Observations #20
September 2002

Petitioned for Disloyalty

Here we go again. I had hoped to stop writing Local letters so I could focus more on National ones, because I thought the remaining Good Ole Boys (Gobs) would realize that for the next three years they should at least try and get along with the New Administration. Boy was I wrong.

In Observations #19 I wrote, “I would much rather have an Executive Board whose members are at odds with each other, than one that is united against the membership like we’ve had for the last 15 years.” Of course I didn’t expect them all to get along, but I also didn’t expect the Boys to launch a sore loser campaign against the New Administration either.

They didn’t waste any time in putting out a bogus letter about members of the New Administration and it’s supporters. A letter filled with contradictions, accusations and lies. They have the nerve to say the New Administration is in bed with management. Excuse me; it was their letter that contained information only management has access to.

Their bogus letter called the membership suckers. They must think we’re stupid too, because they think we don’t know who is putting out that trash. Like a man who keeps a rodent on his head in hopes it will hide his baldness, the Gobs refuse to face reality. Or like a short man who thinks an ego the size of Texas will make him appear taller, Management can’t accept the facts. Your Boys lost, get over it. In the words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?”

Gary Whatshisname in management is the source of the information. He was seen handing a fistful of bogus letters to a Gob Committeeperson. And an appointee and a member of the election committee were also seen circulating the unsigned letter. Why? Because President-elect Plummer is starting to cut heads and management is refusing to work with him. And the Boys are paranoid that their precious appointees may be next.

I don’t give a damn about Management; it’s the Boys and their ignorance I’m concerned about. They’re being played for suckers and they don’t even know it. There are those in management whose main objective was to disrupt and cause tension between our Locals Leaders and the membership, and they did. Now that we have a New Administration, their main objective is to cause infighting between our Union officials, and they’re succeeding, again.

There is infighting among the Leadership over who has the power of appointment in the plants, and management loves it, because while the Boys are busy backstabbing the President over the appointment issue, they’re riding roughshod over the membership. And the Boys, blinded by their own greed and lust for power are playing right into their hands.

They just don’t get it. Their relationship with Management is one of the reason they lost 4 of the top Executive Board positions in the first place. They think we are so stupid that we don’t know what’s going on. Well, I’ve got a News Flash for the Good Ole Boys, just because the elections are over, that doesn’t mean they can stir up trouble for the next three years. Far from it, we don’t need to wait for elections to cut a few heads of our own.

The Truck Plant’s Shop Chairperson better think very hard about a couple incidences that happened during our last elections; he won his position by only 156 votes against an unknown candidate, and it took only two days for supporters of Plummer to circulate a petition among ¾ of the membership.

A word to the wise Mr. Basilone, get out of Managements Bed, and sever all ties to Alfred and Miller. That’s right, we know Alfred and Miller are still pulling strings around here. And my advice for you is to wake up and smell the coffee, because any official can be petitioned out of office for disloyalty to the membership. You are being watched.

Also a word of advise to committeepersons, unlike appointees who must be loyal to whoever appointed them, or lose their appointments, your loyalties should be to the membership, because they elected you. You are under no obligation to the Shop Chairperson or the Zone Committeeperson. If you feel they are intimidating you or trying to compromise your integrity, bring it to the attention of the President and they will be dealt with.

And lastly, a couple of members of the New Administration are walking a very fine line. They had better decide which side they’re on, because they don’t want to be standing to close to a Gob when the crap hits the fan. Remember, the membership is the highest authority in the Union, and I won’t think twice about telling them your name and misdeeds.

Appointments

Shortly after finding out they lost the election, Miller and Dorsey made a few appointments of their own, illegally too, I should add. One in particular is Dorsey’s appointment to handle all Document 78 cases, a do nothing appointment that allows him to hide behind a desk all day, sort of like when he was President.

If I’m not mistaken, neither Miller, nor Dorsey was authorized to make any appointments because they both had to resign their positions to run for office. And Basilone wasn’t sworn in as Shop Chairperson yet, so he wasn’t authorized to make any appointments either. Mr. Dorsey, I think there is a job waiting for you out on the line somewhere.

And what about Rochester Robinson? What is his job? According to Personnel, he’s on special assignment. Near as I can tell, he’s roaming the plant as if he were campaigning. I got it from a few very reliable sources in Trim, Chassis and Paint that he’s spreading lies and rumors about Plummer and the New Administration. I asked him last Wednesday, “What’s your job?” And he said, “Carrying 50-pound bags.” Yeah right, that must be his special assignment, spreading 50-pound bags of Bull manure around the plant.

Audit

At the last Union meeting, the newly elected Financial Secretary called for an International audit of the Local Union’s books before he assumes the office. The President sent the International a letter and their response was, “We’ll get to it when we get to it.”

I wrote a letter about the misuse of Funds by Miller, Dorsey, Swanner, Robinson and Welsh. Without our approval, our Funds paid for them and 2 of their wives to go to the Conventions. How could their presences at the Conventions benefit the membership? And what did it cost us to pay for 4 ex-officials, 2 wives and Swanner to vacation in Las Vegas? The letter also addressed irregularities with a $67,000 bill to replace the faulty air conditioning units for the Hall.

Myself, along with 4 members signed the letter and sent it to UAW President Gettelfinger and 7 others in the Union chain of command via special delivery on August 3rd. The letter asks for an International audit. August 5th, the International called Plummer and said an auditor would be at the Hall on August 20th.

No one besides Plummer and his Secretary knew the auditor was at the Hall. On Wednesday the 21st, about an hour before lunch, the Secretary said she had to rush home to get a few papers and she’d be back in a few minutes. Plummer was in his office when she returned, and not 5 minutes later she buzzed someone into the Hall. It’s important to note that Alfred hired the Secretary, and she lives across from his bar that is only a few blocks up the street.

Turns out she buzzed Alfred in, and for about a half hour, he locked himself and the auditor in the office the auditor was using, then he took the auditor to his bar for lunch. Alfred disrespected Plummer by not letting him know that he was in the Hall, and by not inviting him to lunch too. Of course the Secretary denies any wrongdoing. And who knows what perks Alfred heaped on the auditor during his 8-day stay? Personally, I would have fired the Secretary on the spot.

The auditor told Plummer over lunch a few days later that it doesn’t matter who wines and dines him, because he is here to do an audit and cover his butt in the process, because he has to submit his report to President Gettelfinger personally.

My letter to the International and their response will be circulated as soon as the International releases the results of their audit. Our last experience with the International wasn’t very favorable, and I have my doubts about the audit too, but I was asked to give the UAW’s new President, Ron Gettelfinger, the benefit of doubt. So, I’ll say no more, for now.

Union Meeting

As you can see, a lot has happen in the last 3 months, and there is a lot that needs to be discussed at the September Union meeting. I can’t say this enough, there is strength in numbers. So please attend Sunday’s meeting. President Plummer and the New Administration need our support.

If we are to keep the reform movement going, we need to outnumber the Good Ole Boys, because should an issue arise that requires the memberships vote, we need to out vote them by at least one vote. And the last thing Plummer, the New Administration, or the membership needs is for them to hijack, manipulate or attempt to control our meetings. We’ve worked too hard to regain this Local. And we can’t afford to let the Good Ole Boys steal it back.

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In Solidarity,
Doug Hanscom
DisgruntedMember@aol.com

“Where you find a weak trade union official who has been corrupted, you will also find a employer who has been a party to corrupting him.” Walter Reuther