The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) was organized at Oneonta, New York, on September 23, 1883, as the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen. The organization included other railroad workers--conductors, yardmen, and trainmen--from its inception, and in 1890 its name was changed to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Conservative in social philosophy, the Brotherhood's 1883 Constitution emphasized its benevolent, protective, and fraternal functions. Nonetheless, the organization actively represented members in collective bargaining and grievance procedures, and it developed an influential political lobbying program in addition to providing insurance and benevolent services. The Brotherhood quickly emerged as the largest railroad union, and by the early 1960s it represented fifty-two percent of the railroad workers in the United States and Canada.
Mendota Lodge, Local 606, of the BRT was established by thirteen railroad employees meeting at Forester's Hall, Madison, Wisconsin, on August 25, 1901. Membership requirements, as specified by the 1901 revision of the Brotherhood's Constitution and General Rules, included one year of railroad service and required that applicants be “white, sober, industrious...” and between the ages of eighteen and forty-five. The primary motivation in forming the Lodge was to obtain insurance for Madison area railroad workers.
In 1968 the BRT merged with three other organizations--the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America--to form the United Transportation Union (UTU).
