LOCAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
AUGUST 4, 1998

Normally, I use this space to provide you with a blow by blow count of events that took place at the membership meeting, i.e. reports, old business, new business etc., etc. This month I can’t provide my usual format because there were no Officer Reports (except for Nita), Committee Reports and Old or New Business. Rest assured, it was business as usual!

Before you start, I’d like to remind some of those who might have missed these words, uttered by Nita Moreno on the night of her coronation as the "Queen of Hearts" (she was sworn in as Local President), "Don’t judge me by my words, judge me by my actions."

I belong to an organization called the Association for Union Democracy (AUD). One of the AUD founders (Herman Benson) recently testified before the sub-committee on Employer-Employee relations in the US House of Representatives. Before I go into to what happened on this particular 1998 August Summer Night, I’d like you to read an excerpt from what he had to say:

" We believe that strong labor unions are an essential element in American democracy. They protect workers against abuse by employers. They defend an American standard of living. They have fought for seniority rights, for pensions, for unemployment insurance. But to fulfill its role effectively, the labor movement must guarantee to its own members in their unions the same democratic rights that it advocates on the outside of society."

A. You belong to an UNDEMOCRATIC UNION LOCAL if you witness any or all of the following:
  • Corrupt or authoritarian control by Officers of the Union
  • Members who are threatened, suspended or expelled from the Union for criticizing their union officials
  • A Union that suppresses their critics by intimidation, threats, disciplining them on contrived charges or use union resources to render them helpless
  • Collusion between union officials and suspect employers. For the employer, if it keeps the Union official's -or chief stewards as the case may be- "happy" it is free to create not simply a satisfactory work force, but a docile one, which will not complain. For the crooked or authoritarian union official the system permits him/her to build a political machine, to reward friends and punish critics, to discipline or starve out those who would oppose them. This system makes a mockery of any real grievance procedure.


B. You belong to a DEMOCRATIC UNION LOCAL when it demonstrates the following:
  • The health of democracy in unions, as in society, depends upon encouraging and sustaining those who will speak out and act against injustice, for decency for fair play.
  • A Leadership who doesn’t feel threatened by a petition of its members but welcomes their point of view.
  • A Union who isn’t afraid of sharing the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act with its members. For your own copy:

    LMRDA

  • A leadership who uses parliamentary procedure rules at meetings to help them run smoothly, not thwart any action by unskilled parliamentarians.
  • A leadership that works to avoid excuses.

Ok, so *you be the judge. [*Members currently on the union tit don’t count and you know who you are] Before you decide what kind of a Union Local you have working for you read the 'minutes of the meeting'. After you finish reading the "minutes of the meeting" ask yourself what kind of Union Local do you have working for you. A or B

THE MINUTES [The "official--unofficial" minutes of the August 4, 1998 meeting]

Local 9510 set a new record for meeting duration. The June '98 meeting lasted 35 minutes and this one was even shorter! The meeting got off to a late start because some of the area politicians had been invited to make a pitch for the Local's support in this November's election. A couple of CWA Staffers were there. The food was there. The people eating it were there. A member, who had been removed as a steward by the "Queen of Hearts" was there with some of her supporters to protest her "defrocking".

The 'games' began at 6:45. First issue was the Executive Board minutes for June. Yours truly had a correction for the minutes. The membership was informed that the minutes inaccurately reflected a report that was made at the Executive Board meeting and it was placed in the Orange Empire News and mailed to all members. The mailed minutes said they were taken and submitted by John Natoli and (there was a corrected version distributed at the meeting) he was not even there!

It was further explained that according to Robert's Rules the minutes are to reflect the actions of the body and etc., etc. the instant case the minutes inaccurately stated my report and I proceeded to give the report I had made at the E-Board meeting to the members present. I was cut off by a cry of "Point of Order". The chair ruled the point was well taken and asked if I had a copy for the Secretary -Treasurer of the report that I said was falsely reported in the minutes that were mailed to 3,000+ members. I gave him a copy and handed out extra copies for anyone who would like to see the real report.

The chair then entertained a motion to approve the correction of the minutes. I advised the chair that a motion to approve a correction was not necessary (in order). The chair felt it was in this case and when the vote was taken whether or not to accept the correction to the Executive Board minutes was taken it was defeated. [What this means is the minutes (with an inaccurate version of my report) will become part of the permanent record of Local 9510.]

It gets better or worse depending upon your perspective!

Moving on to the next issue…

The actions of the Executive Horde at it's July meeting was the next potboiler. President Moreno decided she was going to remove a shop steward and a motion was made to uphold the action of the President. [Appointment and/or removal of stewards is left to the Local President according to the bylaws of Local 9510. The appointment or removal is subject to the approval of the membership.]

Sylvia Boyd (the steward who had been removed) made a motion to hold out for discussion under "New Business" the action of the Executive Horde upholding her removal. [The actions of the Executive Horde are subject to approval of the members at the Membership Meeting. If any member takes exception with an action by the "Horde" they can make a motion to hold out the item for discussion under "New Business" and overturn it]. When she (Sylvia Boyd) spoke on her motion she stated she wanted the reasons for her removal discussed and was going to try to overturn the action. The motion failed after a 'quick count'. A recount was called for and when it was taken the score was

President Moreno 47
Sylvia Boyd 29

The career of Sylvia Boyd as a shop steward just came to an abrupt end.

There were no committee reports with the exception of The legislative committee chairperson (Teri Renish) gave a COPE certificate to a CWA staffer and member (Cherie Brokaw) who was in attendance. Moreno gave a brief report and there were no other officer's reports.

New business came and went. One person tried to make a motion regarding the removal of the steward and was told the appropriate place for a discussion would be under 'Good and Welfare". Another made a motion to establish an identity procedure for members to insure only members voted on issues. [A 'card check' was done at this meeting. That indicates the administration felt something was up]. There was some discussion regarding the motion and it's intent. It was tabled for 'further study'.

"Good and Welfare" was sparked by the discussion regarding some of the issues surrounding the removal of Sylvia Boyd as a shop steward. Several people spoke regarding some allegations of racism. The president recommended that anyone who felt their rights in the union were violated should report the incident to the EEOC and request a full investigation. The role of the CWA Constitution requirement of having an "Equity Committee" was raised and the matter was turned over to it. The members of the committee were introduced. According to some in attendance it was like putting a fox in charge of the chicken coop. [Boyd and a few of her supporters had complaints about some of the "Equity Committee" members who they said were harassing or trying to intimidate them]

The meeting ended 28 minutes after it started!

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