BLE moves under Teamsters umbrella

BLE moves under Teamsters umbrella    Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers overwhelmingly voted last week to merge with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
   BLE members approved the merger by an 81 percent to 19 percent margin in the United States and a 63 percent to 37 percent margin in Canada, the Teamsters said.
   The BLE has about 32,000 active U.S. members and about 4,000 in Canada. By joining the 1.4-million member Teamsters, the BLE members will become the centerpiece of the new Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division within a Teamsters Rail Conference. In Canada, a Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will be established.
   The merger is part of the Teamsters broader effort to unite rail and transportation labor. Other AFL-CIO unions have contacted the Teamsters regarding possible mergers, and the Brotherhood of Maintenance Way Employees is in merger discussions with the Teamsters, the union said.