IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 226
Recognizing the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of 
Locomotive Engineers, and congratulating the members and officers of 
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for the union’s many achieve-
ments. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 8, 2003
Mr. KUCINICH submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the 140th anniversary of the founding of the 
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and congratu-
lating the members and officers of the Brotherhood of 
Locomotive Engineers for the union’s many achieve-
ments.
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers is the old-
est rail union in North America; 
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers was 
founded on May 8, 1863 as a secret, fraternal labor orga-
nization and its first meetings were held clandestinely for 
fear of reprisals from railroad management; 
Whereas the climate towards labor organizations at that time 
was extraordinarily hostile and many of the other organi-
•HRES 226 IH 
zations founded contemporaneously failed to withstand 
the negative pressures placed upon them and they subse-
quently disbanded in their infancies; 
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers began to 
thrive despite the climate into which it was formed; 
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers has 
grown from its original 13 members–all from the Michi-
gan Central Railroad–to 59,000 active and retired mem-
bers located throughout the United States and Canada; 
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ members 
have contributed, both directly through their railroad ac-
tivity and in their private capacities, to the war effort in 
all of the wars of the United States dating back to the 
Civil War; 
Whereas the efforts of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers to improve rail safety for both their members and 
the public have resulted in a dramatic decrease in the 
number of railroad accidents in the years since the 
union’s inception; 
Whereas, although it accepted for membership only loco-
motive engineers in its early years, the Brotherhood of 
Locomotive Engineers enlarged its membership ranks to 
include other rail employees; 
Whereas, in 1964, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers 
launched an apprentice engineer program to assure the 
nation of a stable supply of well-trained locomotive engi-
neers and to assure stable employment and earnings to 
apprentices; 
Whereas, in 1993, the 2,500 member American Train Dis-
patchers Association officially merged with the Brother-
hood of Locomotive Engineers in order to unite the two
•HRES 226 IH 
key railway professions so as to better facilitate the effi-
cient and safe movement of passengers and freight; 
Whereas, in 1995, the Rail Canada Traffic Controllers union 
also chose to merge with the Brotherhood of Locomotive 
Engineers, increasing the union’s membership by 700; 
Whereas, in addition to providing representation for its mem-
bers, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers aggres-
sively participates in the labor movement with other 
unions and organizations to promote the interests of 
working men and women and their families; 
Whereas the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers is an ex-
traordinary union whose leadership continues to work 
hard every day–just as it did in 1863–to protect mem-
bers’ health and safety, to guard their financial interests, 
to give them an effective voice on the job, and to ensure 
dignity, respect, and security for railway workers in the 
workplace; and 
Whereas the efforts of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers are deserving of our attention and admiration: 
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) recognizes the 140th anniversary of the 
founding of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers; 
(2) congratulates the Brotherhood of Loco-
motive Engineers for its many achievements and the 
strength of its membership; 
(3) recognizes the tremendous contributions 
made by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
•HRES 226 IH 
to the structural development and building of the 
United States and for the many improvements in the 
well–being of tens of thousands of workers; and 
(4) expects that the Brotherhood of Locomotive 
Engineers will continue its outstanding work and 
will have an even greater impact in the 21st century 
and beyond, and will further enhance the standard 
of living and improve the work environment for rail 
workers and other laborers for generations to come.
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