The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE; later the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the

International Brotherhood of Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a diverse members ...

, BMWED) is a national

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...

representing the workers who build and maintain the tracks, bridges, buildings and other structures on the railroads of the United States.

History

In July 1887, American labor leader John T Wilson at age 26 founded the organization at

Demopolis Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the 2020 census. The city lies at the confluence of the Black Warrior River and Tombigbee River. It is situated atop a cliff composed of th ...

, Alabama. He was also the Grand Lodge President of the organization for 19 years before dying after being shot in the head by his brother. Wilson met with other section foreman to discuss mutual problems of low wages, the hazards of their work, and the insecurity of their families. They decided to form, the Order of Railroad Trackmen to assist fellow railroad workers in times of sickness and financial trouble. Once an international union with over 350,000 members in the United States and Canada, automation, the rise of the trucking and airline industries, coupled with railroad mergers have depleted the ranks of the BMWED to under 40,000 members. In 2004 the BMWE merged with the

and consolidated its strength with that of the 1.4-million-member Teamsters Union. They are in the Teamster Rail Conference along with the

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is a trade union, labor union founded in Marshall, Michigan, on 8 May 1863 as the Brotherhood of the Footboard. It was the first permanent trade organization for railroad workers in the ...

. In April 2024, the BMWE announced its support to fire

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

CEO Alan Shaw, who was targeted for removal in an investor-led effort to replace the company's management and several of its directors. CNBC called the union's support of the plan "a significant endorsement in an industry unusually dependent on union support." Organized labor is divided on the plan to get rid of Alan Shaw, with BMWE and BLET Teamsters voicing their opposition to Shaw, while

AFL-CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...

came out in support of Shaw.

Leadership

Tony Cardwell was elected as President of the BMWED in June 2022, also elected was Staci Moody-Gilbert the first woman Vice President and Reese Saulter the first African American Vice President.

Organization

Grand Lodge President

:1887: John T Wilson :1908: A. B. Lowe :1914: T. H. Gerrey :1914: A. E. Barker :1920: E. F. Grable :1922: Fred Fljozdal :1940: E. E. Milliman :1947: T. C. Carroll :1958: Harold C. Crotty :1978: Ole M. Berge :1986: Geoffrey Zeh :1990: Mac A. Fleming :2004: Freddie Simpson :2022: Tony Cardwell

References

External links

*
Teamster Rail Conference

Trade unions in the United States Railway unions in the United States Divisions and conferences of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Trade unions absorbed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Trade unions established in 1887 {{US-trade-union-stub