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No. 19-1 For Immediate Release

February 2019

President Appoints Railroad Retirement Board

President Donald J. Trump has appointed Erhard R. Chorlé to be the Chairman of the U.S. 

Railroad Retirement Board, Johnathan D. Bragg to be the Labor Member, and Thomas R. Jayne to be 

the Carrier Member. Their appointments to the three-member Board were confirmed by the Senate on 

January 2 and they each took the oath of office the week of February 4.

They will oversee the activities of the Chicago-based federal agency that pays nearly $12.7 

billion in railroad retirement and unemployment insurance benefits to about 565,000 railroad workers 

and their families. Two members of the Board are appointed to represent the interests of railroad 

labor and railroad employers, respectively, while the Chairman is appointed to represent the public 

interest.

At the time of his appointment, Mr. Chorlé was a partner with the Chicago law firm of 

Pedersen & Houpt in its corporate and business counseling practice group. He started his legal career 

in Illinois state government, serving as a Senior Assistant to the Director of Labor, Deputy Secretary 

of State, and State Securities Commissioner. He also served as Chairman of the Illinois State Board 

of Investment, which oversaw $10 billion in investments for three state pension systems, and as 

Executive Assistant for Financial and Regulatory Affairs to former Governor Jim Edgar.

A resident of Chicago, Mr. Chorlé received his B.S. degree in commerce from DePaul 

University (1978) and a juris doctorate from The John Marshall Law School (1984).

Mr. Bragg was appointed on the recommendation of 13 national railway labor organizations. 

At the time of his appointment, he was a Vice President with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. 

In that capacity he also served as a permanent member of the National Railroad Adjustment Board, 

which adjudicates workplace disputes between railroad workers and their employers. Before 

becoming a Vice President with the union, Mr. Bragg also served as a Grand Lodge Representative 

and Director of Research.

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

RRB News

844 North Rush Street Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275

www.rrb.gov

877-772-5772 general information

Public Affairs

312-751-4777 

opa@rrb.gov media inquiries
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Mr. Bragg, a Virginia resident, had many family members work in the industry, and started his 

own railroad career 18 years ago with CSX Transportation, first as a freight conductor and later as a 

signalman. He became active in the signalmen’s union, working his way up to serve as Local 

Chairman and as a Trustee of the Northeast General Committee before moving to the national office.

A Missouri native, Mr. Jayne’s appointment was recommended by the Association of 

American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. He currently 

lives in Texas, where he was a Senior General Attorney for the BNSF Railway Company. In that 

position, he supervised tort litigation for the BNSF railway system, assisted with legislative and 

regulatory issues, and provided training and litigation advice.

Before joining BNSF, Mr. Jayne was an associate and partner in the St. Louis office of 

Thompson Coburn LLP, where he served as national counsel for clients in the transportation, 

manufacturing, banking, finance, insurance and construction industries. He received his B.A. degree 

in political science from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri (1973) and his juris doctorate from 

the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law (1976). He also clerked for U.S. District Judge 

H. Kenneth Wangelin in the Eastern District of Missouri.

Mr. Chorlé was confirmed to the balance of a term that expires in August 2022, and Mr. Jayne 

to the balance of a term that expires in August 2023. Mr. Bragg was confirmed to the balance of a 

term that expires in August 2019, as well as to a succeeding full term that expires in August 2024.

Mr. Bragg replaces Walter A. Barrows as Labor Member, while Mr. Jayne takes the place of 

Steven J. Anthony as Carrier Member, both of whom are retiring. Mr. Barrows first joined the Board 

in October 2011, while Mr. Anthony’s tenure began in May 2014. The Board’s previous Chairman, 

Michael S. Schwartz, retired in August 2015 after 12 years of service.

This is the first time that three new members have simultaneously entered on duty since the 

original Railroad Retirement Board assumed office in July 1934.

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