You know, funny things happen when you go without electricity for a few days. Your mind actually begins to break free from the mind numbing effects of the television and you find yourself doing something that, at first, seems entirely foreign. You actually begin to THINK. I know that seems crazy, but it really is true. Its amazing what your brain can come up with once it shakes itself free from the hypnosis of our modern electronic gadgetry. Has anyone else experienced this over the past few days?? Or is it just me???
Regardless, here is what I've come up with.
Ever since Sunday's union meeting i haven't been able to shake something. What has been bothering me is the notion that perhaps President Turner and SC Harlow really are just as boggled as we are. Is it possible that these guys really don't know anymore than we do? It crossed my mind briefly at the meeting, but i quickly dismissed it as nonsense. But after a few days of reflection, i am convinced that my first instinct was correct.
Allow me to elaborate....
Lets start with Sunday's meeting. I admit that i walked into the meeting expecting the same old song and dance. I expected lots of questions to be asked with very few answers provided. I was not disappointed. However, what i did not expect was the almost "hands in the air" demeanor of our leaders. It was almost if they stood on the podium and surrendered. They knew the questions were going to come and they knew they had nothing to give us. Perhaps that's why they hired the cops. This membership is fed up with being in the dark and things have progressed well beyond just a mild curiosity. People are losing their jobs. In fact, people HAVE lost their jobs. Lives are being turned upside down and people are beginning to get desperate. Heck, if i was walking into that meeting knowing that i didn't posses any answers, id probably hire some cops too.
The first sign of this surrender was when President Turner admitted that he did not support continuing negotiations involving a VEBA. Huh?? From everything i have heard the past few days, our contract IS going to include a VEBA. And our President doesn't support this???? This tells me that he is basically out of the loop in terms of the direction of negotiations. Say what you will about SC Harlow, but by almost all accounts President Turner is a well respected man. I can not imagine our President pursuing a path of negotiations that he did not believe was best for our membership. When he openly critiqued the inclusion of the VEBA in any future agreement, that told me that our local leaders are not steering this ship. It appears to me that International officials have completely taken over negotiations to the point that our local leaders are just as much in the dark as we are. Is that possible? I admit i didn't think so even a few days ago, but now I'm not so sure.
The second clue came courtesy of SC Harlow. When questioned about the official closing date of the plant, Harlow all but admitted that Harry Bogan, Regional Director IUE-CWA Region Seven, potentially possessed information that the local boys were not privy to. In fact, Bogan does refer to such information regarding our plant closing in his most recent handbill. I think most people read that handbill and assumed that the local boys also had this much needed information. I know that i certainly did. That, however, was before SC Harlow stood in front of the membership Sunday looking weary and defeated while proclaiming "if anyone still believes this plant has a future, i feel sorry for you." While i have never been a fan of SC Harlow, i do believe that IF he knew anything he would have told us at that point.
So what am i saying?????
What i am saying is that we as a membership are being played by our union officials once again, only this time it reaches past the local boys to the International level. Look, i understand that it is customary for the International boys to take the lead in national negotiations. That makes perfect sense. What strikes me as unusual, however, is the apparent complete lack of communication between International and local official. Shouldn't there be open sharing of information between fellow negotiators? shouldn't the LOCAL PRESIDENT have some say in the direction of the agreement?? Are International officials negotiating the best possible deal for LOCAL 798 or are they trying to get the best possible deal for IUE-CWA?????? To me, this is a very fair question! No offense to our fellow union brothers and sisters within the IUE-CWA, but i don't give a crap about them at this point! This negotiation should be about the retirees and workers within our Local. It should be directed towards meeting OUR needs as we approach and move beyond our plants closing. This seems fairly straightforward, however negotiations continue be held up by the International Officials who seem to be seeking to protect themselves and their desires more than their membership.
Please don't get me wrong here, i am not letting our local boys off the hook just yet. They are still woefully lacking in the area of competent leadership. They still continue to leave this membership uninformed. What they can't seem to grasp is that this membership deserves communication at the very least. Hey guys, if you don't know anything, stand up and tell us that you don't know anything! Furthermore, stop trying to protect the International officials. If they are holding up negotiations or if they are keeping you in the dark, TELL US THAT! What President Turner and SC Harlow have failed to grasp is that they are not the International's representatives to us....THEY ARE OUR REPRESENTATIVES TO THE INTERNATIONAL! Meaning, they work for us. They are to report our desires to International and then report the response back to us and vice versa. It really doesn't seem all that difficult.
Ok, sorry for the wide ranging commentary here. Please feel free to post comments below if you agree or disagree with me. My goal here is to start a much needed conversation before it is too late.
In the meantime, i think i will go watch TV.
So what am i saying?????
What i am saying is that we as a membership are being played by our union officials once again, only this time it reaches past the local boys to the International level. Look, i understand that it is customary for the International boys to take the lead in national negotiations. That makes perfect sense. What strikes me as unusual, however, is the apparent complete lack of communication between International and local official. Shouldn't there be open sharing of information between fellow negotiators? shouldn't the LOCAL PRESIDENT have some say in the direction of the agreement?? Are International officials negotiating the best possible deal for LOCAL 798 or are they trying to get the best possible deal for IUE-CWA?????? To me, this is a very fair question! No offense to our fellow union brothers and sisters within the IUE-CWA, but i don't give a crap about them at this point! This negotiation should be about the retirees and workers within our Local. It should be directed towards meeting OUR needs as we approach and move beyond our plants closing. This seems fairly straightforward, however negotiations continue be held up by the International Officials who seem to be seeking to protect themselves and their desires more than their membership.
Please don't get me wrong here, i am not letting our local boys off the hook just yet. They are still woefully lacking in the area of competent leadership. They still continue to leave this membership uninformed. What they can't seem to grasp is that this membership deserves communication at the very least. Hey guys, if you don't know anything, stand up and tell us that you don't know anything! Furthermore, stop trying to protect the International officials. If they are holding up negotiations or if they are keeping you in the dark, TELL US THAT! What President Turner and SC Harlow have failed to grasp is that they are not the International's representatives to us....THEY ARE OUR REPRESENTATIVES TO THE INTERNATIONAL! Meaning, they work for us. They are to report our desires to International and then report the response back to us and vice versa. It really doesn't seem all that difficult.
Ok, sorry for the wide ranging commentary here. Please feel free to post comments below if you agree or disagree with me. My goal here is to start a much needed conversation before it is too late.
In the meantime, i think i will go watch TV.
6 comments:
I believe the majority of the plant agrees with you. I also believe the vote thing on the main page needs elaborated on. We want a buyout but want it raised not the same offer again. At minimum it should be prorated. We want transfer guarantees not just put on some SEPO list. Possibility of transfer = letter of intent to build product. We been down that road before.
What you didn't know when you wrote the original blog is that OUR LOCAL leaders (who were trusted to carry out the business of this union) went to the International and REQUESTED that our local be put into receivership. They did that the night before they put the last handbill out.that handbill was written and copied at the Union Hall and they very well could have put in that handbill the fact that they requested we be taken over by the International. But noooo, they chose not to divulge that information. In fact word got out on the floor Friday afternoon right before the weekend. So I fully believe that leadership who could be so underhanded, cold and devious could stand up on the podium at the Union Meeting and lie through their teeth to keep from having a riot break out. Further more as long as we're talking about the meeting, why did they take our hard earned Union Dues and pay cops when there is a provision in our Constitution for floor guards whose duty is to keep order?
My first visit to this site. My compliments. I can't help but whole heartedly agree that there are a many more important issues facing our members other than this election. But to be fair, when you lose your right to vote for your leadership -- you're done. Everybody knows that our current leadership is not negotiating in the members' best interest. Far from it. And, after last Friday, it appears that Harry Bogan is not either. To have the audacity to declare to the media 'he has knowledge of a closing date but cannot share it at this time' is a disgrace for a so-called union leader. When our members are facing the loss of their jobs, possibly their homes and even their entire way of life, his actions are incredibly insensitive. While our members are wondering where their next check will come from, Mr. Bogan is drawing two paychecks -- one as a retiree from GM and the other from our union dues as an employee of the IUE. The last time I checked Jim Clark runs this union. And it's time he gets a handle on Harry Bogan. Enough said on that subject. For the individual who suggested that I, Jim Marlow, am more interested in getting elected than the members' needs...that could not be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, I spend hours on the phone every night after I get home from work trying to help members with their problems and many times I am successful. These are problems our elected leaders should be handling, but are too busy taking care of number one. In fact, one of the first arguments I had with John Harlow was over my helping fellow members with their problems. John pointed out I was out of line and over-stepping my boundaries! As far as the election goes, I humbly accepted the opportunity to run on this ticket. I knew two things: 1)the current leadership was in way over their heads and 2) I have the experience to do the job. There are no personal gains in this for me. Thanks to all for visiting our website: www.save798.com. It's our first effort at constructing a website; we're trying to make it informative and user-friendly. Hope you enjoy some of the old pictures/slide shows. Thanks for the opportunity to vent.
fact of the matter is im losing my job and you all suck. im sick of talking about it cant we sue the union for not representing in our best interest? shouldnt we be able to fire all of them? they beleive that their there own entity and to hell with us. truth be known they probably have a deal with gm to open the plant in two or three years with employees at fourteen dollars an hour but paying fifty to sixty dollars a month union dues... whats the union care as long as they're in business !
I say I want Rob Meyer for Chairman. Go Rob.
Many years ago when they split 801 and created 798 our plant was put into reccievership. The International appointed a new President to 798. Guess who they appointed Gaylen Turner their YES MAN. Now what does that tell you!
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