Local 225 HOTLINE
Thank you for calling Local 225's
"Union Issues" Hotline. It was created to keep our members
informed of any issues challenging their rights as workers.
Initially, the local planned to produce
a newsletter. But the board felt a telephone hotline would be
more cost-effective -- and it could enable them to get any urgent
news to the membership much faster. This hotline will be updated
daily.
Now, the latest: Members of Local
225 are in danger of losing control of their union. Efforts currently
are underway to transfer control from you, the dues-paying members.
By now, you have received notice that
the LIUNA General Executive Board Attorney has filed a complaint
to put the local in the hands of a trustee. Some may have misunderstood
the charges in the complaint. And, unless you attended the last
membership meeting, you do not understand how the complaint
-- or the trusteeship -- impacts you personally.
The first thing you should know is
that this complaint was not filed in a court of law. These are
internal proceedings, conducted by the union's G-E-B Attorney.
You also should know that none of
the officers of Local 225 personally has been charged with any
misconduct, associated with his union activities.
Hearings recently were held, involving
officers of LIUNA'S Chicago District Council. In those hearings,
there reportedly was no proof of any wrongdoing by any Council
officer or delegate. The leadership of Local 225 is confident
the upcoming hearings on this local will have the same result.
Typically, in hearings such as this,
there are some common allegations that warrant an outsider coming
in to wrench control of a local away from its members and officers:
Namely, contract violations...failure to police the field...failure
to negotiate contracts for the members, and abuses of pension
and welfare funds.
In your copy of the Complaint, you'll
notice that none of these allegations has been made against the
officers of Local 225.
To quote a recent letter from the
Chicago District Council, "Your pension and welfare funds
are safe and sound. They are among the best-managed and best-invested
in the United States."
The trusteeship complaint does not
charge any of the Local 225 officers with neglecting his duties
or failing to protect the rights or the pensions of its membership.
In fact, members who currently are
working under contracts negotiated by this leadership team overwhelming
agree that they never have had better wage and benefits packages.
Local 225 officers are highly visible
in the field. Members who've called in work site violations can
attest to the swift response and on-site appearance of the Local
225 field reps and officers. It is not uncommon to see members
of this team on a work site vigilantly protesting violations before
dawn or near midnight. To date, Laborers' Union members have paid
more than five million dollars to fund this internal investigation.
Tomorrow and the days that follow,
we will take a closer look at what it will cost you, if the local
is controlled by a trustee.
In the meantime, mark Monday December
15 on your calendar. That is the date the hearings begin. If you
are concerned about how trusteeship will impact your rights as
a member of Local 225-- and how it may affect your ability to
work, your safety on work sites and your paycheck--you will
attend the hearings. Stay tuned for details. And tell other members
of the local to call this hotline everyday for the latest updates.
If you have any questions or comments,
please record them at the sound of the tone. Speak slowly and
clearly. Always leave your name and social security number, so
we can verify that the comments are coming from a member of the
local. If you want us to respond to your comments, please leave
your telephone number and a time when it would be convenient to
reach you.
To all callers -- have a great day!
Laborers for JUSTICE ©1998 (All Rights reserved)