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