No Excuses

Unlike SEIU 721 who actively refused to provide ballots to MOU 04 Members, claimed delays at the mail house, then claimed they received ballots back from the members days after they were sent out AFSCME went above and beyond the call of duty to provide drop off locations, set-up shop in many downtown facilities to provide ballots for members and sent reps to deliver and pick up ballots.

Apparently this wasn’t enough for some people who claimed they didn’t get a ballot, it was too hard to request a replacement or drive a block to get a new one, or become involved enough to actually make the effort to get one themselves.

Every election has low turnout and participation with many members disillusioned with their unions and the representation they get. Now a group of workers are trying to use the excuse they didn’t get a ballot or simply don’t like the results to try and change history.

They want a re-vote. Not because of anything illegal that happened at the elections, they were all monitored by state or federal monitors, they simply want a different result and they might be getting help from people who want to deliberately skew the election.Below is a copy of an e-mail from an SEIU 721 rep discussing how a member might know an election is occurring.

“If they didn’t get a ballot how would they know there is an election? I don’t know, maybe the couple of L.A. Times articles saying there was an election and folks talking at the shop might have been dead giveaways…”

Mayoral Influence?

As you may remember SEIU 721 & the Coalition of City Unions interfered with the EAA Union election in July of last year, at that time Matt Szabo the Mayors Deputy Chief of Staff was quoted in the LA Times saying, ‘the Coalition of L.A. City Unions would “very soon regret ” its involvement in the vote. He also said the city’s financial situation would result in “much harsher measures on coalition members in the future.”

AFSCME 3090

Alice Goff & Cheryl Parisi head up the afscme camp and they are starting to get petitions from a handful of workers for a meeting on Wednesday at the local 514 Shatto Place, 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90020

If members want to protect their NO Votes It is time to Fax and Call the Local and speak to Alice and explain the following facts:

The Election was fair & monitored
Members had more then ample time to vote
Having a second vote ignores the will of the members.
Scheduling a second election opens the union to legal action.
Adults are capable of making other arrangements to get ballots
By-laws don’t call for re-voting when results don’t go the unions way

She enjoyed this Union Members Dues funded trip to Boston while at the same time members were being furloughed and in the middle of the negotiations of this deal. If a second vote is scheduled members may not be happy with keeping her around.

It is bad enough this deal was pushed down the throats of members, now to ignore their overwhelming rejection of the deal and the sanctity of the vote is the point where members Must decide if they want real leaders who will fight at every turn? Or do they want someone who will bow to pressure?

I trust she will stand up for what is right and respect the members vote, she just needs to hear from the NO voters immediately.

Please help Every member of every union should call and fax Local 3090 and tell them to stand up for the members and not cave in to the CAO & Mayor.