Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
Encyclopedia
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE) - later to become the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) - is a national union
representing the workers who build and maintain the tracks, bridges, buildings and other structures on the railroads of the United States
. Founded in 1887, at Demopolis, Alabama, as a fraternal organization by track foreman John T. Wilson, the BMWED membership forms a cross section of American culture. Their goals, interests and political backgrounds are as diversified as their heritage. Once an international union with over 350,000 members in the United States and Canada, automation, the rise of the trucking and airline industries, coupled with conservative government policies, has depleted the ranks of the BMWED to under 40,000 members.
It was in 2004 that the BMWE merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and consolidated its strength with that of the powerful 1.4 million member Teamster Union.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
representing the workers who build and maintain the tracks, bridges, buildings and other structures on the railroads of the United States
Rail transport in the United States
Presently, most rail transport in the United States is based on freight train shipments. The U.S. rail industry has experienced repeated convulsions due to changing U.S. economic needs and the rise of automobile, bus, and air transport....
. Founded in 1887, at Demopolis, Alabama, as a fraternal organization by track foreman John T. Wilson, the BMWED membership forms a cross section of American culture. Their goals, interests and political backgrounds are as diversified as their heritage. Once an international union with over 350,000 members in the United States and Canada, automation, the rise of the trucking and airline industries, coupled with conservative government policies, has depleted the ranks of the BMWED to under 40,000 members.
It was in 2004 that the BMWE merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and consolidated its strength with that of the powerful 1.4 million member Teamster Union.