Dave Brown reelected Minnesota State Legislative Board Chairman

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, May 17 — David K. Brown was reelected by acclamation to his fourth term as Chairman of the Minnesota State Legislative Board at its 28th Quadrennial Meeting in Bloomington, Minn., April 28-May 1, 2019. 

Brother Brown is a member of Division 517 (St. Paul, Minn.) and has nearly 48 years of service with the BNSF Railway. He hired out with the BN on September 9, 1971, and first joined the Brotherhood on December 1, 2002. He was first elected to the office of Minnesota State Legislative Board Chairman in 2007, and was reelected by acclamation at subsequent meetings in 2011 and 2015. 

Delegates also elected the following officers to four year terms: 1st Vice Chairman Joel Mueller, Division 9 (Waseca, Minn.); 2nd Vice Chairman John Toth, Division 517 (St. Paul, Minn.); Secretary-Treasurer Mark Anderson, Division 333 (St. Paul, Minn.); and Alternate Secretary-Treasurer Boyd Schernbeck, Division 357 (Minneapolis, Minn.). 

Elected to serve as Trustees were: Tom Gasior, Division 369 (Minneapolis, Minn.); Tom Moder, Division 163 (Proctor, Minn.); and Boyd Schernbeck, Division 357 (Minneapolis, Minn.). Elected to serve as Alternate Trustees were: Jason Perkovich, Division 768 (Thief River Falls, Minn.); Chad Roehrich, Division 27 (St. Cloud, Minn.); and Dan Hauschild, Division 202 (Dilworth, Minn.). 

Representing the BLET National Division at the meeting were: Dennis R. Pierce, National President; E. Lee Pruitt, First Vice President; John P. Tolman, Vice President and National Legislative Representative; Dick Crow, National Division Trustee and General Chairman, Union Pacific-Northern Region GCA; Vince Verna, Director of Regulatory Affairs; and Bob Hagan, Director of Political and Legislative Affairs. 

“I am happy to congratulate Brother Dave Brown and all officers of the Minnesota State Legislative Board and thank them for their service to our great Brotherhood,” President Pierce said. “Led by Brother Brown, these Brothers have done a great job of representing the interests of our membership in Minnesota, and have exerted a tremendous amount of effort over the last few years to secure a minimum train crew size requirement in the state legislature. I thank them for their perseverance and dedication.”

Numerous BLET State Legislative Board Chairmen were in attendance, including: B.J. Trumble, Michigan; Shane Hubbard, Indiana; Chuck Schulz, Wisconsin; Tyler Jones, Kansas; Calvin Groose, Missouri; and Pat Pfeifer, Nebraska. Also in attendance was Becky Schneider, who represented the BLET Auxiliary as National 3rd Vice President and Assistant National Legislative Representative.

Additional guests included: Paul Slattery, Political Director of Teamsters Joint Council 120; Ed Reynoso, Political Director of Teamsters Joint Council 32; Tom Dwyer, National President of the National Association of Retired & Veteran Railway Employees (NARVRE); and Gary Nelson, Area 4 Director of NARVRE.

On May 1, the Board members went to the State Capital in St. Paul, Minn., to lobby and meet with many State Senators and Representatives from both sides of the aisle regarding the Minimum Train Crew Requirement, H.F. 286 and S.F. 263. 

Brother Brown recognized outgoing 1st Vice Chairman Wally Czerwinski of BLET Division 202 (Dilworth, Minn.), who did not seek reelection due to his planned retirement. Brother Czerwinski has held continuous membership in the Brotherhood since June 1, 1987, and has served as a member of the Minnesota State Legislative Board since 1992 under former SLB Chairman J.P. Max. 

“A U.S. Marine and a great friend, Wally is a dedicated and strong advocate for the safety of all rail workers,” Brother Brown said. “He dedicated his entire career to our union and to the Minnesota State Legislative Board. He is a living library of rail safety legislation and whenever his legislative knowledge was needed, he was there to help. Wally held many positions on the Board, including Vice Chairman and Secretary-Treasurer. We wish him prosperity and health in his future retirement.”

The Minnesota State Legislative Board represents approximately 1,100 active and retired members in 11 Divisions. 

Friday, May 17, 2019
bentley@ble-t.org