JULY 20, 2008

AN OPEN LETTER TO TEAMSTER LOCAL
377 MEMBERS:


As a former Business Agent at the Local for nine years, I am absolutely APPALLED by the level of (or rather LACK of) Representation being offered to each of us during the Trusteeship imposed by International President Hoffa. The abject ignorance of our appointed Business Agents is totally unacceptable to me, and should cause each and every member to be concerned for his/her future. Agents that don’t even understand basic Labor Law and rules governing negotiations are a danger and a threat to YOUR survival as a Teamster.

If you have been subjected to this regime’s negotiation abilities, you already know how poorly they represent this great Union. This past week, Agent Sam Prosser “represented” the drivers and mechanic during Praxair contract negotiations. I was elected to serve on the negotiation committee along with the Steward. Realizing that Prosser had no clue how to negotiate (he had already narrowly avoided a Labor Board charge due to my and the Steward’s intervention), the Steward and I took over the negotiations and let Prosser sit back and read the U.S.A. Today newspaper. The Steward and I successfully concluded the negotiations. I instructed Prosser how to obtain approval for a ratification vote through the International Tankhaul Committee. Prosser assured me that he had authority to represent the Local, and asked me to call and make the arrangements with Tankhaul. At this point, Prosser only needed to fax the paperwork to the Central Region Office to gain approval. According to Prosser, when he returned to the office to fax the paperwork, he was yelled at by Mike Clark, (a hack whose abilities seem to be to threaten uneducated Business Agents), for allowing me to advise him during the negotiations. Clark allegedly asked Prosser “whether he thought he worked for him (Clark) or Jim Wood”. Since Prosser backed down and tried to cancel our meeting after being berated by Clark, I will inform Clark that Prosser works for JIM WOOD AND THE OTHER DUES PAYING MEMBERS OF LOCAL 377. I will also inform Clark that the members at Praxair HAD THEIR MEETING AS SCHEDULED. We did not ask, nor will we EVER ask your permission to improve our lives. The contract negotiated by the Steward and myself, will be ratified by the members at Praxair even if it upsets Clark and his “little man” mentality. And as a piece of advice to Prosser, if you want to represent Teamsters, learn to act like one and not be bullied by wanna-be’s, whether it is a company or a Philadelphia Phony.

For those of you with upcoming negotiations, I wish you luck and you have my full support. I am willing to help in ANY WAY you need.

For all of my Brothers and Sisters at Local 377, the time is WELL PAST to end this Trusteeship imposed upon us. I will be exploring avenues to end this farce and return our Local to the control of its members who have been subjected to this nightmare.

I will close this, the first installment of up-dates that will be continued until the proper thing, the right thing and the REAL TEAMSTER thing is accomplished.

Watch for the next installment.


A PROUD REAL TEAMSTER,

JIM WOOD

AUGUST 3, 2008

AN OPEN LETTER TO LOCAL 377 MEMBERS

Teamsters Local 377 will remain in Trusteeship until at least early 2009 according to a letter from Teamster General President Hoffa received by some stewards last Friday.

Every member should now be focused on saving our Local. President Hoffa has repeatedly stressed the need to consolidate Local’s. By keeping 377 in Trusteeship, the political dissent will likely cause more turmoil, making the Local incapable of organizing new members and frustrating current members, all of which plays into the hands of President Hoffa’s call for consolidation. Remember, this Trusteeship was caused by the General President’s issuance of a stay to Colello and DePasquale. By granting that stay, the door was opened to the International’s take over of 377.

We, however, the members of Local 377, should be prepared to fend off any attempt to dismantle our Local. If you are in support of the Trusteeship, please re-think your position. Take a few moments to contemplate the consequences of this Trusteeship.

No consolidation can take place without the approval of the membership, except by the recommendation of the General Secretary-Treasurer to the General Executive Board. During a Trusteeship we are all at the mercy of the International. What we have seen to this point, I certainly do not want the fate of this Local left to the International. If you agree with Local Autonomy, pick up the phone and call the International at 202-624-6800 and express your concerns.

As always, I will help in any way I can to assist the members during this trying period.

A PROUD REAL TEAMSTER

JIM WOOD

Do you have any links to the trusteeship of your Local Union or news articles that relate to it? What was the IBT's basis for the trusteeship? They usually list their assertions and or charges by letter to the Local and grant a hearing before or after the fact. Was the IRB involved? If consolidation is an issue and they have already properly trusteed the Local for cause, ..... ouch.

YOUNGSTOWN — International Brotherhood of Teamsters has taken control of Local 377 and removed recently elected officials while it examines charges of election violations against the local’s new leadership.

The local has been placed under trusteeship, according to Galen Munroe, a spokesman for the international in Washington, D.C. A representative of the international, Charles Burns, has been put in charge of the local indefinitely, he said Tuesday.

The international removed Local 377 President Chris Colello and Secretary-Treasurer Ray DePasquale. They were elected in October and took office at the beginning of the year.

Accusations of a number of union rule violations were filed against the pair by former Local 377 Secretary-Treasurer Robert Bernat, whom DePasquale defeated in October.

Neither Colello nor DePasquale could be reached for comment Tuesday.

Galen said the trusteeship would continue at least until the international’s General Executive Board held a hearing on the matter. No hearing has been scheduled at this point, he said.

In December, the Teamsters Joint Council 41, which oversees locals in this region, ordered a new election because of the accusations. But international General President James Hoffa stayed that decision. The stay permitted Colello and DePasquale to take office in January.

But when the new officials tried to enter the hall on Jan. 2, they were turned away by Bernat.

Later that day, Bernat got word of Hoffa’s stay and the pair were in office the following day.



jgoodall@tribune-chronicle.com

The decree from hoffa stated that the remaining officers were incapable of running the local by themselves and the executive board was disbanded but the officers were hired back by the trustee as business agents. Also joint council and the international felt the winners could have been helped by the activities of the two who were suspended as their whole slate was elected.

Last week, we all received a letter from the Trustee and his assistants informing us that an extra $1.00 has been collected in dues from us dating back to July 2002. The Trustee determined that there would be a vote on how to handle this situation at the General Membership Meeting on September 2, 2008. Two days later, another letter was posted on Union bulletin boards canceling that letter and informing us that a mail referendum will be conducted regarding the disposition of your money.

First, this money belongs to each member and not to the Local, the International or the Trustee. Accordingly, no vote is needed, nor would any vote have any validity.

Second, if the Trustee chooses to have a referendum considering a future dues assessment, I would support letting the members decide that issue.

Third, each notice we have received from this Trusteeship has reeked with political statement. The August 19, 2008 letter states “There is no room for politics or individual agendas…”, then goes on to slam the Ron Carey administration and praise the Hoffa regime for the “financial safeguards imposed” by the Hoffa regime (never mentioning that your dues were increased 25% under Hoffa). Personally, I supported that increase and voted for it. For the trustee to neglect to tell you how the finances were put in order shows a political agenda and lack of real and honest leadership.

Fourth, you have the right to request a refund of any overpayment you have made to the Local. Simply call the hall at 330-743-3111 or 1-800-783-6320 and leave a message for the Trustee asking for a refund, or send a request for refund to: Trustee Teamsters Local 377, 1223 Teamster Dr., Youngstown, Oh. 44502. The threat of bankrupting the Local is purely political, and if the International decides to bankrupt the Local shame on them. Finances are available from the International, Ohio Conference of Teamsters, Joint Council 41, as well as the Local. Each of these entities receives a portion of your monthly dues, accordingly each should have no problem returning enough money to cover the reimbursement.

Lastly, for those that will attack me personally for being part of the administration that inadvertently collected the $1.00, I will remind them that I was an elected Business Agent and was not elected to sit on the Executive Board of Local 377. Even DePasquale had no role in the amount collected in dues, as he too was an elected Business Agent.

The time is long past to get rid of the Trusteeship and the Trustee and his political agenda. Lets get some honest and real leadership into our Local.

A PROUD REAL TEAMSTER

JIM WOOD
as posted on the vindy.com blog