To those who are not familiar with the Brotherhood and
its work, a formal outline of its objectives, its creed, and its
organizational set-up is essential to a better understanding
of this history.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes is a
railroad labor organization representing some 300,000 rail-
road maintenance of way workers in the United States and
Canada. Maintenance of way workers are often referred to
as the "shock troops of the railroads," for it is their job to
keep safe the tracks, trestles, and bridges over which freight
and passenger trains move swiftly to all parts of the continent.

You have often seen them putt-putting down the track on
a motor car or working in groups renewing ties, replacing
rail, or refurbishing the right of way. You have seen them
dangling from railway bridges and structures with paint brush
or tool in hand, or repairing the thousands of buildings that
make up our railroad system. They have no doubt often
signaled you and your children safely across grade crossings
with warning standard or red light. And you have seen them
many times, I am sure, along the railroad right of way, operat-
ing cranes, ditchers, bull dozers, concrete mixers, and all the
other modern machinery of present-day railroad maintenance.

The work of the maintenance of way man is hazardous. In
addition to the ordinary dangers that beset the worker who
uses tools and machines, he must often work in high places,
on bridges, trestles, and structures. And usually his work is
done under the hazards of train traffic, on the main line where
he must keep a sharp lookout for trains, or in busy railroad
yards where the switching of cars is constantly going on.

Our Brotherhood was formed in 1887 under the name of
the Order of Railroad Trackmen. Organized first as a frater-
nal society, its objectives within the course of a few years
became those of a labor organization, although fraternalism
is still one of its basic principles. Amalgamation with other
similar organizations of railroad workers in the years follow-
ing resulted in the present form and name of our Brother-
hood.

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