"...I would hope to have the opportunity to elect a long time member whose heart is in the right place..."
Tom's been in this local for what? Thirty-six years or something? Been a BA since what... '98? Who exactly do you have in mind who would have more experience? And as for having their hearts in the right place... let me explain why Tom has such support at Oak Harbor. It's because he has fought for us harder than anyone before, and you can take that to the bank.
"...I am pretty sure I didn't claim to have any kind of negotiating skills or abilities, I dislike politics, and I have no political aspirations, I do have interests in organizing, and I hope to someday be able to make a difference and better my union..."
Do you think anyone
does like the politics? Christ, it's politics that have made the OHFL negotiations so bad in the past. But the thing you need to understand is that the politics exist whether any of us like it or not. We all have to exist in a political world, inside the union and out. The one thing anyone in a leadership position like Tom has to do is to walk a fine line, and I would say in my judgement he has done a better job than most would or could.
Having been a member of several locals myself, I have a little perspective on such matters. But when you crap all over the very people who are trying to make a difference, you hurt us all. That's my only point.
"...You call it doom and gloom I just call it how I see it, maybe I am a little extreme, I don't believe everyone feels the way I do, nor do I want them to. To me it is important to point out the ugliness that surrounds these negotiations, and the whole company for that matter. Why should we keep accepting less and less, while the employers keep demanding more? ..."
What ugliness? Do you think we are just accepting the company's tactics without a fight? Do you think we haven't responded? Here's a little education lesson for you... employers play games, and we fight them by playing our own games. It's the way it has been done, is being done, and will always be done. Shaking your fists at the gods because the VP's are acting like jerks is a meaningless gesture. You just gotta stand up and fight and that's what we are doing. We are. OHFL Teamsters are. With or without your help and support, we continue to fight.
"...You seem to feel that my experience is limited; I have worked for UPS, I have worked for two Teamster freight barns, and been a member of four different locals, I have read every piece of Oak Harbor literature I can get my hands on, I talk to ever driver I see, I have read your contract cover to cover. I listen to every Presentation that YRCW or ABF or UPS releases, I dedicate a great deal of my time so I can feel comfortable discussing these issues without tripping over my own words. I don't take it lightly..."
I appreciate you think you know what you are talking about, but you don't near as much as you think you do. Try doing a little bit more listening, and a little less posting, and you might learn something.
Mark Twain had a saying; "It's better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you are a fool than to open it and remove any lingering doubt."
You may very well think I'm a jerk for phrasing it that way, but I'm actually trying to give you some very good advice here. Listen, and learn from somebody who has had to learn those lessons himself.
"...I don't feel that is the case, I believe it was presented in the way he heard it in DC but that does not mean neutral by any stretch of the imagination. Of course it is up to the members, implying anything less would probably be almost a crime... What was on the line for us if we were to vote no? Why would I expect him to do any less than represent the will of the constituency. He was elected because we thought he would do the right thing. IBT officials memories are more important then the people who will feel the tremendous consequences of this losing deal... Your basic implication is; "yeah he felt like it was a bad deal but he voted for it because of pressure from the Intl." That's poor representation if you ask me, hearing it from you makes it even more nerve racking. You think while we are getting screwed by this raw deal we are going to be thinking; "well, at least the international doesn't think poorly of local 81 and Strickland."? Local 206 is blacklisted, but at least they honestly represented their members, I think that's something to be proud of... Yes, I wanted him to vote for the members, and no,I have plenty of contract left to wipe stuff with. At least the members of 81 can be proud they voted no, I hope that doesn't negatively reflect on Tom with the International..."
Well, believe what you will. It's not that the vote will reflect poorly on Tom, it will reflect poorly on us all, with repercussions to follow. But, that was the will of the majority, and I certainly respect it, and so does Tom, I am willing to bet. One more yes vote at the two-man committee would have made no difference at all in the final outcome, as has the fact that our local voted it down. And it's real easy for a local like 206 to make an empty gesture, since they have nothing at stake anyhow. But don't even try and act like somehow this is Tom's fault. That's just stupid reasoning, and lazy thinking.
If there are repercussions, it will likely be felt by the OHFL guys first, since the IBT has taken over our negotiations and they are still open. But I stand by the vote you guys made. Hell, I would have voted that way myself, just because I haven't voted 'yes' on a contract yet in my career.
"...I heard he was accused of "Tanking" the agreement by members who attended the meeting..."
Well, you heard wrong. In fact, it was Harum who accused him of tanking the OHFL contract at the following JWAC, at the round table dinner they do. I have that from at least two eyewitnesses sitting in the same room. I can guarantee you it wasn't Tom who tanked it. It was every shop steward who attended the negotiations who made sure that piece of crap went down, and went down hard.
"...I don't hate everything not NMFA, my anger is directed at this company's owners and lawyers, I appreciate strong work rules ILWU's port agreements make Teamster master contracts joke worthy. We need to be strong ,we have to be willing to take it to the next level, I honestly see OHFL just doing this to you guys over and over again unless you do what you apparently don't think needs to be done..."
Yes, it will happen over and over again... because that is the nature of the beast. What exactly do you think we can do to stop it? This ain't 1968, man! Wish that it were, but we no longer have the leverage in this industry we once did, and to pretend otherwise is just deluding yourself. You don't even know what is and is not allowed under labor law and past and current Board rulings, to judge by many of your recent posts. But you sure are quick to fire shots across the bow at those who do know how the game is played in this day and age.
Listen, the battle ain't never one in day, or one battle, or one contract. We are making gains, and we will persevere to get a good contract that we- meaning OHFL Teamsters- can be proud of.
"...It seems to me your tone has changed over the years I have been reading your posts, and even over the course of these negotiations. I can't disagree with you without being called "ignorant" how so?, look around your barn or any barn I am one of the few guys who does pay attention, and does care, I am not your enemy, I am not on anyone's side. The owners that log on here need to see it for what it is the employees also deserve to know how nasty it really is it, is not just rumors it is real honest to god riding the edge of the law union-busting by OHFL management, shedding a positive light on that seems impossible to me..."
If my views or postings have changed, it's because I see a real sesne of unity building at OHFL, and I get REALLY offended when an outsider like yourself (past experience at OHFL notwithstanding) wants to sit there and undermine what we are trying to do here. Tom was key in in getting us a very good contract last time, and he is certainly working hard on our behalf on the current one, as are the guys on our committee who are helping him.
Criticism comes with being the principal officer, but how about you cut him a little slack until we have something to look at? The IBT has taken the thing over, and we are hoping that leads to good things, but we won't know until we have something to actually vote on.
Trust me, the employees have given the owners a good sense of just how fed up we are with their propaganda and misinformation. I think if we can hold a little unity and solidarity together, we may pull a decent contract out. And I hope we have your support and those of your fellow NMFA workers, but quite franlky, I don't care if we do, because regardless, we will fight on...