The April meeting got off to a rousing start!
Some of the chow was still there but the crowd had been fed. Like a
juggernaut the meeting rolled forward. There were no answers to the minutes and
actions of the Executive Board from prior meetings or the financial reports
because there were no questions.
GT issues
kicked off Nita's report; She was making a request to the National Union for a
'special meeting' and/or to revisit the 'dress code' MOA for operator services.
The Stewards from OSPS want to see if they could be allowed to wear sweat
clothes on all-night shifts.
These
were the same stewards who said they did not have a problem with the dress code
when attempts were being made to mobilize members during a Stewards meeting.
According to the 'Chief Steward', she had it under control and it wasn't being
enforced! It was a year ago when the GT Company started the 'dress code'. The
Local President decided to fight it (the dress code) by sending a letter to GT
members telling them if they had any questions about it to see their
supervisor.
The monitoring arbitration (in the BSOC) is
being pushed out again. There would be a "roll-out" on a new program called
"Appreciative Inquiry". To find out about the latest corporate scheme to
recondition the minds (psychologically) of their work force go to:
Taos
institute. Nita continued with a report on overtime problems
with PAC Bell and mentioned the agreement (on maximum # of hours someone could
be forced to work OT) CWA had with Pac Bell in Northern Calif. She announced
the vote to sell the building was 30 yes and 18 no. 48 people voted.
In a not so rare example of tortured logic
she explained that it really meant the vote was about 3,030 yes and 18 no
because the ones that didn't come to the meeting approve of what they are
doing. They (the building team) are no longer looking at the place 5 miles away
and are going to try for something around the freeway interchange (Orange
Crush). Once we get a place over there we will really pack in the
crowds!
The legislative team (Teri Renish and Mike
Minimal) came back from the conference in Sacramento and reported on the
current mission to fight the Prop. 226 Dragon (we've got a button for anyone
that wants one). For the record, Mike wanted it known that Governor Pete Wilson
was for it and he is against anything Pete Wilson is for. He doesn't like
Peter! He doesn't like me
either!
There were motions! It
wouldn't be a meeting without motions to rescind
something.
It was m/s/c (moved/seconded/carried) to
rescind the motion to get an outside vendor to do the web page at a cost of no
more than $2500. I made the original motion when I was
doing the web page. There were constant criticisms and implications of
unethical behavior on my part from other board members from the "new regime". I
offered to teach a couple of them and the offer was rejected. A year later it
must have dawned on the President that she had a responsibility to carry out
any motions made by the members or from the Executive Board and later upheld by
the membership. Someone probably advised her that if she didn't, she could be
held up to some of the same charges that cost Andrea her job as Local
President.
Surprise! [Not!] The maker of the motion
will be the new "Webster"! He gave a presentation at the May Executive Board
meeting. I wonder if they will have a link to mine? This is the URL I had
gotten for the local. www.cwalocal9510.org
Look for it on my
links page but
don't count on it being on the web. It takes work and a smidgeon of imagination
to do it. For my take on imagination go to the
'Fable'.
Another
motion was to take from the table the motion for a referendum vote to allow the
membership from GT a jurisdictional waiver to another Local (9588). The
composition of Local 9588 is made up of workers from General Telephone...it was
defeated. I wonder if they think that means it will stop
someone (from making the same or similar motion) who wants to do it next
meeting and every meeting after until it passes?
The maker
announced it was not a wise business decision. It
certainly wouldn't be a wise business decision to let a 'cash cow' like the
dues income from 700+ members get away.
The newly
appointed 'chief steward chimed in that she was glad since she had enough
trouble getting here to meetings, let alone Colton. I don't know why it's difficult to get to the Local. She has
been on the 'union teat' (LTW) almost daily since she was appointed to the
'Executive Horde' and 'Chief Steward.
Another motion was
made to give the local's secretaries a gift certificate for $200 each for doing
their jobs. Another motion was made to reimburse someone the cost of the
insurance deductible for something stolen from her car.
After 'Good & Welfare [CWA welfare is good for some!], the retirement grants and the drawings the meeting adjourned at about 8:PM. There were 61 members present. We'll pack 'em in for the June meeting. It is convention time and nominations for election as delegates will be taken.