Dear President Sullivan,
I’m not surprised at the bump in the road that you are now experiencing in attempting to bring closure to the merger with the United Transportation Union (UTU) which was to take effect on January 1, 2008. There are no secrets among labor unions and I’m sure that the manner in which you, as the Chairman of the NPF, have decided to treat us retiree’s, i.e. by either doing away with, or rolling back our COLA Benefit, now has the UTU member’s taking a second look at what they are getting themselves into. They were given carte-blanche, i.e. the use of all of our training schools and our fifty million dollar Strike Fund, delivered in a speech by Joe Nigro to their member’s. Even that gift has not swayed their Membership.
Other articles appearing in the Journal, such as, the July/August 2006, issue under the General President’s Message, the caption reads, “Live Up to the Promise.” And the September/October 2007, issue under the General Secretary-Treasurer’s Message, the caption reads, “What Ever Happened to Commitment?” We, the retiree’s, are now asking you what happened to your promises and commitment to us retiree’s.
The United Transportation Union’s President Mike Futhey said, “It is my feeling that the memberships of both the UTU and the SMWIA are best served by having a proper constitution prepared and presented to members for a vote.”
Amen, Brother Futhey, that’s exactly my feelings on everything about our organization and what goes on inside and behind the scenes. The UTU members got to vote on the merger, but not the members of the SMWIA. As you, Brother Sullivan, put it, the dissident group of UTU members, with ties to the Teamsters got a restraining order for a temporary stay on the merger. Apparently they lean towards the Teamsters simply because the Teamsters members get to vote on their leadership, unlike our members. The SMWIA Constitution gives way too much power to our President in that he is at liberty to handpick and/or replace for any job/position within our organization. There is far too much allegiance involved under these circumstances as opposed to people being elected by the members to fill open positions. Under the handpicking method, if you don’t support the boss’s wishes, you get shown the door, e.g. the same type of treatment that former General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Kelly received. The SMWIA Constitution should be changed to require an election for all positions, President, General Secretary-Treasurer, Vice Presidents, and Trustee’s, etc. Similar to what is required every five years in the General Election, but the difference would be that every member of our organization would get to vote on the candidates.
On another matter, your appointment of James W. White, Jr. as the Assistant Director of Organizing caught my attention, i.e. his comment in the July/August 2007, issue where he said, “I am looking forward to the challenge of the new position and want to make a difference in our International so we can grow stronger going into the next 100 years, than we were in the last 100 years.” To that I say, too late Brother Jim, you arrived on the scene way too late; the best years of our organization have passed.
Lastly, I would like to say how disappointed I was in the way Tom Kelly departed from our organization. He wrote a four page resignation letter making some serious accusations against you and what surprised me the most was that you did not rebut them, at least not that I am aware of. It would have been of great service to our organization if his letter was published in an issue of the Journal along with your chance to rebut his accusations for all members to see. That may have restored some confidence in the IA that is now seriously lacking.
In closing, I hope that you are keeping up with the latest news on inflation and how it will certainly hurt us retiree’s, especially since you have saw fit to either eliminate, or roll back our COLA Benefit. I know several pre-ninety one retiree’s and they talk about the devastating affects that they are experiencing with their lifestyle since you took their COLA away from them. I hope that you are able to sleep nights and look yourself in the mirror each morning, because I know I wouldn’t be able to if I were in your shoes. Visit our website: www.geocities.com/smwpop