Some of you may have read materials posted on a blog entitled "opseuinsidertoo." On a quick look it is very similar to this blog.
The following is published on the advice of counsel.
The web-based blog OPSEU_Insider has no involvement with or connection to the website identified as opseuinsidertoo.blogspot.com.
No person connected with the publication or maintenance of the Internet blog entitled "OPSEU_Insider" has contributed to, offered suggestions to, or submitted any materials for publication to opseuinsidertoo.blogspot.com, and consequently has no legal responsibility for any postings on that website.
Solidarity
Friday, 29 April 2011
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Faithful Readers
Hello again. The insider knows it has been a while since the last posting. Vacation just was not the time to take OPSEU along. But there is lots to be done still and we all need to be vigilant to keep OPSEU on track. Apparently, there have been rumblings of discontent and, if the rumours can be confirmed, we'll address those rumblings.
Looking back at the Convention through the microscope of time, the electoral decision of the union to overwhelmingly endorse the platform of President Thomas becomes even more significant. A unidimensional approach was rejected. The notion that Thomas was engaging in "back room" dealing and was capitulating or collaborating with the employers to undermine the membership was thoroughly rejected. As one delegate recounted, the simple message from Thomas that stewards in the local workplace need to talk with and have a relationship with the employer was a powerful truth. Sometimes OPSEU needs to picket and "be on the streets" but when that is a primary strategy it dooms the union membership to failure.
The budget debate, where the members voted to use revenues generated by the strike fund to increase the commitment to campaigns against the corporate, anti-union agenda, was a good indicator of what was to follow. There was some serious misinformation and confusion about those funds. Let's look at it in light rather than noise. First a reminder that the 5% of dues going directly into the strike fund does not change. Now, the revenues from interest and dividends. It is simple really and you don't need to be an accountant to get it. If you owned a rental property, it would be one of your assets. The revenue generated from that asset would not have to be plowed back into the asset. You could do that or you could do anything else with those revenues. Even if the property stands empty, the asset is not diminished, nothing is drawn from the asset. Your revenues go down, but the asset holds its value or may even go up if the real estate values increase. Nope -- there never was an attack on the strike fund. It was always a myth (to word it kindly).
Next question. Is it sound fiscal policy to live off your interest and dividend revenues? Only if the asset that generates those revenues is very very secure. And the strike fund is not a secure source of long-term revenue. So, no it is not good long-term policy. The long-term fix lies in higher dues, reduced expenses, or a combination of those. Let's see how the new Board led by Eddy Almeida in the Treasurer's chair stick handles that tough path. We wish him well and success.
Solidarity
Looking back at the Convention through the microscope of time, the electoral decision of the union to overwhelmingly endorse the platform of President Thomas becomes even more significant. A unidimensional approach was rejected. The notion that Thomas was engaging in "back room" dealing and was capitulating or collaborating with the employers to undermine the membership was thoroughly rejected. As one delegate recounted, the simple message from Thomas that stewards in the local workplace need to talk with and have a relationship with the employer was a powerful truth. Sometimes OPSEU needs to picket and "be on the streets" but when that is a primary strategy it dooms the union membership to failure.
The budget debate, where the members voted to use revenues generated by the strike fund to increase the commitment to campaigns against the corporate, anti-union agenda, was a good indicator of what was to follow. There was some serious misinformation and confusion about those funds. Let's look at it in light rather than noise. First a reminder that the 5% of dues going directly into the strike fund does not change. Now, the revenues from interest and dividends. It is simple really and you don't need to be an accountant to get it. If you owned a rental property, it would be one of your assets. The revenue generated from that asset would not have to be plowed back into the asset. You could do that or you could do anything else with those revenues. Even if the property stands empty, the asset is not diminished, nothing is drawn from the asset. Your revenues go down, but the asset holds its value or may even go up if the real estate values increase. Nope -- there never was an attack on the strike fund. It was always a myth (to word it kindly).
Next question. Is it sound fiscal policy to live off your interest and dividend revenues? Only if the asset that generates those revenues is very very secure. And the strike fund is not a secure source of long-term revenue. So, no it is not good long-term policy. The long-term fix lies in higher dues, reduced expenses, or a combination of those. Let's see how the new Board led by Eddy Almeida in the Treasurer's chair stick handles that tough path. We wish him well and success.
Solidarity
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Patty Rout Still a Target For Abuse
This is just so unbelievable that we had to put the pictures into the blog.
[Please forgive the quality of the images which are facebook pages emailed to the Insider blog.]
The facebook posting tears a strip off retiring First VP/Treasurer, Patty Rout, for thanking her friends in her farewell address to Convention.
Rout has been the target of several nasty attacks, especially on the Region 2 website. Highly offensive and personal comments were authored by Region 2 Executive Board Members Tungatt, and Grimaldi.
Rout chose to give special thanks to those who supported her. What on earth is wrong with that? Does anyone think she had some obligation to thank those who defamed her? To blame Rout for thanking only those she felt deserved thanks is grotesquely malicious.
Hard to find it in this posting, but as always, Solidarity
Monday, 11 April 2011
We - They!!
Two days ago, a reader passed along a comment which the reader had overheard. It has now been confirmed. The comment was made by one of the Executive Board Members to her supporters: "We still have the Board."
Let's analyze that:
"We" - There is still a we-they mentality among the group that opposed Thomas and Rout.
"still" - Despite what the members voted overwhelmingly to support, "we" will act as before.
"have" - More votes than "they/Smokey" does at the Board level though not the delegates.
"the Board" - "We" can achieve our agenda (not the one Convention endorsed) that way.
I had hoped that work of the OPSEU_Insider blog was over. It's beginning to look more and more like that is not the reality, and reality is what this blog has been all about. Stay tuned.
Solidarity
Let's analyze that:
"We" - There is still a we-they mentality among the group that opposed Thomas and Rout.
"still" - Despite what the members voted overwhelmingly to support, "we" will act as before.
"have" - More votes than "they/Smokey" does at the Board level though not the delegates.
"the Board" - "We" can achieve our agenda (not the one Convention endorsed) that way.
I had hoped that work of the OPSEU_Insider blog was over. It's beginning to look more and more like that is not the reality, and reality is what this blog has been all about. Stay tuned.
Solidarity
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Who used OPSEU money to campaign?
Seems the OPSEU Women's Committee decided it was okay to use OPSEU funding to allow one of the candidates for President to be the keynote speaker to their breakfast gathering.
When several angry participants complained that Nancy Pridham was the keynote speaker, they were told that she had been asked before she announced her run for the OPSEU presidency. So what? It would have been simple enough to advise her that given her announcement it would not be fair to have her fulfil that keynote speaker role. Alternatively, Pridham, could and should have turned back the request in fairness, or at the very least, told the Women's Committee that Thomas would have to be invited as well.
The Women's Committee must be non-partisan. They are funded to advocate on behalf of women and to support women's issues and causes. They are not funded to advocate for a particular candidate in OPSEU elections. They can do that on their own time and their own dime - not on the members' time and money.
The irony is that it was Pridham who, on her Facebook page, falsely accused Thomas of using OPSEU funds to promote his campaign. Turns out she was the one using OPSEU funds for campaigning.
Who else could fill in? Oh, how about Patty Rout who was not running for office but had held the second highest office in OPSEU for the past four years! Patty Rout was an obvious choice. Once Pridham announced her candidacy, she had to replaced unless, of course, partisan politics was the intent of the Women's Committee and their Board advisor. That would be a serious breach of duty.
The women of OPSEU deserve better from their provincial committee. The Executive Board advisor to the committee should have advised the committee members better. There is no excuse.
Solidarity
When several angry participants complained that Nancy Pridham was the keynote speaker, they were told that she had been asked before she announced her run for the OPSEU presidency. So what? It would have been simple enough to advise her that given her announcement it would not be fair to have her fulfil that keynote speaker role. Alternatively, Pridham, could and should have turned back the request in fairness, or at the very least, told the Women's Committee that Thomas would have to be invited as well.
The Women's Committee must be non-partisan. They are funded to advocate on behalf of women and to support women's issues and causes. They are not funded to advocate for a particular candidate in OPSEU elections. They can do that on their own time and their own dime - not on the members' time and money.
The irony is that it was Pridham who, on her Facebook page, falsely accused Thomas of using OPSEU funds to promote his campaign. Turns out she was the one using OPSEU funds for campaigning.
Who else could fill in? Oh, how about Patty Rout who was not running for office but had held the second highest office in OPSEU for the past four years! Patty Rout was an obvious choice. Once Pridham announced her candidacy, she had to replaced unless, of course, partisan politics was the intent of the Women's Committee and their Board advisor. That would be a serious breach of duty.
The women of OPSEU deserve better from their provincial committee. The Executive Board advisor to the committee should have advised the committee members better. There is no excuse.
Solidarity
A Sour Taste Left from Women's Breakfast
Each year at the Women's Breakfast, awards are given out for woman activist of the year in each region.
Newly elected Board Member from Region 7, Mary Cory, as the outgoing Region 7 representative to the Women's Committee, made this year's selection.
Astonishingly, Cory selected a woman from a Region 6 local! The very deserving recipient has already been honoured, in fact, by Region 6. The recipient actually was wearing her local 677 tee shirt when she accepted the award.
Can Cory really find no woman from a Region 7 local who merits this award?? What an embarrassment! Not a good beginning for her term. Let's hope she does better from here on.
Solidarity
Newly elected Board Member from Region 7, Mary Cory, as the outgoing Region 7 representative to the Women's Committee, made this year's selection.
Astonishingly, Cory selected a woman from a Region 6 local! The very deserving recipient has already been honoured, in fact, by Region 6. The recipient actually was wearing her local 677 tee shirt when she accepted the award.
Can Cory really find no woman from a Region 7 local who merits this award?? What an embarrassment! Not a good beginning for her term. Let's hope she does better from here on.
Solidarity
VP/Treasurer Voting by Region
Here are the Regional results for the First Vice-President Treasurer position.
Region 1
Almeida 69 (66.99%)
Tocker 34
Region 2
Almeida 129 (84.31%)
Tocker 24
Region 3
Almeida 56 (38.89%)
Tocker 88
Region 4
Almeida 28 (20.14.%)
Tocker 111
Region 5
Almeida 121 (58.17%)
Tocker 87
Region 6
Almeida 43 (41.74%)
Tocker 60
Region 7
Almeida 9 (15.51%)
Tocker 49
Totals
Almeida 465 (50.65%)
Tocker 453
If Tocker's region had been the same size as or even half the size of Almeida's, Tocker would have won. [Keeping the same voting ratio, putting Region 7 at 82 voters - still just half the size of Region 2 - Tocker votes go from 49 to 69, Almeida's from 9 to 13 and Tocker comes out on top.] Of course, that's all "ifs and buts' for Tocker. Almeida ran a good, clean campaign and earned the victory. He is not to be faulted for the reality of Regional differences and "favourite son" votes.
All in all, the VP/Treasurer contest did not match up nearly so much as a choice between two opposing factions as the Presidential race clearly was. There is much less to be gleaned from the delegates' decision. The clear mandate was given to Warren "Smokey" Thomas.
Solidarity
Region 1
Almeida 69 (66.99%)
Tocker 34
Region 2
Almeida 129 (84.31%)
Tocker 24
Region 3
Almeida 56 (38.89%)
Tocker 88
Region 4
Almeida 28 (20.14.%)
Tocker 111
Region 5
Almeida 121 (58.17%)
Tocker 87
Region 6
Almeida 43 (41.74%)
Tocker 60
Region 7
Almeida 9 (15.51%)
Tocker 49
Totals
Almeida 465 (50.65%)
Tocker 453
If Tocker's region had been the same size as or even half the size of Almeida's, Tocker would have won. [Keeping the same voting ratio, putting Region 7 at 82 voters - still just half the size of Region 2 - Tocker votes go from 49 to 69, Almeida's from 9 to 13 and Tocker comes out on top.] Of course, that's all "ifs and buts' for Tocker. Almeida ran a good, clean campaign and earned the victory. He is not to be faulted for the reality of Regional differences and "favourite son" votes.
All in all, the VP/Treasurer contest did not match up nearly so much as a choice between two opposing factions as the Presidential race clearly was. There is much less to be gleaned from the delegates' decision. The clear mandate was given to Warren "Smokey" Thomas.
Solidarity
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)