On Hiatus

Just serving notice that this blog is - obviously - on hiatus until such time as the Local can find someone to post entries, or the Editor discovers a day with 26 hours in it.

-- Mark Raymond, Editor

National Officer Candidates Endorsed

At the September General Membership Meeting, the following candidates for National Union Office were endorsed by the Flint Michigan Area Local:

President:
Cliff Guffey

Executive Vice-President:
Mark Case

Organization Director:
Mark Dimondstein

Health Plan Director:
William Kaczor

Clerk Craft Director:
Rob Strunk

NBA "B" Chicago Region:
Michael O'Hearn

Motor Vehicle Director:
Bob Pritchard

Motor Vehicle Assistant Director:
Michael Foster

Retiree National Convention Delegate:
Al LaBrecque

SHOW US YOUR BALLOT!

At the September General Membership meeting, the members voted to offer six $25 cash prizes in a random drawing of all Flint Michigan Area Local members who prove they have voted in our National Officer elections.

How do I prove that?
Show your *sealed* ballot to any Officer or Steward before you mail it off to be entered into the drawing. All offices without a Steward or Local Officer may notify the Local by calling the Plant Steward's desk at 810.257.1502 ... or the Local Union Hall at 810.239.0931. You must speak to an Officer or Steward. Leave a message if necessary and someone will call you back.

The drawings will be held at the Saturday, October 9 General Membership Meeting.

Strike Solidarity

Please support the workers at Genesys Hospital, who appear to be on the verge of a strike. Teamster's Local 332 website is here.

Furthermore, Kroger employees represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 876 are struggling in negotiations with their employer to win a fair contract.

In other local labor news, Swartz Creek teachers appear to be on the verge of ratifying a new contract, after working for two years without one.

-- Mark Raymond, Editor

2010 National Convention: Friday

NOTE: All the Convention photos uploaded to Facebook are available for viewing at http://bit.ly/beeHQ4.

I forgot to mention that Thursday night is the traditional "Parade of States," where each state's delegation parades through a smaller hall in a show of solidarity and fun. Usually each member of the state wears the same colors and often they will pass out freebies and candy to the children of delegates in attendance on the sidelines. Being the host state, Michigan received the privilege of marching out first, right after President Burrus and the foreign dignitaries.

But on to Convention business for Friday.

The APWU Auxiliary Officers - who were meeting in their own Convention this week - were installed after their elections today. Then the Clerk Craft Committee began its report and got through about 30 minutes of business before a motion to adopt "en toto" hit the floor and was adopted. By now, many of the delegates are extremely tired, and some have begun to leave to catch a flight back to the West Coast, so things begin to move quickly.

The big issue today was a resolution submitted during the Convention, requiring our negotiators to "take all necessary steps to assure the retention of our members' right to health benefits." It was so important that, for the first time all week, President Burrus left the podium and went to a floor microphone to speak on the resolution. He spoke persuasively and passionately against the resolution, saying "with every door I close, I lessen the chance of a negotiated agreement." He wants to be able to put everything on the negotiating table, to widen the areas of give and take, and thereby increase the chances of coming to an agreement with management, rather than sending our contract to arbitration.

The delegates felt, however, that some items are simply not negotiable, and retaining health care for APWU members is one of them. The voice vote appeared close, cries of "Division!" were heard, and the issue went to a teller count. The final tally: 1,211 to make health care non-negotiable, and 435 in support of Burrus' argument. Now we'll see what happens, remembering that Mr. Burrus is a lame duck officer.

And that, with one final committee report, was that. It was all over but the shouting and the mass exit from mammoth Cobo Hall.

I hope these daily reports have been of some use to you.

-- Mark Raymond, Editor