Click here to donate.

In other news, with the IBT ballots heading out within the next ten days, now’s a great time to catch the video of the entire IBT Candidate Forum. If you’re a Teamster, you should absolutely be voting in the election. And while the forum is no replacement for doing the rest of your homework, it should give you a decent feel for each of the Presidential candidates.

Well, each one except for Mr. Hoffa, who sent Package Division Director Ken Hall as a stand-in. But that’s okay, if you’ve been around a while, you should already have an idea what to expect from Hoffa if he gets re-elected. At least you can get an idea of what his challengers are about — and whether or not they’ll offer a different direction from the one offered by the Hoffa administration.

Click here to see the forum video from the independent election supervisor’s website.

If you’re interested in what I really think about the pending election, you can read more about that here.

The fundraiser will be on Saturday, November 27 from 6 to 10 pm, at the Eddington Firehouse Hall (1444 Eddington Ave, Bensalem, PA) and tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door. Contact Bill Ganard (215-682-0587) for tickets to the event or the $5 50/50 raffle — please click here for a printable flyer for the event.

In my experience, Teamsters have been one of the most generous and caring groups I’ve ever been a part of, and I’m posting this information about the fundraiser in hopes that my sisters and brothers, at Local 384 and elsewhere, will help out in any way they can.

Please click here for the flyer and find out how you can help. Maybe you have a few dollars to spare for a ticket to the event, the raffle, or to simply make a donation. You can even print a copy of the flyer to post and spread the word. Any help is appreciated.

Bonaduce-Condron had an insurmountable lead over the Join Us Slate by the time straight vote totals were counted at 5:30 pm. The straight ticket totals were 1004 to 431 in favor of the current leadership, surprising many observers who expected a much narrower margin. While the election results are the big news of the day, there were other notes of varying importance as well.

(The final vote totals are shown above. Click here for a pdf of the tally)

Equipment Delay
The Union had just ordered a new letter opening machine and had it shipped overnight to the union hall for today’s ballot count. Unfortunately, the new machine barely lasted through the first hundred envelopes. A trip to Staples netted a handful of hand-held letter openers to help finish the process just an hour or so behind schedule.

Voter Turnout
Of 4085 members who received ballots, 1850 ballots were returned — just over 45% voter turnout. While the election supervisor assured us that this was better than average for a local union election (it was a slight improvement on Local 384′s 2007 returns), it’s a little troubling to think less than half the eligible members could be bothered to return a postage-paid ballot.

Random Note
Helping to count ballots with a cast of other volunteers was Joe Lyons, former president of the local my father retired from in 2003. I made a point to approach him and offer my thanks for the generous early retirement package my father received when his former employer moved operations to Mexico.

How about you — have you received your ballot yet? If you’re a member of Teamsters Local 384, you should be receiving one soon, if you haven’t already. If you haven’t received a ballot by October 18 at the latest, make sure to call the Union Hall and request a replacement. All votes must be received in time for the counting on October 28.

Once you have received your ballot, make sure to vote! Read the instructions, use both the inner and outer envelopes, and mail it in. It won’t even cost you the price of a stamp!

VOTE!

• Bonaduce/Condron Slate [link]
  • President: Mike Bonaduce
  • Vice-President: Bobby Gaines
  • Secretary-Treasurer: Matt Condron
  • Recording Secretary: Jim Monagle
  • Trustees:
    • Steve Davido
    • Steve Gallagher
    • Chris O’Donnell
• Join Us Slate [link]
  • President: Ray O’Brien
  • Vice-President: Sharon Taylor
  • Secretary-Treasurer: Brian Mitchell
  • Recording Secretary: Tony Mosley
  • Trustees:
    • Tony Gentile
    • Bob Messmer
    • Kathy Kadel

These are the candidates for election in 384 this year, pending eligibility verification.

UPDATE: One of the nominated candidates, John Adams, was improperly nominated, so he has been removed from the list and will not be on the ballot.

The Rank-and-Filer is a collaborative effort to provide actual rank-and-file information and views on the issues we encounter in our local union. I’m helping out with it, and along with a few good members, I’m hoping it can make a difference, especially this fall, as we face a big decision about the future of our union.

Click here to visit the Rank-and-Filer.

It’s important for each member of Local 384 to pay attention (or start paying attention) to the representation they receive. Whether you’re happy or miserable about the representation you receive, this is your clearest opportunity to directly impact the representation you receive in the future. Whether your role is as a potential candidate, helping someone you support campaign for office or just casting a vote (and believe me, that’s as important as any of the others), your participation is vital to the future of this union.

Just something to keep in mind as we all get a little closer to the fall.

Visit President-elect Obama at Change.gov

Like millions of other people, I was heartened by the election of Barack Obama. I believe it’s a great event in our nation’s history for several reasons.

For starters, I like what this election tells me about the intelligence of my country’s citizens. Though many fretted that the voters weren’t ready for an African-American president, that maybe the latent racism was too strong of an undercurrent in our culture, it’s clear now that the majority of voters were able to look past superficial issues of fear and racism to choose the most capable leader.

In talking with so many excited voters before and after the election, I’ve heard from folks who feel satisfied that their voices have been heard, people who feel a great achievement has come to pass this year. And this is absolutely true. President-elect Barack Obama substantiates the hope of mending huge gaps in the fabric of equality and justice. His achievement, shared by the millions of Americans who cast votes in his favor, should fuel our hopes to achieve even more.

We who understand working class issues on a personal level need to make sure hope turns into reality. We need to do that by encouraging, and sometimes even insisting, that President-elect Obama and Congress take measures that will level the playing field for all of us. These issues include a tax policy that rewards work over wealth, a business and labor environment that allows not only survival but dignity for everyone, and passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Those are some of the key issues that got working class voters to stand behind Mr. Obama, and they must also be issues on which he stands behind us. And that’s where political involvement, beyond just voting, comes in.

To anyone who has just recently become involved in the political process — or even those whose political involvement has been limited to voting — I encourage you to stay involved. Don’t wait for the next election.

Get involved every time you hear, see or read about an issue affecting working people. Make sure your representatives at all levels know how you feel about such issues. Let them know by calling them on the phone, sending them letters or walking into their offices. Citizens who are heard have far more influence than those who remain silent.

History was made last week because millions of voices made themselves heard in the voting booth. And then millions were heard celebrating that historic achievement. This is what can happen when people make themselves heard, but there is much more to achieve. Now is no time to go silent

For those who aren’t familiar with Nate Silver,he comes from a background of startlingly accurate wizardry with baseball statistics. With his website, FiveThirtyEight.com, Nate has applied his statistical genius to the 2008 Presidential election campaign.

Tonight, we may find out just how good Nate Silver is at predicting political outcomes. But for more about how Nate Silver does what he does, click here.