Teamsters union trustee plans on fixing ‘sick’ local Youngstown Vindicator, OH - 2 hours ago By Don Shilling YOUNGSTOWN — Charlie Byrnes sees himself as a doctor of sorts who is prescribing some tough medicine for Teamsters Local 377. ...

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&c...QGh_l7_OnQVqHRQ

Doctor huh? Please go back to pittsburgh doc.

Well this tells me a couple things, Brother. I think you are taking this the wrong way. It tells me that the IBT led by Brother Jim Hoffa has a ZERO tolerance for f--king over the Members. While the Trustee named might make mistakes-- and let's be REAL here, ANYONE from 377 is going to resent an OUTSIDER from another State being in there Local-- maybe you should try and work with this Brother and give him a REAL chance.

Sometimes fixing problems created over DECADES can't be fixed overnight. There is no magic cure. Unfortunately.

Trust me on this, I SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATIONS sometimes. But when I push past the anger and resent I sometimes feel, I know by and large our Union is a great Union, and General President Hoffa is doing an extraordinary job in exceeedingly difficult times.

This is NOT his Fathers era-- the 60's. It's 2008. The World, especially that of Organized Labor, is a very different place. Some of the laws we are required to live and work under are so friggin' antiquated they might as well be written by King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Sir William Wallace, or the Knights of The Round Table. They are that gfriggin' medeval, Brother.

Brother Hoffa, Obama and many other things (like the Port Campaign led by the incomparable Brother Chuck Mack), the example Brothers like Pat Flynn, and Rome Aloise set for us by the no nonsense, straight up, no bullshit styles in which they lead-- all these things and many more give us real HOPE.

George Bush, Corporate America, TDU and OUR REAL ENEMIES can NEVER EVER take that from us. And THEY KNOW IT!

Like the country song by Rodney Atkins says "If you're going through Hell, keep on moving, you might get through it before The Devil knows you are there!".

Keep the faith, Brother. Your hopes cannot be put out. You have that indomitable TEAMSTER spirit. IWe can spot it ten miles, or 3,000 miles away!

On the encouraging side, if Brother Bill Moore of Teamsters Local 696 of Topeka Kansas is ever at your Local, please consider introducing yourself to him. He is a no nonsense, no bullshit type of Teamster in the style of Brothers Flynn and Aloise. And the son of a Teamster giant, LaRue A. "Bud" Moore. http://www.teamsters696.com/SCHOLARSHIP.htm If you ask Brother Moore if you can speak to him about some of the issues that botheryou , you will get straight talk, and straight answers, and will be talking to one of the best Brothers in the Teamsters. A real Teamster of his word. I've only been fortunate enough to be in the Brother's presence a couple times throughout the years, but when you are amongst the Aloises, the Flynns, The Wsols you are literally standing shoulder to shoulder with TEAMSTER GIANTS.

If that doesn't give you hope, then probably nothing ever can!

If you get time please take the time to visit: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/22/mur...medal.of.honor/
and watch this video on Memorial Day. They aren't Teamsters, but trhey are Americans just like us. And this is what OUR COUNTRY stands for: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/22/mur...medal.of.honor/ and WHY we enjoy our freedoms today. If this doen't inspire you, better check your wrist for a pulse!

God Bless the Veterans, and Happy Memorial Day to them all. We will NEVER forget them!

I guess my real problem is that joint council 41's ruling on this was that the election was not fair do to the copying of a membership roster and document theft and shredding of documents by two members of the winning slate. they ordered the two suspended I believe for two years and a rerun election. Now I am not saying that the remaining members os this slate had anything to do with the wrongdoings of the two however they directly benefeited from it. Mr. Hoffa did the right thing by placing our local in trusteeship we had a mess however I disagree strongly with the hiring back of the same people who were involved with the two who did the wrongdoing. I guess my point is lets have a fair election while the trustees are here and then train these people not train the people who may or may not be here after a new election. The problems for the most part stem from the two who were suspended construction, fake hazmat cards, unauthorized strike, copying of membership rosters and shredding of documents. I will give Byrnes some credit for some new policys he has instituted so its not all bad. I do believe tho that putting people, not saying these are bad people, who benefeited by two who brought reproach and would not have won without them is not the right thing to do.

Be glad to forward the joint council rulings on this and you can decide for yourself.

 Full_page.pdf ( 453.07K ) Number of downloads: 28


second one right side up

I don't think I need to see the JC ruling, Brother. You have some pretty sharp guys there in Joint Council 41 and they have been around forever. You can't buy that kind of experience, replace it, or give someone that postion and expect them to have it. I'm not always in 100% agreement with the rulings I personally (representing Brothers) have got from my own Joint Council-- but I know they are right, I know they are fair, I know they are honest and just Brothers and some are Leaders I have voted for-- so I just have to put my personal issues aside (stick them up my @$$) and have FAITH (which I do!) that these things are being done not because of what's best for my freinds, or I but for WHAT'S BEST FOR THE UNION AS A WHOLE. There are 1.4 million of us. And I don't even attempt to claim I know what's best for anyone except myself and a group I hang around and associtae with at Local 85. I have to AVOID long time friends and associate with Brothers and Sisters on the UNDER just so they won't be targeted and screwed over on Hiring Hall lists, and that they and their families won't be targeted and their families won't go hungry, or lack Medical benefits as a result of their association with me. I speak the truth, Brother. The truth is not always pleasant, or popular. It will make you more enemies then friends. But if a bunch of Ron Carey loving TDU wannabee flip-flopping parasites who talk bad about Brother Hoffa, Brother Keegle, Brother Slawson, Brother Johnson, Brother Mack, Brother Aloise, call Brother Bob Morales "that f--king wetback" ALL BEHIND THEIR BACKS-- and then kiss up to them each and every time they come around-- then I have selected my enemies wisely. I'm glad-- correction friggin' ELATED AND ECSTATIC that they hate my guts and despise me. When a handful of dishonest HYPOCRITES despise you, you gotta know you are doing the right thing. I'm sharing this with you, Brother, not to toot my own horn, but to tell you LIKE IT IS.

Probably the real reason Local 85 hasn't been trusteed or merged is number 1. Nobody wants to step up to the plate and come in here as a Trustee. #2. Nobody wants Local 85 Members in their Local. Plain and simple truth. If you don't believe me, ask some of the others here in JC 7. Brother Bob Martinez is the one of of the few who will associate with us, because he is from Local 70 and he is old school and has BALLS. And YES, to answer your question Local 85 is THAT militant. It always has been. It's the oldest Local in the West, founded in 1900 as the Brotherhood Of Teamsters (three years before the IBT) and home to some of the fightinest Teamsters you'll ever hear about or meet. It was once 25,000 Members strong, and Local 853,856 and many other Locals in this JC are offshoots from it.

http://www.shapingsf.org/ezine/labor/cityfront/index.html

We got a couple real assholes here. Who care ONLy about themselves. And one retired Business Agent who tries to do his best representing the Members as best he can-- most of the time. When he's not fighting with the IBT. Our Elected Business Agents are all laid off. Vacancies in the E-board are left unfilled for years. Our Rocket Scientist/Secretary Treasurer says "That part of the IBT Constitution doesn't apply to Local 85" and Brothers and Sisters ACTUALLY believe him! Our Dispatcher we elect is NOT allowed to dispatch at the Hiring Hall, two Members of an AFL-CIO affiliate (not a Change To Win affiliate, mind you!) from Nancy Wohlforth's read friend of Ken Paff, TDU, Labor Notes, AUD, Tom Leedham, etc) OPEIU Home Local 3 actually DISPATCH and control the Movie Lists (which are basically 7 people -- 6 whom are their friends, and one whom they persecute! That our qualified Brothers and Sisters who have been Teamsters for over 25 years can't even get on!). These two secretaries display Pride At Work that Nancy Wohlforth expouses-- when it comes to working 32 hours a week, making 75 grand a year (representing 600 Members) and lining their own pockets. They show absolutely NO PRIDE AT WORK whatsoever when it comes to representing the Average Joe Teamster who dues pay their OPEIU salaries! Why these OPEIUers are allowed to control TEAMSTER dispatch lists, from a position we elect a Dispatcher to (in accordance with the Local 85 by-laws and IBT Constitution are beyond me. But this is an answer I am currently seeking to obtain through charges against the entire Local 85 Executive Board, the NRLB, and the DOL simultaneously-- and see who answers first!

A couple of these phony's impersonating Teamsters turned me into the IRB and THEN LIED and said I had contact with two guys who have been out of the Union now for over five years! And my dues monies helped pay the phone bills for the calls probably!


I say all this only to illustrate, and back up this statement which I'm about to make.

You don't have it that bad, Brother. At least how it sounds to me, personally.

So, my question to you is this: Since we know our Joint Council leaders as well as Leaders at the IBT are not responsible for this BULLSHIT going on here, that only a couple bad people masquerading as Teamsters ARE-- how can you fairly blame your JC, or Brother Hoffa? I sincerely believe that they are all trying to do the right thing.

Joint Council's are REQUIRED to follow their by-laws and the IBT Constitution too. When they don't someone is crying bloody murder, especially the TDU nitwits.

We are quick to point the finger at and blame our Leaders. Often, more times than not the REAL person to blame works right beside us. Never goes to Union meetings, never goes to rallies, never volunteers for anything, cares less about his/her Brothers and Sisters and only cares how much money he made that week, or how many rewards he can get on the free ride that we rank and file Members allow him to have. I get in arguments with Brothers about this all the time.

So before you point the finger on JC 41 and blame them, start blaming some of the Brothers we work beside. For they are more wrong and more at fault than any JC will ever be.

And that's the plain, simple, basic, unadulterared truth, Brother. You are an exception to that. I hope you will continue to remain involved and keep up the great work, my Brother!

You misunderstand I do not blame anyone just waiting for a new election to see if these guys the trustees hired as business agents can actually get elected without the shadiness that went on in the first election. Joint council's decision was correct in my eyes reread my post.