Eleven Erie Railroad firemen, saddened by the death a few days before of one of their co-workers in a wreck, met in Port Jervis, New York on December 1, 1873 to form the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. The main purpose of the founders was to protect themselves and their families from the hazards of railroading. Thereafter, the Brotherhood was in the vanguard to improve wages and working conditions for all locomotive firemen and enginemen.
The union's first convention was held in December 1874 at Hornellsville, New York. It established a system of sick and burial benefits for members. A second convention, held a year later, in Indianapolis, Indiana, attracted 46 delegates, representing 900 members in 31 lodges. The Brotherhood grew rapidly and in 1907 adopted its present name, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (B. of L.F. & E.).
Under D. B. Robertson, International President of the Brotherhood from 1923 to 1953, the union became one of the largest and most powerful of the railway brotherhoods. During this period the union fought for traditional goals, adjusted to the Taft-Hartley Act, and faced problems associated with technological advancement, particularly the diesel locomotive.
H. E. Gilbert served as International President from 1953 to 1968. During his administration the Brotherhood continued to concentrate its efforts on issues related to developments in technology, government regulation, and the need to reorganize the entire railroad industry.
In 1968 the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen affiliated with the AFL-CIO. The Brotherhood had 40,000 members and 870 local unions.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, with headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, has a complex bureaucratic structure. The Grand Lodge acts as the governing body. The president, assistant president, numerous vice presidents, elected officials, and a delegate from each of the subordinate lodges constitute the Grand Lodge. The local lodges have a president, vice president, recording secretary, financial secretary, board of trustees, grievance committee, and other elected and appointed officers. The chairman of the local grievance committee represents the local at meetings of the general grievance committee of the Brotherhood.
During the years covered by these records the La Crosse Lodge had at least four secretaries, including H. H. Benz (1930-1932); Orville J. Snyder (1937-1944); L. M. Wetzel (1945-); and Marten Schagel (1948-1968).
The membership in La Crosse Lodge No. 168 consisted solely of employees of the Burlington System Railroad. The collection does shed some light on how the Brotherhood handled complaints about working conditions, health and insurance benefits at a local level.
