Bismarck, N.D. (AP) A North Dakota native has been chosen to lead a national union that represents workers in the railway and other transportation industries.
John Risch will be the legislative director of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers beginning October 1st.
He will represent employees of Canadian Pacific Railway, BNSF Railway, Red River Valley and Western Railroad Company, Great Lakes Airlines and Bus Drivers in North Dakota and across the country.
Risch worked as an engineer in the railway industry for 30 years starting in 1979. From 1986 to 2009, he served as the head of North Dakota's rail worker union and lobbied the state legislature.
Risch is now a resident of Washington, D.C.