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.

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 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.

But the most important element in both local and international union elections is going to be how well the voters — that’s members like you and me — educate themselves about our electoral options. That means it’s a great time to start getting out to the monthly membership meetings, and get familiar with the issues and people who will be running for office. Of course it’s always a good time to get involved in the union — that’s the best way to make sure you’re being properly represented.

Our next meeting is February 28. If you haven’t already been showing up, mark this on your calendar and come on out.

(For more information on this year’s union meeting schedule, please visit the “Meetings” page.)

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.