TRAVESTY AT LOCAL 890 ! IBT TRUSTEE GALLEGOS RETIRES

What gives Frank Gallegos, International Trustee and Local 890 President and principal officer the right to use, treat and dispose of the local and its resources like if it was his personal property?

What gives Gallegos the right to manipulate, threaten members of the local’s executive board and staff and finally to dictate who he wants as his successor upon his retirement?.......That brings a whole new issue that the IBT should be looking into.

Last June, Gallegos decided to retire as principal officer of the local effective July 7, 2008 and leave his hand picked successor Crescencio Diaz on charge but very conveniently, he decided to stay on as International Trustee for the remainder of the 5 year term, about 3 ½ years, drawing the International trustee salary of about $80,000 a year. That would be about $280,000 (plus the cost of living increases they get every year) of our union dues going to Frank Gallegos in retirement in exchange for absolutely nothing because it’s very well known fact that Gallegos’ favorite pastime is to flop in from of his TV and let everybody else do the work.

The IBT should not allow a member of the IBT Executive Board to retire from his Local and continue to hold the Trustee position drawing almost 300K dollars of the members’ money. If Gallegos wants to retire from the Local, it’s fine and dandy, it’s about time anyways and he should be allowed to draw his Teamster pensions to which he is entitled to but I do not want my union dues to enrich the man in retirement and I say enrich because in addition of the International Trustee salary, he will be drawing his juicy Western Conference of Teamsters Pension, the Teamsters Affiliates Pension for Officers, he may get something from the JC7 and from the Cannery Council, totaling approximately 170K a year and not satisfied with that, he got the Executive Board to approve to continue paying his President’s salary and fringe benefits for the next few months in the guise that he would stay on as a “consultant” but we all know what that means.

We, the members of the Local know very well that Gallegos always was a hands off manager, letting his business agents do all of the work and rewarding only those that pleased him on did what he asked without questions. Gallegos let himself be manipulated by Crescencio Diaz, whom starting years ago, took Gallegos with him on Mexican vacations, went together to Hawaiian trips, Crescencio and his wife Gloria “befriended” Gallegos up to a point that they made Gallegos their business partner, buying property together in Aromas CA. they still own 10 acres on Hall Rd. on which they all lived together for several years, until Gallegos landed the International Trustee position ($$$) and bought a house in Salinas that he remodeled and expanded 3 times its size with some non-union labor.

One of the constant complains from members on the Local is that several BA’s that have been effective BA’s, loyal to Gallegos and the team and valuable individuals with different qualities and strengths, have been forced to quit the job of BA’s, go back to the craft and/or retire because the work environment has been made so hostile and one sided that at some points in time, Gallegos ended up doing what Crescencio Diaz wanted him to do. In the past few years, Steve Dowd returned to his job in Gilroy, Francisco “Chato” Reynozo decided to retire, Arnold Bernal became a correctional officer in Soledad, Sal Carrillo accepted a job offer from a Local in Las Vegas NV, Steve Garcia took a job in the public sector in Gilroy and Juan Aguirre was assigned to work with the IBT Organizing Dept. against his wishes for the second time.

Gallegos and Diaz have replaced some of these BA positions with their flunkies and personal friends like Juan Martinez, Tony Gutierrez who worked as management, benefits coordinator for many years with Dole Foods, the Local’s largest employer and Cris Leon, a former driver turned real estate agent who is not making any money now because of the market but surely will jump ship as soon as the real estate market levels off.

Something should be done about all this gerrymandering and manipulating for personal gain while the Local continues to loose members at an alarming rate. In 1985 when Gallegos won his first election, the local had aprox 15,000 members in most agricultural production areas of 2 states CA and AZ , now the local has no more than 6000 members, including some that only work seasonally and the bleeding will probably continue if the Decertification Petitions recently filed for River Ranch in Salinas and El Centro proceed to an election. Rumor has it that Taylor Farms in Salinas and Yuma AZ will not be far behind because they have been complaining for a long time with the Local their complete dissatisfaction with Crescencio Diaz as their BA. But when they find out that he will be “the boss”, shit will surely hit the fan.

Petitions are being circulated as I write in most worksites of Local 890 jurisdiction. This travesty of deception and manipulation of the Executive Board should be stopped. Gallegos does not have the right to dictate who should be the Local’s principal officer. If anything, the position should have gone by seniority and experience to Tony Gonzalez, the Secretary Treasurer and the most visible face of 890 among the Locals in Joint Council’s 7, 42, 38, 28, etc. Except for a few officers within Joint Council 7, nobody knows Cres Diaz, who when he goes to meetings just sits on the back sipping 7ups and not talking with anybody except his “friend” Gallegos and that brings another issue.

Gallegos has always being single with no known relationships or girlfriends and there has always being the rumor that Gallegos and Diaz have this especial “friendship” and we fear that his very especial “relationship” with Cres Diaz has influenced him enough that Gallegos has disregarded logic and common sense and purposely ignored the wishes of his members and staff and rewarded his “pally” Diaz.

general baord memebrs do not resign their local union positins without clearing it first. You can bet that the thrid floor gang knew about this before it happened and probably even approved of it.

You would have to change the IBT constitution to do that. Several IBT E-Board members have, in the past held positions after retiring from their Local, Les Singer, Phil Young. I think its what they do after retiring thats the issue, Phil Young was still freight director at that time. If the man was going to be dedicating himself to aiding the International in any number of ways and actively benefit the membership I see no problem, if they are not going to earn their paycheck then that is an issue. I have been and am a Hoffa Slate supporter, but, as they say "A days work for a days pay".

That took awile to read but it sounds right. Know whats funny? Some of the other drivers asked Sebring to get out. They think no-balls Gallegos can do something. They are going to find out that his strings are pulled pretty tight. Aliose tells him suck and he says how hard. I met Gallegos once in 1988. I'll never forget how he acted in front of us. Have not heard anything much about him in 20 years. Just know my dues pays for his boyfriend. So here come the Bay Area STRIKE mongers (that spelled right Jim?.

I understand that Gallegos must have had his decision to retire from the Local and stay on the GEB cashing a free check cleared by someone upstairs but that does not make it right, especially if the man is not going to cotribuiting anything to our union, as a matter of fact, can someone tell me, besides being the only token Hispanic (who does not speak Spanish) on the GEB, what has he contribuited in the past 6 years as International Trustee?

Driving, Gallegos at one point was probably the only one that could talk a resemblance of sense into Bruce Woolpert's head, Bruce hated Pam and always brushed Brad Sebring off and of course hated with a passion any Teamster north of Monterey and Santa Cruz county lines, but with all this acrimony between not just the Teamster locals but other unions as well and Bruce, an relationship went down the drain a long time ago. And the fact that you guys in Monterey and Salinas are not willing to support your brohers, fat or not in struggle for your very own survival and the fact that you actually have the gall to cross a Teamster picket line, just make Bruce's day and help him screw you whether you realize it or not.

I cant tell who you are mad at. Anyway i am ready to sign damn near any piece of paper that gets these assholes off our backs. I want the pay increases, 401k with with matches, back pay, more vacation and on and on make it about us not the overpaid officers. Have an honest private conversation with anyone up north about what they got and see what im talking about. You can ask anyone in the groups who have thrown out the Teamsters.

Driving

The solution is not to sign a piece of paper and abandon the Union, the persons do not signify what our organization stands for. Gallegos is alost gone now, but his "flunky" Crescencio Diaz will stay on charge of the Local not knowing what the hell he is doing. He needs to be booted out of office on the next election next year or be removed from office by action of the members. Signing the petition when it circulates on your workplace would be a first step on the process.

My main issue is how Gallegos manipulated the E Board and the BA's for years to exclude all those good BA's that did not cater to his wishes and to anyone who dared contradict him. I have a problem with Gallegos dictating to 6000 members that he wants his friend and business partner Crescencio Diaz in charge of the Local and not other staff members with proven experience, education and skills.

Ill tell you what Gallegos has contributed as IBT Trustee.... NOTHING! Sometimes decisions are made for the wrong reasons.

Finally!!! Somebody had the balls to tell it ALL. It's out of the closet. Gallegos should be ashamed............

I cant believe that these is where my union dues are going, i've seen Gallegos at meetings and. I never cared how he's talked to us he always seemed to have trouble expressing himself and not know the issues. I'm glad that he's leaving I don't care if he gets his pension money but I don't thinkg its right that he's continuing to get his wages and benefits paid. Legal action needs to be looked into.....

This is obviously a bash piece on Gallegos of Local 890 and his newly named successor, but the last paragraph really crosses the line and destroys the veracity of the new T/N poster Locutus and the credibility of the entre post. As it turns out the lead post is made up of partial truths jointed by innuendo and insulting remarks. There is no doubt that Gallegos has stepped down from being the principal officer of Local 890 and that Local 890's executive board has chosen Cescencio Diaz as the new principal officer of Local 890. The board had to select between two well qualified officials to take over that position and one of those two was going to be rejected and pissed off and such was the case.

Local 890 is today and always has been one of the most difficult Locals Unions in the IBT. In addition to being a general local union with representation responsibilities that cover a great many Teamster jurisdictions from UPS to Canneries it has an agricultural jurisdiction that covers many hundreds of miles from Salinas California to Yuma Arizona, and the agricultural jurisdiction that covers those several thousands of workers, is like being the 'Last of The Mohicans' as the entire industry is non Union and using labor contractors. I don't blame anyone from burning out after more than two decades of sailing that ship, and its hard for me to congratulate the successful successor to that job, knowing what I know of the trials and tribulations that lie ahead for the Local. The huge fight that lies ahead for them will be in agriculture so it does make sense that the head of their agricultral division was chosen to lead the Local.

I do know some parts of the recent 890 decisions so allow me to make some critical corrections to misstatements that were posted up. Over a period of about 3 months, Gallegos will continue to be paid his salary by Local 890 so that he can help transition Local 890 to its new leadership, at the completion of these 3 months, that salary ends, even though he will continue in his elected capacity as a Trustee of our GEB and maintain a position on 890's executive board. That's a proper way of making the transition in a very unselfish manner. Change is often healthy and it is gratifying to see that there are some in office that understand the need for change and are willing to make the personal sacrifice to effectuate change instead of hanging on ad infinitum.

Under Gallegos's leadership and because the officials were mutually supportive creating a strong solidarity for its membership, Local 890 has been remarkably effective in its representational responsibilities winning a great many difficult Labor disputes including the smashing strike victory in the Basic Vegetable strike. It hurt's guys like me that believe in good representation and membership solidarity to see Local 890 fragment politically, but these things do happen and hopefully they will get past it. These next two years will be