BLET
BLET National President Eddie Hall is retiring, effective May 1. In accordance with the union’s bylaws, First Vice President Mark Wallace will assume the office of National President upon Hall’s Retirement.
Hall announced his decision to retire at an April 23 meeting of the union’s Advisory Board meeting in New Orleans. Following the announcement of the transition, Board members voted to elevate Vice President Gary Best to the office of First Vice President.
During his tenure as National President, Hall frequently appeared in the national media to advocate for issues of importance to BLET members. He led BLET’s drive to question the safety of remote-control trains and other types of artificial intelligence (AI) emerging in the rail industry, according to the union. Hall pushed for the expansion of the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), called for train crew protections in light of cargo thefts aboard freight trains, and most recently was part of the team that met with the White House to “ensure that Railroad Retirement field offices remain open.”
Hall was elected to the union’s highest office on December 19, 2022, and assumed office on January 1, 2023. He began is railroad career in 1995 when he hired out with the former Southern Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific) in El Paso, Texas. He earned promotion to locomotive engineer in 1998 after relocating to Tucson, Ariz. Hall is a member of BLET Division 28 in Tucson, having joined the Brotherhood on July 1, 1999. He served on Division 28’s Local Committee of Adjustment for 12 years and was First Vice Local Chairman of Division 28 immediately prior to his election as National President.
Wallace, a Norfolk Southern (NS) locomotive engineer, will become the 25th President in the BLET’s 162-year history. His term as First Vice President, the union’s second-highest office, began on January 1, 2023. Prior to that, he served as a National Vice President (2018-2022) and a National Division Trustee (2014-2018). Wallace also served multiple terms as General Chairman of the NS-Southern Lines General Committee of Adjustment (GCA). He is a member of BLET Division 267 in Asheville, N.C.
A CSX locomotive engineer, Best began serving the BLET as National Vice President on January 1, 2023. Immediately prior to that, he had served the BLET for nine years as General Chairman of the CSX-Eastern Lines GCA. He is a member of BLET Division 498 in Abbeville, S.C.
Benesch
Benesch announced April 24 that Paul Rathgeber, MPA, has joined the company as Director of Public Projects. In this role, Rathgeber will focus on expanding Benesch’s rail services and elevating its public projects program across North America.
Prior to joining Benesch, Rathgeber spent 28 years with UP, most recently as the Director of Industry & Public Projects where he led a diverse team of more than 130 employees and consultants. In this role, he “successfully created, implemented, and sustained a new organizational model for the department that has been recognized as the best in the industry,” the company noted.
At Benesch, Rathgeber will collaborate closely with the company’s railroad leadership team to oversee Benesch’s national public projects program. He’ll work to increase awareness for the program and will use his expertise to enhance the company’s consulting services, according to Benesch.
“We are honored that Paul has chosen to bring his expertise to Benesch and incredibly excited to welcome him to our Railroad Division. His experience, commitment, and strong reputation in the industry make him an outstanding addition to our railroad leadership team,” said Benesch Railroad Division Manager Steve Lorek.
