Why the Obama Ad???

No, I’m not trying to strong-arm anyone into voting for Barack Obama for President. I posted the first Barack Obama ad for ease of access for the Framing Class at the 2008 LUPA (Local Union Press Association) Conference at Black Lake August 10-15. LUPA Instructor Sam Stark and I will be using the video/text as an example of message framing. Besides, I wanted to see if I could figure out how to post a video without calling my sister for HELP!

Still waiting for results of UAW Local 602 Executive Board meeting of July 9 regarding protests, recounts, challenges, etc. to the June 3-4 and 10-11 general election of officers. Hope to learn the outcome(s) Monday. I know my protest will be dealt with under Article 31 of the UAW Constitution, rather than as originally filed under Article 38. I suspect one other protest will also transition from #38 to #31.

As for possible ballot challenges due to manpower movement between production and skilled trades and the logistical impossibility of keeping the local union voter file up to date hour by hour (we only get updates from GM once a week, sometimes not even that often), my understanding is that the ballots will have to be reconciled with the voter file based on whether the individual voters were assigned to production or skilled trades on the days the election and run off took place, then each race will be evaluated to determine if any ballots challenged on the basis of production/skilled trades would have changed the outcome of that race.

In the event that the outcome of an individual race would have turned out differently based on production/skilled trade status, that race would be have to be re-run.

In the recovery ward here in Ovid, I have a few more days of captivity before (I hope) my surgeon allows me to shed my sling and drive my Equinox. Range of motion is back to Square One, when I first tore the rotator cuff last September. I can type, once I use my right hand to pick up my left hand and drop it on the keyboard.

My Sweetie Petey had his knee scoped yesterday (7/11), meniscus tear repaired, some of the arthritus corrosion scraped and flushed. He’s getting around a little better today, but still sore as heck.

Between my surgery and Pete’s, my mother (77) had a stroke. She’s in physical and speech therapy and working hard to recover the use of her right arm/hand. Her speech defect is most noticible when she’s tired. Not that it stops her from talking. I have a feeling when she dies, she’ll deliver her own eulogy–speech will be the last thing to go. Mourner will leave the memorial service with ears bleeding.

One of our LUPA editors e-mailed me a while back about joining this blog. Unfortunately, it was during all the election/surgery flurry, and I never got a chance to respond to him. If you read this, please e-mail me again.

Solid!

djg

more about "", posted with vodpod

She-e-e-e’s Back!

Sorry for the surgery-induced absence. For those of you who are interested, my protest of the June 3-4 election was set aside due to impermissible action by the Executive Board and General Membership (that’s the ruling from Solid House). Further protests of the election are no longer timely under the UAW Constitution.

Next step is Article 31 charging “conduct unbecoming a union member” filed June 20, which is timely. Unless legal-as-in-stand-up-in-court documention is provided showing no harm, no foul took place (in which case I will withdraw the charge), a membership trial should be held under Article 31 in the fall.

Am I being bitchy just for the sake of being bitchy? Anything’s possible, of course. But all documentation I found indicates a violation of election law took place. To simply drop the subject now would in effect establish a horrible, not to mention illegal precedence for future candidates in future union elections. Let’s “just say NO” now and be done with it.

Since some members have asked, the offender, if found “guilty” in a trial by peers, would not necessarily be suspended from the UAW or released from employment by GM. My understanding is that there is a lot of latitude on the part of the UAW in determining. My opinion is that if found guilty, the offender should be banned from representing the membership in any capacity or accepting any considerations (lost time pay, per diem, delegate status, etc.) from the local union for a firm time period, like 5 years–which is, I think, the maximum under the UAW Constitution.

Solid!

djg

 

 

Relieved of Duty

The run off elections are finally behind us, and I am both relieved and relieved of duty.

Not that we’ve heard the end of it–there will be recounts and challenges and protests, I’m sure. But we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so there is hope we will one day soon get all our oars in the water and start rowing together.

Meanwhile, tomorrow I can clean out some of my 9 years’ of rubbish from the Recording Secretary’s office at the union hall so that Scotty can start filling it with his rubbish.

Rotator cuff surgery on Monday, so I may be off-line a few days. OK, the Doc said weeks, but what does he know?

The batting line up for the Local 602 Executive Board will be very different when they meet in July–13 out of 26 positions have changed hands. I wish them all well, and remind them there’s only one litmus test–does what you say/do serve the best interests of the membership as a whole?

May your answer always be “Yes!.”

Dona Jean Gillespie

 

To Each His/Her Own

Some one copied my 6/6/08 post and distributed copies of it in the plant last Saturday. Dunno whodunit, don’t wanna know. I did not distribute it, but I stand by my opinions and can document those points identified as facts.

I understood from the get-go that my recent actions and writings would piss some people off. While that was not my intent, I accept the fact that some people are not going to like me because of it.

My intent was to make the facts known before the Local 602 membership went to vote in the runoff elections today so they could make their own informed choices. If the membership decides Candidate X will do a better job for us than Candidate Y or Candidate Z I hope they are right.

Membership action is the highest authority, or so the saying goes.

Today is also my Sweetie Petey’s birthday. Still a few months before he can retire. I hope the stress doesn’t get to him first. Happy Birthday, Love of my Life!

Committeeman Aaron Van Antwerp said something thought-provoking at the 6/9/08 union meeting about putting differences aside, remembering we’re all in it together, and a concept he called union member maturity.

There are high seniority members who are not fully mature union members. Likewise, there are younger members with scant seniorty who have a more mature understanding of what a labor union is supposed to be.

I’m not sure full maturity is even attainable. I prefer to think of it as a process.

Meanwhile, my laptop is malfunctioning, and I must go obsess about it.

Dona Jean

Exit Strategy Fails

OK, last month was supposed to be my last union meeting as Recording Secretary, but, as luck would have it, there is a run off between two of the candidates, so I got to do it again “for the last time.” The members seemed to find the whole thing quite amusing, the wretches!

I even won the $25 jackpot drawing, but I told them it didn’t let them off the hook for sticking me with another meeting as RecSec. I donated the $25 to the new union hall fund.

The two candidates for RecSec, Scott Smith and Anita Dawson, are both bright, personable, capable youngsters and probably both capable of doing a good job for the local union. The only substantive difference is that I’ve known Scotty longer–he has covered my job when I’ve been ill or out of town on union business, so I know first hand he knows the job. Scott has a strong union heart, and he knows full well if he stumbles, I’ll help him up, but if he in any way, shape or form fails to serve the best interests of the membership, I will (arthritus and all) kick his ass.

“nuff said on that issue.

For those tracking the run off elections, two protests were filed re: the results of the Financial Secretary-Treasurer election. Supporting documentation led to both protests were accepted by both the Executive Board and the General Membership.

Not 100% sure what happens next, but the security codes at the union hall have been changed and the last I heard this morning, the incumbent candidate for Financial Secretary-Treasurer has 72 hours to report to work at the plant.  

Does this make me happy? The truth is, we put our trust, our faith in our elected leadership and trust them to act in the best interests of all the members of our local union. We’re all human, we all fail each other and even ourselves on occasion. Mistakes can be forgiven. Even poor judgement can be forgiven once in a while. Nobody is perfect.

Perfect is so boring, anyway. If everyone was perfect, what would become of the class curve? The stereotype? The rumors, gossip and intrigue that keeps life interesting?

Rules and regulations and statutes and laws are made to protect us from those who would do us harm. If everyone could be trusted to “do unto others…” there would be no need for rules and regs.

Heck, if everybody operated on the “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” principle, we wouldn’t need labor unions.

Vote wisely for the candidates of your choice, as I will mine.

djg