers and Machinists (IAM). By the time you read this, we will have met with the BLE, the Train Dispatchers and, for a second time, TWU. In the near future we will meet with the Transportation Communications Union (TCU). The purpose of these discussions is to pick the best partners and move forward.

As many of you are aware, the current structure of Rail Labor makes no sense. Although each rail union has provided members with tremendous benefits, there are now fewer than 250,000 active railroad workers from all crafts working for Class I carriers in the United States -- less than half the number who were working for Class 1 carriers in 1980. Although there has been a reduction in the number of unions representing railroad workers since the 1950s (there were 23 rail unions at that time), reality dictates that we must merge to continue to provide good contracts and legislative benefits for our members.

This is a difficult problem on several levels. First, we all come from proud craft unions, many of which have fought each other over the years and most of which are more than a century old.

Secondly, we must honestly evaluate how we get the most for members. Virtually all of our legislated benefits are federal--Railroad Retirement, FELA, Railway Labor Act and FRA just to name a few. Yet our numbers have dwindled so greatly that we are less and less of a political force. Unfortunately, this means that we must fight harder to defend ourselves and go on a legislative offensive.

The second point presents a less obvious problem: mergers among rail crafts alone are not enough. If we all went into one union tomorrow, there would be fewer than 250,000 workers in that union, leaving us a mid-sized union at best. Given the current divisions within rail labor, it is unlikely such a voluntary merger of all rail unions would occur anyway.

To properly represent our members, we will probably need two merger cycles, the first combining willing unions that represent railroad workers within the transportation industry. The second cycle involves the resulting union merging with a larger union. First, we sort out internal rail matters and create a united operation, and then we strengthen a larger union with a cohesive, powerful rail division supported by the numbers, resources and commitment of that larger union.

There are several lessons to learn if we are to improve our members' standards of living.

• Thinking strictly along craft lines is a recipe for diminishing returns for our members, but we must be powerful enough to give our members the best results while maintaining craft autonomy. Craft lines are essential in the rail industry and must be maintained and protected. Mergers must take place among rail unions willing to merge and between rail and non-rail unions to achieve the numbers necessary to be effective.



• The larger union with which a rail union merges must guarantee autonomy and provide the rail component support, because rail unions function under a federal scheme of laws and regulations that differ substantially from those of non-rail unions and require the full backing of the large union. Otherwise there is no reason to merge.



• The larger and more diverse a merged union of railroad workers is during the first cycle, the better able it will be to guarantee autonomy when it merges into a larger union during the second cycle.



• Mergers must be voluntary, not forced. Forced mergers can only lead to incessant intra-union battles and will make it difficult to properly protect legitimate craft lines. During the first merger cycle, separate, craft-oriented unions learn to work together in a way that emphasizes craft autonomy while having a broader view. During the second cycle, the merged rail union becomes part of a larger union that views the rail component as one of many groups of workers it must effectively support.

BMWE believes that a merger/affiliation/federation between our union and BLE is a perfect scenario in the near future during the first cycle. We also believe that the Boilermakers may fit for the same reason. We are all old craft unions with long traditions of pride and accomplishment. None faces impending elimination by technology. BMWE work has changed dramatically over the past 25 years and is highly skilled work. The merger/affiliation/federation of an operating union--one that is highly skilled and not destined for elimination--with a non-operating rail union threatens the autonomy of neither and strengthens both, politically and within the industry. It becomes the largest rail union in North America, preserves the complete autonomy of the crafts, and provides upward mobility for highly skilled, dedicated rail workers.

Combining such a merger/affiliation/federation with a union such as the Machinists and/or the TWU, for example, would add another skilled non-operating union--a shop craft--while simultaneously expanding us into the aviation and transit components of the transportation industry. A BLE/TWU or IAM/BMWE affiliation/merger/federation would create a much larger union critically located in nearly all essential modes of the transportation industry, while guaranteeing craft integrity and autonomy.

We believe this would be a dramatic leap from proud, small craft unions to a modern, mid-sized union that thrives in a 21^st century environment and serves as a platform to evaluate and federate/affiliate/merge with a large union. It would provide a large union with a powerful transportation component that is critical to the economy and independent and strong enough not to be simply absorbed by the other. Best of all, it would be voluntary and comprised of components with similar philosophies.

BMWE, IAM and TWU have been aggressive in our opposition to UTU's raid on BLE membership-- but constructively aggressive. All support BLE not simply because we want to merge/federation/affiliate with it, but because of philosophical compatibility with BLE and commitment to provisions in the AFL-CIO's constitution and by-laws against raiding. BMWE will support BLE in its fight and has assisted BLE at every point since the UTU petition was filed.

We want to work out whatever problems there would be to such a federation/affiliation/merger and accomplish it. The livelihoods and working conditions of the members of all our unions will improve and it can be done voluntarily--without guns held to any of our heads. All we need is the intelligence, courage, mutual respect and commitment to our members, coupled with a confidence in the principles of unionism and our own abilities, to make it happen. Let's make it happen. Solidarity forever.

The livelihoods and working conditions of the members of all our unions will improve if we join together and it can be done voluntarily -- without guns held to any of our heads.