Monday, September 29, 2008

Hmmmm.....

Whatever hysteria exists is inflamed by mystery, suspicion and secrecy. Hard and exact facts will cool it.
Elia Kazan


I cant help but notice that the boys over at www.save798.com have picked up on my idea to flood our International Union officials with phone calls demanding answers. However, it seems that they are only interested in answers regarding the election. Why aren't they instructing people to demand answers regarding why Harry Bogan is effectively now representing management by keeping secrets concerning our future from the dues paying membership???

Look, i believe that our local should conduct a "free, fair and equal" election as dictated by our constitution. However, the election is a secondary concern to me and, i believe, the rest of this membership. My primary concern is the secrecy taking place within our unions upper echelon and how that secrecy is affecting my ability to plan for the future.

Why is Harry Bogan keeping secrets from us? What is the status of negotiations? What exactly is being negotiated?? What/who is holding us back from reaching an agreement?? Will our sub pay be replenished?? Will there be a jobs bank? Will we have a REAL transfer opportunity and not just a transfer agreement that does nothing but put our names on a meaningless SEPO list?? Will there be a VEBA and if so, how will it be funded? Will there be another SAP and if so, what are the details??

These are the primary issues that affect each and every one of us. These are the things that must be answered in order for us to move forward with our lives. I would think that the folks over at http://www.save798.com/ would be aware of this and would be advising members to seek answers to ALL of the above issues and not JUST those regarding an election.

I have personally placed calls to Jim Clark and Harry Bogan demanding that they be transparent with us regarding the issues listed above. I will continue to place daily calls to these men until our concerns are answered.

I can not encourage you enough to do the same!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

They have already put us in RECIEVERSHIP! That means they can do anything they want and you cannot do a damn thing about it.

Anonymous said...

Unless that means they are going to stop charging me union dues, i will continue to demand answers!

Chad Craft said...

I agree with you 100%. The folks at save798 are just politicians. They are truly in it for themselves. If they wanted to do something to help the membership they could do it without being officers. Marlow put that handbill out when Harlow was running against Hall. Remember what it said. Wish I still had a copy of it. Oh well the end is near I'm just waiting for the details. I can say I've done all I can as an individual and will continue the fight after the plant closes.

Chad Craft said...

Oh there is plenty we can do about it and I will be contacting the blogger here about it soon.

Anonymous said...

The folks at www.save798.com have a valid point in my opinion that we demand the right to vote in a free and fair election. If we are denied the right to vote in the elections, I most certainly feel that we will also be denied the right to vote on the contract. All 798 members should demand, and fight for our right to vote. We can not allow our sorry excuse for a chairman to run a contract up our ass that we may not feel comfortable with. ALWAYS retain the right to vote and voice your opinion. At this point, it may be about all we have left. We must have the opprotunity to vote for both the contract, and also the elections that will choose our leadership that will continue to fight for us after the doors have been closed. Current leadership leaves quite a lot to be desired if you ask me. I have no faith in John Harlow to look out for anyone other than himself.

Anonymous said...

Bandit you're one of the cronies over at save798.com of course you think they have a valid point. Truth of the matter is, from what I understand, the International is doing the negotiations and voting on the National Contract really means nothing. Vote it down and the international can sign it and its done. Our vote is not needed for this contract to be passed. and again it wont be Harlow running this contract up your ass... it will be the International. Seriously being that you are running for Executive Board I would think that they would keep you more abreast on the workings.

Anonymous said...

All you people want to do is hide behind your website and attack people who are actually trying to stand up for you. Apparently none of you go to the Union Meetings because if you did you would know not any of your current local leadership can give a straight answer on anything. craftsx5 you will still be waiting for answers long after you leave the plant. The first group that left in July went out on alot of false promises, and 2nd shift left without any options or information so what makes you think you are going to have a contract or any information to base a decision on before you leave. You want to blame the International but Gaylen, John and Rob are the one that made all the fale promises last year to get elected when they ran like they would get you a product and they would not come back without a four year agreement but now they cant deliver so they want to turn everything over to the International Union. I can say at least Jim and Bandit told who they were.

Anonymous said...

How can you not blame the international? You have and email address for Harry Bogan or Jim Clark? Thing is I do agree with you that if it is turned over to them we will really be screwed. They keep us in the dark more than the current leadership.

Anonymous said...

what coward keeps coming in here as anonymous? are you afraid they wont give you a buyout?

Anonymous said...

is bandit running on jim marlows ticket? is this what im hearing? well this changes everything! i definitely have to vote for john harlow now. this is the same guy that writes comments in the committee calls book when he doesnt like someone, what exactly was it you called me again bandit? you never did call it to my face, thats right i havent forgot. or the time you and chuck lovett pulled me off line during the 2003 national contract when i wore a shirt that said vote no. wasnt it you that said this membership doesnt care about nothing except the signing bonus like were stupid or something. or when it takes you days to answer committee calls because your more interested in hitting on your next girlfriend instead of doing your job.no sorry jim farlow or whoever your posing as i wont be voting for you, you pick idiots on your tickets, this will be your downfall as you are soon to find out how many people really dont think much of raccoon, or possum or whatever his name is.

Anonymous said...

This fool known as Bandit, I think his common name is Doug Bales, is the biggest waste of an individual that I could possibly imagine. He by far is the worst committeeman that this plant has ever had. It takes him days and weeks to answer the calls that our members put in and disregard their true needs for representation. It goes along the same lines as the majority of this joke of a slate that Jim Marlow/Kate Geiger/Tim Mobley said that we would be so proud of. Marlow was one of the worst chairman we've ever had giving back thousands and thousands of dollars signing "straight time supplementation" that our members could've made for a decade +. All because he was a thief and a liar and the company had him by the balls when he was discharged. THIS IS HOW HE GOT BACK. Not to mention the fact that he did it to the production worker not trades.

The Tim Mobley Slate equals....joke, joke, joke and more jokes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I think the majority of people would vote the UAW and oust the IUE. Then we could have a new product to build.

Anonymous said...

You guys better be nice to the UNION last time I said something my wrist was broke

Anonymous said...

kenny's right i thought i seen someone outside my house last night......oh wait that was the repo man...sorry

Anonymous said...

Do you guys realize how many UAW people are laid off they closed the Janesville Plant and laid off a shift in Shreveport. I know the UAW is a stronger union, but even if the UAW and GM brought a product into our plant we would still loose all of our Plant Seniority in our own plant. The only thing we could keep would be our retirement seniority. If we were lucky enough to get in we would all be out in Trim or the Chassis Department on 2nd or 3rd shift. Call someone you can trust maybe a UAW Representative.

Anonymous said...

Anon, do you know how unions get in a plant? The union that wants in has to be voted on by the people working there not by people laidoff from another plant. I am laid off from trim so what would be wrong with me going back to trim? I know I would have a job. Like I said before I have been there 8 years and don't have hardly any plant seniority now but like you said I would be in a stronger union.

Anonymous said...

In the first place if you dont have in ten years you wont go anywhere. If the boys gave up the right to this plant to a UAW that means you will have no recall rights under the UAW; therefore, if you ever come back into this plant it would be under the WOW agreement. The IUE owns the Product we are making not the building. GM owns the building!

Anonymous said...

Anon,
First the boys cannot give up the rights to the UAW, it has to be voted on by the employees.
If IUE owns the product what are they doing with the 300mil. per month in revenue? Why is it going on GM's books? Why don't IUE lease the building and keep building trucks.