Tex Mex workers select BLE CLEVELAND, July 15 -- A majority of workers on the Texas-Mexican Railway today selected the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers as their designated collective bargaining representative in a National Mediation Board certified election. One-hundred and nine of 115 eligible voters cast ballots, and a 60-49 majority voted for the BLE over the United Transportation Union. BLE International President Don Hahs recognized the many Tex Mex employees who spent time campaigning for the BLE. He also thanked Special Representative Tom Miller for helping guide the representation election to a successful conclusion. The BLE victory concludes a nearly three-year battle for representation rights on Tex Mex. In September of 1999 the BLE petitioned the National Mediation Board to hold a representation election for only the locomotive engineer craft. The UTU International delayed the election, arguing that, "The proper craft or class on Tex Mex is Train and Engine Service Employees." The NMB decided the issue in March of 2000, ruling in favor of the UTU’s petition to combine operating crafts and dismissing the BLE’s petition. The NMB ruled that because of the creation of a single operating craft, a two-year ban on representation elections was necessary to promote "labor stability" on the Tex Mex. Once the two-year ban was lifted, the BLE petitioned the NMB again, seeking to hold a representation election for the combined craft of "train and engine service employees." The results, 60-49 in favor of the BLE, were certified by the NMB this afternoon. "While we don’t agree with the concept of combining operating crafts, the craft of 'train and engine service employee' was forced on the workers by the UTU’s previous petition, and we were required to work under the confines of the NMB’s decision," President Hahs said. Monday, July 15, 2002 bentley@ble.org http://www.ble.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=3605 © 2002 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers http://www.ble.org