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.

I have been an Teamster shop steward at UPS for most of the past decade now. Right now, the future of my employment and the future of my role as a volunteer union representative are uncertain.

The company has been trying for the past couple months to take my job away, despite the fact their actions have been in  violation of the contract as well as existing state and federal laws.

This has been a very trying time for me. It’s difficult dealing with a drastic decrease in income, having to go without my union-negotiated benefits and the humiliation of being subject to the ridiculous process of being judged by incompetent management people without the balance of any impartial or authoritative arbiter. But it’s also difficult not being able to continue representing my Teamster brothers and sisters at work.

However difficult it’s been, I’ve been honored by the number of co-workers and fellow union members who’ve reached out to show support and ask how things are going. Sometimes it’s hard just to keep up with the phone calls and messages, but it’s good to know I haven’t been forgotten by the folks I care so much about.

Because I cannot currently act as a steward to my fellow UPS Teamsters, I am going to stop posting updates on cybersteward.net for the time being, and move my UPS and Teamster-related blogging to The Rank-and-Filer [www.rankandfiler.org].

I hope to return to my job and the role I love as your shop steward as soon as possible, but for the time being, anyone who wants to keep up with the painful process of me fighting for my job can visit me at The Rank-and-Filer.

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.

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 was especially good to hear from the folks who took the time to offer comments in the survey form. Though most of you didn’t leave comments, you’re still more than welcome to offer some ideas if you have thoughts on the survey, or ideas on how to improve our Union.

Click here to view the survey results now

If you’re interested in sharing your thoughts through the survey, but haven’t done so yet, please make sure to complete it by next Friday, April 16, 2010. If you’re a member of Teamsters Local 384, click here to take the survey. It’s quick and your participation is kept anonymous (even I don’t have access to your information when you take the survey, unless you go out of your way to identify yourself).

UPDATE: The survey results are in. To view them, click here.

Click here to take the survey

UPDATE: The survey results are in. To view them, click here.

I am more than me,
not the one you had foreseen,
but just like you I had a dream –
a delicate contingency –
depending on a “we.”

*
The poem above was written over a year ago, during the last few months of the 2008 Presidential campaign. When I scribbled the first few lines, I was thinking about all the people in the country who were talking about “change” and “hope.” And I was thinking about then-candidate Obama, who had given a voice to the dreamy-eyed idealism of millions of Americans.

But one thing that disturbed me even then was how some people imagined President Obama would right all the wrongs done by our federal government, especially those done over the past 8 years. Sadly, there were far fewer people who seemed to understand that any substantive change in our political system was going to rely not only on the people at the very top, but also on those at every other level.

Some thought voting was all they had to do. Others went a step further, working tirelessly on the campaign. But far too many seemed to think that once the election was over, there was nothing more to do.

By the time the poem was finished, I realized there are folks who think this way not just about national politics, but also about local politics — and even union politics.

**
As a shop steward for most of the past nine years, I’ve been approached by many who want solutions, who want things changed for the better. Many of them are willing to step up and be a part of their own solution, but some believe that their part ends once they share their problems with someone like me.

Some people believe that shop stewards and business agents can work magic all by themselves. And yes, every once in a while, we may seem to get magical results. We may even get you exactly what you want without you having to lift a finger. But more often than not, you need to be involved if you want real solutions.

Sometimes I remind those who come to me for help that I might need their help to get them what they want. This is how it is for us as union members — we have to stand up for our rights. If not, we have no one else to blame when those rights continue to get trampled. When we make the mistake of thinking our leaders will do everything for us, we set ourselves up for frustration.

***
So when you come to me with a problem, don’t be surprised if I ask what you’re willing to do to help solve it.

If your rights are being disregarded in the workplace, but you aren’t willing to file a grievance, your problem probably won’t go away any time soon.

If you’re unhappy with the way you’re being represented, but you’re unwilling to make your voice heard, you’ll probably remain unhappy for a long while to come.

If you see problems, but you aren’t willing to work toward fixing them and supporting others who do, you probably shouldn’t expect too many solutions.

Any time we fall into the trap of thinking of our union as something “they” run, we surrender control of our union. The union isn’t just the elected officers, business agents or shop stewards. It’s every single member — we are the union.

And if we want something, we can get it, as long as we’re willing to work for it.

I’ve written previously about FedEx’s misclassified workers and the pending legislation in Congress to level the playing field. It’s an amendment to the Railway Labor Act in this year’s FAA reauthorization bill. If you’d like a little more background information on the whole issue, please click here.

If there are any other concerns UPS Teamsters have about this issue, please feel free to contact your local union representatives or ask me (either online or in real life). Whatever the case, it’s extremely important that all UPS Teamsters understand what’s at stake.

A former UPS package car driver, Carey would become the first democratically elected head of the IBT. He went on to lead the union in a successful strike against UPS in 1997, because of which he is credited with opening the door to thousands of new full-time Teamster jobs.

People have differing opinions of Ron Carey (as they tend to have of all leaders), but many of the accomplishments he had in his time leading our union cannot be dismissed, no matter your opinion of Mr. Carey. As we hear news of his passing, all union men and women should hold him in a place of respect for the things he did for our cause.

To read more now on Ron Carey, check out TDU.org