EAA Executive Director Bob Aquino challenges Board of governors for referendum on his future.
Should I stay or should I go now? 
If I go there will be trouble & if I stay it will be Double.
EAA Leader Bob Aquino blasted the elected board of governors going directly to the members laying it all out on the line.
In an email sent directly to the EAA Members, Mr. Aquino reportedly laid out the obvious, EAA will continue to be raided by SEIU, City Management is much cozier with SEIU and Julie Butcher then EAA, and that he wants the membership to decide his fate and their future.
Below are the referendum questions as reportedly posed by Bob Aquino,
Should your Board of Governors immediately negotiate termination to Executive Director Aquino’s contract, and hire a new Executive Director in an effort to establish better rapport with City management?
OR
Do you support keeping Executive Director Aquino through the end of his contract in August of 2011?
What is not mentioned in the email according to sources familiar with EAA is that in order to terminate the contract Aquino has, EAA would be on the hook financially for a very large amount of severance which has caused the cash strapped union & the board of governors to hold off on any action resulting in a large expenditure.
So the real questions are;
Is Aquino really to blame for the missteps during the raid?
Is EAA a sinking ship ripe for a takeover by SEIU?
Do Members realize just how many bad choices the board of governors made during the raid essentially handing over the election to SEIU?
When EAA members face certain decertification attacks from SEIU, the City of LA is determined to fight EAA at every turn, and the budget picture looks grim, who would want to stay?
Should the members have the right to decide on ending the contract of their executive director without interference from the board?
Can EAA afford to terminate Aquino, & is he willing to negotiate the amount of severance?
Whichever way it goes, disclosure is needed on both sides, Aquino must disclose his severance package, and the governors need to step up and take responsibility for their failures during the raid, EAA members will soon enough decide they want the security of a larger union and the bargaining power of SEIU unless EAA steps up it’s game.
If the remaining governors aren’t smart enough to realize they are in a war, maybe the referendum needs to be should EAA members clean house completely?
With the departure of Michael Davies, EAA leadership is struggling for direction, it’s time for the members to decide their future, and they had better decide quickly.