The Burlington Northern System Federation (BURNOR) of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of

Way Employes is a division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In October 2004,

the rank and file members of the Brother of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE) voted by

a 76% majority to join the Teamster Rail Conference. In doing so, the Teamsters Union now

represents 42% of all unionized rail employees in the States.

The BURNOR System Federation covers the former Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and

Spokane, Seattle, and Portland Railroads as they existed prior to the 1970 merger that formed

the original Burlington Northern Railroad. We also represent maintenance employees on the

Montana Rail Link.

Our System employs six System Officers: a General Chairman and a Vice Chairman/SecretaryTreasurer

located in Minneapolis, and four Vice General Chairmen located across the system

in Fargo, ND, Laurel, MT, Spokane, WA, and Castle Rock, WA. Officer jobs are all full-time

positions and are subject to election every four years. Officers are elected by representative

vote from the local lodges. There are also two administrative support positions in Minneapolis

which are not subject to election.

BURNOR has 30 local lodges located across the system. Each local has officers that are elected.

The officer titled "Local Chairman" is comparable to what would be a shop steward in other

industries.

Our goal is to maintain open communication between the members and the full-time officers

of this organization. We fight for better working conditions, fair wages, safety in the

workplace, job security, and benefits.

To familiarize you with the BMWED, the services it provides, and the benefits available to you

as a member, we are providing you with this packet of useful information. The System Officers

look forward to assisting you in any way they can. Please feel free to contact any Officer with

your questions or concerns.