VOTE FOR REFORM OR VOTE FOR “PROVEN LEADERSHIP” ? NOTE: I WILL NOT EVEN GO INTO ALL THE NUMEROUS INSTANCES AT AIRLINES, WHERE THE IAM HAS FAILED MEMBERSHIP BECAUSE THEN THIS DOCUMENT WOULD BE 20 PAGES LONG. SO THIS IS A BRIEF LOOK BACK AT THE HISTORY OF OUR “PROVEN LEADERSHIP”. Thomas Buffenbarger spent only 3 years actually working in the trades as an IAM member before finding himself conveniently being appointed to desk positions up the union ladder. How does someone that hasn’t spent enough time getting their hands dirty, know how to represent those of us who actually WORK everyday? Is Buffenbarger a politician, a snake oil salesman, and a wannabe businessman? He is NOT a Machinist. How many honorable people has he fired for wanting to run against him? How many Locals have been taken over because the Local opposed him? A dictator, is NOT a democratic leader. In the late 1990’s , The UAW, USW, and IAM considered merging into one powerful union containing approximately 2 million members. Early 2000’s the United Auto Workers and Steelworkers called off the merge because of of two very large issues they had with Thomas Buffenbarger. First, even though the IAM was by far the smallest of the three unions, Buffenbarger was insisting to be the President of the newly formed super union. According to UAW officials, that was NEVER going to happen. The 2nd major concern was the co-deal breaker. In 1957 the UAW established the PUBLIC REVIEW BOARD . Article 32, of the UAW Constitution defines the purpose of the Public Review Board. “for the purpose of insuring a continuation of the high moral and ethical standards in the administrative and operative practices of the International Union and its subordinate bodies, and to further strengthen the democratic processes and appeal procedures within the Union as they affect the rights and privileges of individual members and subordinate bodies.” The UAW insisted upon this Review Board remain in the newly formed super-union, but Buffenbarger was reportedly dead set against it. He did not want any oversight. As a result, the UAW decided to walk away from the IAM. A tyrant dictator would not be tolerated. Imagine how many Steelworkers and Autoworkers are thankful today ? IS THAT THE PROVEN LEADERSHIP THAT YOU WANT?????? In 2007, Local 2339N president Bob Korzuch opened a “campaign” website to run against Buffenbarger. Soon after an “auditor” from International made a bogus finding that money disappeared many years earlier under Korzuch’s watch. Buffy ruled that Korzuch could not run for any office, and if he wished to appeal, it would be heard by someone appointed by Buffy’s “auditor”. IS THIS THE “PROVEN LEADERSHIP” YOU WANT TO RUN THE UNION? In 2008, Local S6, popular and admired Michael Keenan, was reelected Local president. Keenan was a vocal critic and very outspoken against the outrageous spending habits of the Buffenbarger led International slate. This pissed off Buffy, so he voided the election on bogus charges and ordered a new election to be held. This time Buffy handpicked a slate to run against Keenan and his local slate. However, the S6 membership voted by an even LARGER margin to reelect Michael Keenan. Buffy became furious and soon after, his goons arrived at Local S6 , changed the locks, placed it under trusteeship, and fired Keenan and every other local officer. Most of the trumped up chargers were dismissed. And Keenan, along with 3 others sued Buffenbarger in Federal Court for defamation. IS THIS THE “PROVEN LEADERSHIP” YOU WANT TO RUN THE UNION? In 2003, 8000 member strong Local Lodge 701 voted down a contract partly because Buffenbarger interfered in negotiations at UPS. Again, Buffy got pissed off and ordered the 701 BR to “fix it”. Local 701 responded to Buffenbarger by saying that the membership had spoken. That wasn’t good enough for Buffy, he wanted that contract passed, he did not want 8000 monthly dues interrupted, and a huge strike fund depleted, so here came the goons. International placed 701 into trusteeship and suspended its director and a union representative for allegedly being insubordinate to Buffenbarger. Then Buffy went on to eventually jam the substandard contract down the throats of membership. Local 751, DID ANY THAT SOUND FAMILIAR OF YOUR “PROVEN LEADERSHIP”??????? 2010 Wichita Kansas. Buffenbarger signs off on a new contract at Spirit. Highlights include: Enslavement for 10 LONG year duration, and 1% GWI in only 4 of the years. 11-12 years to reach max pay. Buffy praises the contract as a “partnership” 2013 Buffy begins secret meetings with Boeing on a contract “extension” at Puget Sound to keep the 777X in Washington. Shortly thereafter, Boeing, in a very public manner, requests bids from multiple states/cities to land the 777X program and take it away from Washington. After a secret deal has been reached by Buffenbarger and Ray Conner, membership soundly rejects the “Best And Final” offer. This again pisses off Buffy, and he helps broker an “improved” 2nd Best and Final offer which reinserts terms that were already contained in the contract(so nothing improved) and added an addition $5,000 payable in SEVEN years , to entice the gullible. This “improved” offer was not satisfactory to Local 751 and was not recommended to be taken to membership for a vote. Within 30 minutes of that decision, Buffenbarger’s aide was in the media stating that this new offer would in fact be put for a vote. Buffy was furious and turned to an anti-union website, politicians, outsiders and even Boeing, to help push his contract very hard. He met secretly for breakfast with a handful of anti -union clan who were communicating by phone with Boeing COO Ray Conner daily on strategies to pass the contract. Buffy, Conner, and the GUAV founders were communicating together on ways to pass a destructive contract. Insiders within the industry secretly and off the record stated that the Boeing Charleston factory is the prize. If Buffy can deliver a contract that dilutes current wages, benefits, and terms weak enough, then Boeing may allow an unopposed, one shot opportunity to organize the Charleston factory under an even more substandard deal so that Buffy can rape 6000 new dues payers. While Local 751 is trying to negotiate with Boeing, Local 837 St. Louis President Gordon King (with Buffy behind the scenes) and behind the backs of 751 decide to ratchet up the plan. King publicly states that Local 837 will accept any contract Boeing offers to land the 777X and take the work and jobs away from Local 751, and secretly gives Boeing other assurances through city officials. Buffy, Boeing, and King begin (allegedly) talking future contract terms. Buffy wants Plan B in place to collect the dues, he doesn’t care who gets the jobs. A few weeks later in St. Louis Boeing and Local 837 reach a mid contract extension (How coincidental is this) The highlights include:: keep in mind that this facility workforce is almost all close to retirement::::: 8 year add on enslavement to current contract. Frozen pension. Huge Increased medical cost share. 16-20 years to reach max pay. Creates a two tier wage system . Only a 401k for new hires., no pension. New hires max pay will be 30%-49% LESS than current employees. In return , Gordon King and his fellow high seniority workers keep all of their pay, get 4 unearned years of service added to the pension calculation(to get them out the door) , get bonus bribe, and secure early out retirement without reduction in payment. Gordon King approves, and Buffy signs off on, this drastic reduction in benefits, wages, and terms for future employees while protecting themselves. The IAM has just handed another attractive option for Boeing to leverage against the Local 751 membership in the future. IS THIS THE “PROVEN LEADERSHIP” YOU WANT? These voluntary givebacks of wages and benefits which your predecessors fought hard to earn is disgusting, negligent, and some might argue, criminal. Boeing, Spirit, Lockheed, and any other company doesn’t care whether their employees belong to a union or not. What they DO care about is their ability to control the union and their employees. In Thomas Buffenbarger, Corporate America has found a friend. A friend willing to give away everything your mother, father, grandmother and grandfather gained through sweat, tears, and shed blood in order to secure a better standard of living for you, me, and our families down the line. Corporate America has an ally in Buffenbarger , who developed a plan to continue granting substandard, mid-term TEN year contract “extensions”, to keep you enslaved while he ensures an uninterrupted flow of dues money to support his spending ways . Corporate America has a partner in Buffenenbarger, who is willing to reduce the standard of living across all industries in order to keep employees from fleeing to another industry . Corporate America and Buffenbarger want you and I to NEED to depend on our current jobs , and want us to NEED to accept every takeaway they plan to install. They want us to NEED them…. Buffenbarger seems willing to give away everything our forefathers fought for in order to give me and my kids a better life, because he wants OUR dues to give HIS kids, and HIS special female “friends” kids a better life at our expense. Our dues support the many do-nothing jobs at grossly inflated salaries that Buffenbarger has created for his kids, his special female friends kids, and his bum buddies. IS THIS THE PROVEN LEADERSHIP YOU WANT ??????? Its not about platform, party affiliation or revenge SOMETIMES, IT’S JUST ABOUT COMMON SENSE, INTEGRITY, AND JUST DOING THE RIGHT DAMN THING. Something that I have not seen from our “Proven Leadership” in YEARS VOTE FOR REFORM, BRING BACK INTEGRITY TO THE IAM
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 14:28:25 +0000
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