Local UTU officers sacrifice much of their personal time, without compensation, to assist and serve their memberships, and they deserve recognition for their outstanding commitment.
That is what I intend to do in this months column.
Two such individuals deserving of recognition for their hard work and dedication are Lonnie Hookfin, president of Local 1496, Riverside, Calif., and David Ojeda, president of Local 1563, El Monte, Calif.
When the Teamsters initiated a representation drive on our members in Local 1496, who work for Laidlaw Transit in the Riverside area, Lonnie spent hours explaining to his membership the many benefits and advantages of UTU representation and solidarity.
David, a friend of Lonnies, volunteered to help and came to Riverside and gave to the members of Local 1496 the perspective of another local on how to work together and resolve internal issues.
This willingness and commitment to assist fellow officers and members, to help them identify, improve and advance their mutually beneficial goals for the betterment of all, is very important to labor-union members everywhere, and especially to those working for Laidlaw Transit.
It also forms the foundation of the UTU and its predecessor labor organizations; it is upon this foundation that the UTU has built 40 years of success.
If you are seeking a solution to a problem in your local, or are looking for information and advice on better serving your fellow workers, you always have brothers and sisters ready to assist.
Mr. Paul C. Thompson UTU International President 14600 Detroit Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44107-4250
Dear Mr. Thompson:
I am in receipt of a letter you signed in which you allege "a significant group" of Metro-North train service employees have requested the assistance of the UTU to circulate "A" cards on Metro-North property and "sufficient" membership applications have been processed to support a UTU Local. You also included a list of appointed interim UTU officers.
Without engaging in a discussion over the meaning and implication of the terms "significant and sufficient", be advised that the Association of Commuter Rail Employees has been certified in democratically conducted elections administered by the National Mediation Board (NMB) to collectively bargain for Conductors on MTA/Metro-North Railroad. To refresh your memory, the actual votes for NMB Case No. R-6726 were counted in Washington on February 28, 2000. ACRE won the election by a vote count of 600 for ACRE and 68 for the UTU which, incidentally, was the largest victory margin over an incumbent union anyone could remember.
With the loss of this representational election to ACRE five years ago, the UTU also lost its right to represent Conductors on MTA/Metro-North Railroad. As a consequence, the UTU officers you have appointed have absolutely no authority to act in any manner on behalf of Metro-North Conductors. I hope this clears up any misconceptions you may have had concerning representational authority.
As for the circulation of A-cards by the UTU, Metro-North Conductors are much more intelligent than the UTU has ever given them credit for being. They are fully aware of the harm that has been done to all railroad employees by the UTU's activities and are fully aware of the personal agendas that are driving UTU sympathizers. ACRE is confident that Metro-North Conductors have no intention of returning to the UTU, a union that has failed them in the past and continues to fail its members in the present. It is apparent through your misspelling of the names of your newly appointed local 77 officers that you are as out of touch with Metro North as your imprisoned predecessors.
If you require any further clarification on these matters do not hesitate to contact my office.
