It is important for everyone to know their elected government officials and the positions they are taking that effect you and your family.  The section below is a helpful guide to get you started.  You can also check your voter registration card. Directories can also be found in the government section of your local phone book.  

To find out who represents you in Washington D.C. or Tallahassee please click on the link below. Finding your elected officials will be much easier if you can find your Zip Code + 4 number from a piece of mail.

The contact information for Florida's two U.S. Senators can be found by clicking here.

As citizens we have the right to speak out against issues affecting our way of life.  If a legislator hears from you, a person living and working in their district, they are compelled to respond.  Getting coworkers and family members involved is important, as the more letters and phone calls a legislative office receives-the more likely the response.  Letters and phone calls from you, and participating in the Political Action Committee, makes a big difference when BLE&T union officers visit legislators in Washington or Tallahassee.   

Railroad Workplace Safety!  Many other threats and challenges face our members at any one time.  Federal acts were created to protect you and your family.  For example; The Railroad Retirement Act, Railway Safety Act, Railway Labor Act, Hours of Service Act, Federal Employers Liability Act, Amtrak and many more.  Federal and State laws protecting railroad workers were usually put into place after historic terrible accidents or calamities on railroad property. Our predecessors often paid the ultimate price.  They walked a strike line, wrote letters when we asked them, and set aside a few dollars a month toward PAC.  

We would not have been able to protect railroad safety laws over the years without participation from the workforce.  The Boiler Inspection Act and Safety Appliance Act protect rail workers in and around locomotives and train cars. Another example is; The Railroad Retirement and Survivors Act of 2001.  During this legislation, rail workers from across the nation visited Congressional offices, wrote letters and made phone calls.  Your PAC dollars went to the election campaigns of legislators who voted for our issue.  This was a great bi-partisan effort of co-sponsorship.    

Have you noticed in the news that labor is under attack from every corner of the nation? Our National Office, General Committees, and State Legislative Boards work with various labor unions and groups such as the AFL-CIO whenever basic rights are threatened.  Right now bills are filed to change or abolish; collective bargaining, defined benefit programs, payroll deduction for union dues, organizing a labor union, living wage limitations, safety office elimination etc...What is directed to a teacher, policeman or firefighter can ultimately be directed to you as a railroad worker. 

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.