A rant..
Manipulation of the Blame Pattern
… "The Top is responsible for
figuring out how to capture the hearts and minds of bottom of the union"
said me and many other union folks.. That’s why we call it
leadership… If the members don’t want to get involved.. somebody is doing
something wrong.. The members want a fighting Leadership!
.. "a visible
alternative to the inactive, government controlled and vaccinated leadership that we
have now…is what the union movement needs to reinvigorate it's base and essentially survive"
Why do you think the Rich corporate forces of control have convinced the Top and Middle that
the poor are the problem? It’s the same argument that many in the Leadership of the union makes for the woes of the union.. the members are the
problem. The Leadership is not doing what the membership wants.. so the rank and file have
become uninterested and tired of the same ol same ol… there are some that are
fine with this.. they usually are the ones who broadcast the same ol same ol
arguments..
"The members should get more active, we would never stick together, everybody is just out for themselves"
OK Leaders,
give them opportunities to get together!!.. Give them opportunities to stick together!!.. if there is no union spirit available .. you can't blame the members for protecting their own ass.. People don't move on their own.. OVAH! Take a pay
cut and throw some resources to organizing… Out of Touch Leadership is what comes to mind…
Let’s not pretend.. let’s build a movement to get rid of APATHY..
and we are going to have to throw some serious medicine at the disease that most effects our union..
APATHY won’t disappear without serious work and resources.. a change of
leadership style and culture will be a massive undertaking.. how can this be achieved ( wink wink say no more! ) Direct Democracy and Grass roots involvement.. the very principals that unions created for themselves... no?
"A powerful grass roots slate with strategically placed campaigners
would change the conversation and the entire Advisory Board (TOP) of the union...The entitled
attitude would cease to be."
The National Division is telling people that the Direct One Member, One Vote Election was a historic
win, while gritting their teeth.
They want the delegate system back!!!..
OF COURSE!! they do... It's all about control, just like private ownership and trickle down economics.. The delegate style of Democracy is trickle down corporate business unionism.. NO? OVER? OVAH? (OUI)
The
members won twice. Get over it!! The National Division is pretty much defunct… except
the Legislative Side… The General Comitties of Adjustment (GCA) hold all the power…
But many of those GCA's have few members willing to fight.. few organizational skills. Good old boy
intimidation…and don't move on the majority opinion.
WHY?
because they don't ask the membership honestly what to do...
When this is brought up to many of our leaders this is the response:
.
"They should come to the meeting and get active." end of argument..
. WTF? Where is the accountability? Leadership? WTF is a
leader???… Wait till the members get active on their OWN???.. What kind of a
dumbass response is that to why the members are not active?? WTF.. Over.. They
should come to the meeting… Bullshit..
The meeting should come to them…
We are railroaders.. We ain’t got time for that… If we work 80
hours in 7 days, stay in the hotel for three days and are looking at children and spouse...
How can we justify going to a meeting where a few people are going to make
decisions for many people without honestly asking the membership what to do as a union?
(they call this a poll of the membership)
sorry.. better come up with an alternative plan..
(that's a link above..click it)
If the meeting
was professional and productive.. you bet we would go.. but or leadership does
not know how to build.. they have learned how to union (railroad) from years of a dysfunctional, abusive leadership culture.
Hide the information from the members. Tell fibs and get the agreements passed
by the agenda of the GCA..
shhhh the membership might not like this. So go and
pass it at the meeting…
Remember: Poll the "ACTIVE" members
We need a well-balanced mixed bag of ways to go up against our
carriers and their labor relation big law school lawyers. We need to fight in
the courts, Washington and in the field. Our CO’s are missing in action. While
the troops are being fed a media message that unions steal your money and lobby
against guns, God and glory… Unfortunately FOX is right about a lot of the
corruption and that resonates with the membership.
"FAUX and their corporate masters do
not wish to improve the labor movement with their criticism, they wish to
destroy the unions."
The membership wants a forward organized push.. a visible one..
they also are going to need to be able to see it happening.. right now the critical bandwagon is the loudest and the Change to Win and the AFL-CIO do
not know how to change that…
"It’s called Direct Action and boots on the ground."
(another link... el click o)
We should have never went to on property agreements.. we should
have strong local agreements and a strong national contract.. Whoever pushed
for On property agreements needs to be held accountable for Destroying our
union power.. They told us it would give us more power to make deals with the
carriers..
They lied!
Now the carriers only have to deal with a small number
of GCA leaders.. some who would not know a union if it bit them in
the privates.. On property agreements do not give us more power.. They lied
about that.. Bad Idea.. period. Ovah!
We need to tell the railroad corporations that we are not going to
participate in the healthcare industries profit driven rape of our membership.. but we don’t have that kind of union right now.
Single Payer? Healthcare?
The on property Agreements have destroyed all
the national power we might have had.. oh wait the Railroad Labor Act.. I knew that was
coming….cue the preachers of the RLA...
"We should get out of the Democrat Party business and go back to
fighting with our members!!!"
They know who to vote for…. Imagine if R
Money would have won… He would have taught railroaders and the middle class a big lesson.
If
you think that the Republicans are going to fuck up Rail Road Retirement??
What will
happen if our Teamster Rail Conference keeps letting the railroad carriers
contract out all our railroad union jobs and run trains with one person.. that
will mess up the fun D.. The BMWED (teamster) track department is
under attack from outsourcing.. the clerks.. the service center crafts… we are all under attack!
CLICK CLICK THE LINK above
Ovah!!! The loss of railroad jobs to
outsourcing makes AMTRAK and its potential loss look like small potatoes.. so,
hey retirees.. you might want to become active again.. I know of these rank and
file organizations that accept donations.. wink wink…
FRA Emergency Orders don’t carry weight..
they never have..
When we were getting killed with One person RCO jobs… the FRA issued an
Emergency Order.. now RCO operators are marking up Qualified! Thanks FRA..
Don’t be duped by the hide your head in the sand message from the Rail Unions..
the Railroad Carriers
(robber Barons)
have the power to do whatever they want.. always have… except when
the ARU was organized.. (click the link..)
The Corporations OWN the Government…
I
still have several Locomotive Engineers on Strike Signs left over from the last
smoke and mirrors contract negotiations.. from the unions leaders I have met..
I am surprised they have not tried to have me brought up on charges for theft
of union property.
…. Debs was right when he said that railroaders (many but not all) are void of class
conscience. Give a railroader a job and a new pair of boots and They will
vote Republican.. is what I have heard out on the rails.. Give a railroader a big union job and a two piece
suit and They will forget all about those stinky locomotive toilets, hot cabs with out proper air circulation, long nights, bad
call times.. not seeing your kid grow up.. I do care about the pay at the top..
Question: Should the National Leadership make over twice the amount that the membership makes?
If the answer is Yes? WHY? My union has
the funds and know how to develop leaders. The members are the power..
figure that out.. ovah! And I am glad I make that money that i do
(thanks to the union!)
and yes I know the
union got that for me but it's getting more and more expensive to live and
healthcare is kicking my ass…. So fix the problem.. NO MORE CONCESSIONARY BARGAINING!!! (wink wink say no more)
I can’t blame the National Division for everything,
but if we want the union
they are going to have to let us rebuild it. or, will have a union just
like our HQ building in Cleveland.. OLD. Sucking resources, antiquated, in the
way.. and falling apart… unless we change the culture!!
I think it safe to say that this will take NEW Leadership and Resources. AND Many voices...
JP Wright
Teamsters For A Democratic Union and yes…
Proud BLET!!
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