RAIL TRANSPORTATION UNION APPROVES MERGER

RAIL TRANSPORTATION UNION APPROVES MERGER    The United Transportation Union members voted by a 6-to-1 margin to approve a merger with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
   The vote was certified on Oct. 29 by the American Arbitration Association, which counted the votes.
   The ballots were supposed to be received on Sept. 17, but the final count of the UTU vote was delayed by a court action brought by three Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers officers. The lawsuit has since been withdrawn and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers will send out new ballots to members and the American Arbitration Association will count the votes.
   The UTU ballot count was 23,368-4,146. The target date for the merger of the unions is Jan. 1. The merger would effectively create the largest combined rail, bus and air union in North America.
   “This vote proves that the UTU rank-and-file overwhelmingly supports this merger,” said Byron A. Boyd Jr., UTU international president. “A merged UTU-BLE will strengthen our bargaining position and prevent carriers from driving a wedge between operating employees that leads to a race-for-the-bottom.”