Local 100 Outrage Continues

Thousands of TWU Local 100 members filled the entire length of New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday chanting, “No Contract, No Peace.” Local 100 members led “Day of Outrage 2,” to take action against the MTA and Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s refusal to comply with the result of a binding arbitration award from the New York State Public Employment Relations Board.

This summer, an arbitration panel award gave Local 100 members 11.3 percent wage increases over three years, as well as a reduction in employee contributions towards retiree medical benefits and other gains. The MTA, with the support of Bloomberg and editorial boards, has attacked the award, with its enforcement now up to the courts, so Local 100 has launched a multi-faceted campaign to secure the contract awarded for its members. “Date of Outrage 2” was just one of many aspects of the campaign that has been taken to the streets, to communities, to the media and to elected officials.

Despite the gloomy weather on Wednesday, TWU protesters energetically marched across the bridge to City Hall, where the march culminated in a rally. An array of labor leaders and elected officials spoke at the rally, condemning the MTA and Mayor Bloomberg. Labor leaders included New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes and representatives of AFSCME District Council 37, AFSCME Local 375, the United Federation of Teachers, Teamsters Local 111, Domestic Workers United, and two ATU Locals 1056 and 1179. Political figures included Working Families Party’s Bob Masters, New York State Assembly members Hakeem Jeffries and Nick Perry, and City Council members Charles Barron and Melissa Mark-Viverito as well as Council Member and candidate for Comptroller John Liu.

The MTA’s refusal to comply with the arbitration panel’s decision is a threat to the entire framework of labor law for state and local government workers in New York. The Taylor Law makes it illegal for such workers to strike, but the law also requires that the parties submit to binding arbitration in the event of a bargaining impasse. If other government employers follow the MTA’s lead and thumb their noses at arbitration results, the law’s ban on strikes will leave public-sector unions with no legal options.

Acting President Curtis Tate had the last word, “The mayor thinks that there’s one set of rules for the rich and the powerful and another set of rules for the people who do the hard work in this city. He should be ashamed of himself. We need a mayor who understands that the rules apply to everyone. Mike, take a hike!”

Letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid

The Transport Workers Union, along with 10 other Transportation Trades Department affiliates, including the President of the TTD Ed Wytkind, sent a letter to Senate Majority leader Harry Reid yesterday. The letter urges the “Senate to pass a strong FAA Reauthorization bill that supports our aviation system, its private and public sector workers, and millions of Americans who rely on safe and efficient air travel.”

Read the letter here.

TWU Working Women Success

Over the last few weeks TWU working women from different Divisions have been working hard to make the time to meet and discuss issues important to working women and their families.

Local 100 held it’s sixth annual women’s conference on Oct. 10 to rededicate themselves to increasing the role of women in the Local and expanding the rights of all working women. The conference honored three TWU women leaders: Sandra Burleson, Susan Resch and Marsha Spinowitz. Resch is the first-ever female administrative vice president of TWU, Burleson serves as both the head of TWU’s Civil and Human Rights Department, and Spinowitz has served as president of TWU Local 101 for 23 years, making her the Union’s longest service local president.

The Local 100 women also announced a great success: the Local’s recent contract arbitration award requires the creation of a joint labor-management Women’s Employment in Non Traditional Jobs Committee to develop strategies to prepare, recruit, train and retain women in non-traditional titles. Unfortunately, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is challenging the award in court, but it is expected that the court will rule against the MTA.

In early October the ATD Working Women’s Committee met at the ATD headquarters for its third meeting of the year. Elections were held for the positions of Chair, Co-chair and Secretary. Local 513’s Angi Tucker was elected Chair, Local 555’s Margaret Sadler was elected Co-chair and Local 575’s Diana Thomas was elected Secretary (shown in the photo above from right to left).

The outgoing chair, co-chair and secretary – Local 565’s Sharon Riffle, Local 502’s Sharon Polk, and Local 512’s Diana Tiggs, respectively – thanked the committee for their work and extended their help to the incoming leaders.

The women heard from an array of guest speakers including Becky Moeller, President of the Texas AFL-CIO. Director of Legislative and Political Affairs Portia White spoke on the work done through her department, how the WWC can get involved with politics, and explained the health care debate and where the TWU stands. Read more about the TWU position on health care here.

The working women’s committee also discussed that October is breast cancer awareness month and encouraged members to get a mammogram and participate in walks that promote awareness and help raise money for the cause.

Read about some inspirational stories about strong cancer survivors at twu556.org and in the Sept./Oct. issue of the Insider found at http://www.twu.org/international/insiders.

Union Movement Rallies in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Workers

In states across the country, working people marched and rallied in solidarity yesterday with their Puerto Rican brothers and sisters against draconian budget cuts and cancellation of their collective bargaining rights.

As 200,000 people marched in San Juan, Puerto Rico to protest Gov. Luis Fortuño’s plan to slash the budget deficit on the backs of workers, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka sent a letter of support and solidarity and rallies were held in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities.

In his letter of support, which was read at the San Juan rally, Trumka said:

We are fully aware of the attacks being afflicted on the workers and their families on your island and we will do whatever we can to stop them. We are completely committed to bringing the full force of the AFL-CIO to fighting for the rights and well being of our affiliated unions, their members, and the people of Puerto Rico.

Using recently passed legislation known as Public Law 7, Fortuño plans to lay off as many as 30,000 public employees and deny collective bargaining to the remainder of the island’s public workers. The U.S. commonwealth, where unemployment is already at 15 percent, is set to receive $6 billion in federal economic recovery funds, more than enough to cover a projected $3.2 billion budget deficit.

Trumka’s letter goes on to say:

At times like these—and especially at times like these—the people of Puerto Rico need a strong public sector, not a weaker one. We need the government to step in and push the economy forward, not further weaken it. Laying off public servants, particularly at the scale that the governor is planning, is not only anti-worker, it will set back national efforts towards an economic recovery.

Jose Rodriguez Baez, president of the Puerto Rico Federation of Labor, told the crowd:

Today’s march is a clear demonstration of opposition to the government’s policies. Puerto Rico is unified in repudiation of the lay-offs of more than 30,000 public sector workers, the elimination of collective bargaining agreements and policies that promote privatization.

AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, whose union represents many of the Puerto Rican public employees, in his prepared remarks, told the San Juan rally:

We must tell the governor: Cutting jobs hurts Puerto Rico by crippling public services. Cutting jobs hurts Puerto Rico by putting added pressures on the economy. Cutting jobs means more families without a paycheck. Cutting jobs means less money circulating. Cutting jobs means less tax dollars in the treasury.

We are not going to roll-over. We are not going to give up. We are not going to stand by while Gov. Fortuño cuts vital services and our members’ jobs.

Some things are too important to sacrifice. Some things are too precious to give away. The future of Puerto Rico is too important and too precious.

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), an AFL-CIO constituency group, joined with AFSCME, SEIU and other unions to bring the situation in Puerto Rico to the attention of the White House and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Here’s LCLAA President Milton Rosado:

We want Governor Fortuño to know that an attack on the workers of Puerto Rico is an attack on all who fight for workers’ rights and that we are committed to ensuring that every Latino and Latina activist and trade unionist is aware of it.

Call Congress for Health Care Now

Insurance companies are spending millions to derail historic health care reform legislation right now.  Congress needs to hear from real working families, not just insurance companies.

Today is National Call-In Day, the day to call your Senator or Representative and tell them we need health care reform NOW that:

• Controls cost and doesn’t tax our benefits
• Provides guaranteed coverage for all Americans
• Includes a public health insurance plan option.
• Holds insurance companies accountable.
• Requires all employers to pay their fare share…

We need you to call today and make your voice heard.

Today is also Fly-In day for national Labor leaders.  Leaders of state and local labor federations and of locals or district councils of affiliated unions will personally visit or call their Senators to discuss health care reform on the behalf of working families. Your call will help support our leaders and make our message stronger.

We know in Labor that every voice counts.  Click-to-call and be a part of the fight for quality, affordable health care for all!

Local 100 Demands MTA to Honor Contract Award

Local 100’s mammoth grey blow-up rat loomed above thousands of angry Transportation Workers Union members who rallied outside of the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s headquarters on Wednesday evening to protest the Authority’s refusal to honor their awarded contract.

“No Contract, No Peace!” the crowd chanted. “What do we want? A contract! When do we want it? Now!”

Local 100 is fed up with the MTA and with Mayor Mike Bloomberg for trying to reverse an arbitrator’s contract award that granted MTA employees a well-deserved annual 4% hourly pay rate raise for the next three years. They expressed their anger at Bloomberg in a rally flier that portrays the Mayor proclaiming, “I don’t need NYC, NYC needs me!” and with chants like, “Hey Mike! Take a hike!”
Local 100 was in arbitration since January 2009 and reached an acceptable contract over the summer. However, with a total disregard for fairness and the term “binding,” the MTA has contested the new agreement and, with Bloomberg’s support, is asking the court to toss it out.

"They're very damned upset," said Acting President of Local 100 Curtis Tate of the rank-and-file. "It's 'damned if you do, damned if you don't.'"

“They act as if we don’t have family and as if we are not part of the city,” said Rhonda Edwards, a Local 100 member who attended Wednesday’s rally. “We are the same like the passengers in this economic situation. How am I going to feed and support my children as a single mother if the MTA steals my money?”

In recent years, the Bloomberg administration has granted a 4% annual pay increase for municipal workers in the NYPD, NYFD and the Sanitation Department. A Local 100 Bus Mechanic at the rally ranted that, “We are doing what we can to keep the city moving. We bring in a lot of money, like the other city workers, and we deserve the same [pay raises] to support our families.”

The MTA doesn’t believe that they need to follow the law, even after using it to wound the TWU in the past. Local 100 members at the rally expressed outrage at the MTA for brutally punishing the Union for the 2005 strike, and now failing to follow laws themselves. “We played by the rules by negotiating for seven months,” said a Local 100 member, “and this is what happens, they won’t even honor the awarded contract.”

Time to Put People Over Profits

In late September TWU Local 100 rallied behind filmmaker Michael Moore in a march down Wall Street, a prevalent setting in Moore’s new movie, “Capitalism: A Love Story.” They were there to promote the message of the film, one that Moore and leaders of the Labor Movement have been advocating for decades: capitalism cannot override democracy and take precedence over the welfare of the American people, and corporate greed has no place in this country.

Moore’s film will be released in theaters on October 2, a fitting time, as it has been almost exactly one year since several major Wall Street banks failed and were consequently bailed out by the federal government.

At the September rally, the excitement mounted as Local 100 members chanted, “Wall Street greed has got to go,” to lead up to Moore’s speech.

“We are here in this canyon of buildings that contain the men who have stolen from the American people,” said Moore. “[They took people’s money,] pension funds, took it, they gambled with it, they placed bets on that money, then they placed bets on the bets, then they took out insurance against it, credit default swaps, derivatives, all this nonsense.”

The years of financial irresponsibility on Wall Street and the lack of oversight in Bush’s Washington has crippled the economy and left millions of Americans in distressing situations - foreclosures, lay-offs and unemployment, homelessness, lost pensions, and more.

To the crowd’s cheers of angered agreement Moore explained that not only is the American public suffering from these greedy mistakes, but that future generations will undoubtedly have to foot the bill.

Towards the end of his speech Moore encouraged the crowd to take part in democracy and to be a valuable part of decisions that are made on the public’s behalf. “Democracy is not a spectator sport,” he said, “it only works when we are all involved. Get off the bench, get in the game.”

Making Resolutions a Reality

We completed our 23rd Constitutional Convention a few weeks ago on September 17. It’s a major event, setting the tone and direction of the union for the next four years. When it’s in session, the Convention is the major governing body of our union.


It’s pretty exciting too. We hear some passionate speeches from the floor, as well as the podium. There’s time to spend with brothers and sisters we haven’t seen in awhile. And we were all inspired by the videos and other presentations linking our union to its glorious 75-year history. (This issue of the Express and our web site, twu.org, feature extensive coverage of the Convention.)


But, the real business of the Convention is through the dozens of resolutions that are debated and adopted. Through them, we recommit ourselves to supporting equal rights for all Americans (Racial, Ethnic & Gender Diversity), protecting workers’ ability to form unions (Employee Free Choice Act) and securing bargaining rights (Stop “Right-to-Work,” “Amend 
Taylor Law”).


We also weigh in on the big issues confronting our country: the economy, health care reform, education, the environment, globalization, Social Security, childcare and others.


Many issues directly affect us on the job: transportation security and funding, workplace health and safety, outsourced aircraft maintenance, pension protection, organizing, supporting passenger rail, etc.


I know that President Little and the other top officers, including myself, are committed to moving forward our agenda on all these fronts. But, I also know that resolutions will amount to little more than good intentions without one key ingredient: You, the member.


I urge you to work with us over the next four years to make our resolutions a reality. Vote, of course, but also become active in politics and contribute to our COPE program. Call or e-mail your representatives in Congress and state legislatures when important issues come up. Sign up for our e-activist newsletters on twu.org. Think about becoming a volunteer organizer; it will strengthen our union and our labor movement. Be active in your community.


One of the themes of the Convention was “Building on Our Legacy.” The next four years will be exciting ones. Together, we can make sure TWU founder Mike Quill’s prediction continues to come true: “The best is yet to come.”


Local 225 Branch 4 Swears in New Officers

In mid-October, Director of the Transit, Utility, University and Services Division Susan Resch, swore in Local 225 Branch 4 officers in Brick, New Jersey. From left to right: Chris Mikkelson, President; Margaret Reddan, Recording Secretary; Joyce L. Kramer, Treasurer; Scott Sargent, Vice President; Director of Transit Division Susan Resch.


Local 512 Picnic Sets Example

This summer, Local 512’s annual picnic had a number of special guests added to its regular mix of members and retirees, setting a great example for other Locals to follow. Sean Doyle, president of the Chicago-based Local, saw the picnic as an opportunity to invite local politicians and leaders from across TWU Divisions and strengthen political relationships and TWU solidarity.


The picnic had a great turnout with over 1,000 attendees. Jesse White, the popular Secretary of State of Illinois, as well as three State legislators attended. International Executive Vice President Harry Lombardo, Int’l Administrative Vice President and COPE Director Hubert Snead, Railroad Division Director Gary Maslanka, and Air Transport Division Director John Conley were all in attendance, in addition to Int’l representatives from various divisions and ATD presidents (shown in photo).


While serving as Columbus Section Chairman for Local 512, Doyle joined forces with TWU members from the Railroad and Transit Divisions to form TWU of Ohio COPE. Working together for the past 10 years, the various divisions lobbied State and federal politicians on behalf of working families. He is helping to plan the first Illinois TWU state conference to be held next year.


Doyle and Local 512 1st VP Diana Tiggs both interned with the Department of Legislative and Political Affairs, which deepened their appreciation of political participation on behalf of members.


While Doyle valued the record turnout and presence of TWU and political leaders, his main interest was providing Local 512 members an opportunity to see how they are connected to the TWU as a whole. 


“We want to recognize that the TWU is so much more than just the Airline division,” said Doyle. “We have Transit and Railroad members within the TWU as well. We are here for each other, and all together, we are a powerful force with our grassroots efforts in the political arena.”


He feels strongly that the picnic accomplished the goal of reaching across division lines, strengthening ties with politicians, and giving members, retirees and International staff and officers a chance to become better acquainted.
 Read more in the Sept-Oct issue of the ATD Insider found at twu.org/members.

Proud TWU Member Elected to City Council

This March, Local 502 member Bill Brand was elected to Redondo Beach, California’s City Council. Brand has been a TWU member working for American Airlines for more than 30 years and is currently a Fleet Service Crew Chief on the ramp at Los Angeles International Airport.


Brand has always demonstrated a strong work ethic, dedication and desire to better himself and the world around him. During his 30 years with AA he balanced part time shifts with class and study time to earn degrees in Chemical Engineering from California State University and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Southern California. 


Brand’s recent election followed an impressive demonstration of dedication to his community and to democracy. The City of Redondo Beach wanted to rezone their waterfront to accommodate a large real estate development plan despite community opposition. Brand helped shepherd two successful referendums and ran a campaign that won an advisory vote. Then he co-authored an initiative that amended the City Charter to always require a public vote whenever there are significant changes to allowable development. The initiative won the public vote by 58 percent in November 2008. 


Brand’s outspoken leadership on behalf of his neighbors and community led to his election to the City Council this past March, where he continues to fight for the public’s right to protect their land.
 “The job is what I expected,” he said. “I feel honored and a strong obligation to do the best job that I can for the future of my city.”


Brand credits much of his political success to the TWU and its support of his campaign. “It was great to have both the moral and financial support of my union brothers and sisters in the community,” Brand said. “Plus the COPE fund provided me one of my single largest campaign contributions.” He encourages TWU members to donate to COPE because of its role helping to elect like-minded and labor friendly people to influential positions. Visit the legislative page on twu.org to join COPE.


Beech Grove Revival

In September, Amtrak's Beech Grove Maintenance Facility marked 34 years as part of America's passenger railroad. But the 108-acre property in Indiana has roots that go back more than 100 years. Begun in 1904 by four railroads, Beech Grove was dedicated in 1908. The New York Central Railroad purchased the property in 1922 and at its peak during World War II it employed more than 5,000 workers. Amtrak took over 63 acres from the New York Central in 1975 and the remaining 45 acres from Conrail in 1981.


To some, Beech Grove is a remnant of America's industrial past, but for the community it's part of the facility remains a vital source of jobs. Beech Grove continues to provide good paying union jobs for more than 600 workers, including 244 TWU members who work as Carmen and Cleaners.


In recent years, Amtrak's starvation budget has threatened the viability of the facility, as management sought to cut costs and outsource operations. Now, the Obama Administration's stimulus package has given Beech Grove and its workers new life.


Shortly after President Obama signed H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on February 17, 2009, which included funding for Amtrak capital projects, the benefits of this legislation began showing up on the shop floor.


Amtrak hired an additional 108 employees in the mechanical department to work on these projects. Of the 108, 50 were hired as Carmen and have become members of Railroad Division Local 2003. In addition to the jobs at Amtrak, numerous other companies that supply components for these projects have increased their payrolls.


TWU Railroad Division Director Gary Maslanka, who was at Beech Grove this summer for a celebration marking completion of the first stimulus work, said it's been a golden opportunity "for our people to show that they can get the job done." He added that the work done at Beech Grove has always received praise from inside the industry, including the federal Department of Transportation.


Don May, President of Local 2003, stressed the importance of the facility to the Beech Grove, Indiana community: "The stimulus project is critical, not just for the jobs created, but for the resurgence of the passenger railroad industry, and the survival of this railroad community, Beech Grove." 


America Needs Jobs - NOW!

Congress is trying to pass the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009, which extends federal unemployment insurance by 13 weeks for workers who have exhausted their jobless benefits. The 13-week extension, which builds on two previous expansions, applies only to states with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or higher. Depending on state residency, a worker can currently obtain unemployment benefits for a maximum of 79 weeks.


While this will be welcome news for the unemployed, it does little to ease the anxiety of TWU members and others who are still working, but face cutbacks and layoffs in our weak economy. While various economic indicators are up, the so-called "recovery" is largely a jobless one.


American workers need more good-paying jobs and we need them now, not later. And maybe, just maybe, it might be left up to us still working to lead the demand for job creation. While our industries threaten us with layoffs, bankruptcy and closures, we need to demand that our Congressional leaders start making the stimulus package work to create more jobs. 


While some people are telling us that they see signs of economic recovery, 14.9 million unemployed Americans still cannot find work. The unemployment rate continues to rise and now stands at close to 10%, keeping middle-class Americans at risk of being thrown out of work as a result of the economic downturn. More than 5 million Americans have been unemployed for six months or longer and half of the unemployed cannot find jobs within the first six months of receiving unemployment insurance benefits. And those jobs they do find are not good-paying union jobs with benefits.


We need jobs and we need them now. There are six jobless workers for every job opening. Recent extensions of the duration of unemployment benefits have been necessary, but insufficient: 400,000 unemployed workers will have exhausted their benefits by the end of this September, a number that will increase to a devastating 1.3 million by the end of the year.


There are job creation proposals being considered in some states, like Ohio with a new proposed passenger rail line going from Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati. This would provide some good-paying jobs — union jobs — in a state where union members could use them after the recent plant closings they have endured. Now is the time to push our state politicians to approve this plan.


TWU's Ohio State Conference is urging our locals in the state to write letters to their State Representatives urging them to support this initiative. Your COPE Field Representatives will be hard at work preparing sample letters and phone scripts to get this done. Help us to help you. Your COPE dollars will be used to make this a reality and not just a vision that politicians look at for years and years with endless studies and assessments.


We need the jobs. Come on Ohio, do it now. Now is the time to increase your COPE contributions or join COPE. That one dollar a month means a lot to our program. Join Now! 

Also, Thank you Convention Delegates. At TWU's recent Constitutional Convention, our COPE Booth signed up 156 people to increase their COPE contributions. Out of that number, 52 joined our COPE Clubs. My thanks go out to all of you who stopped by the booth and were able to talk to the COPE Staff about our upcoming plans for the COPE Program. A special thank you goes to the Cope Staff — Trish Rodican, Gwen Dunivent and Terry Daniels who helped man the booth. As of January 2010, we will have new COPE items for each of the Clubs, so look forward to some interesting gifts next year. All items for COPE Club Members for 2009 should be arriving at your doorstep in the next few months. Thanks again for helping the COPE Department get our message out to the politicians who cast votes that affect our jobs, our lives and our families' futures.

Michael J. Quill
the Man Behind the Statue

During TWU's Constitutional Convention this September, a slightly larger-than-life statue of the union's founder, Michael J. Quill, was unveiled for the first time. It didn't dominate the huge convention hall as it now does the lobby of TWU's headquarters in Manhattan. But in a real sense, Quill's legacy continues to dominate TWU history 43 years after his death in 1966.


As we've recounted TWU's history during this 75th year of our founding, no narrative is complete without a reference to the words or deeds of TWU's first and longest serving president. So, who was this seminal figure?


Quill was born on September 18, 1905 in Kilgarvin, County Kerry, Ireland. Although the son of farmers, much of what he became was forged in the struggle for Irish independence from England. Quill was not yet 11 when Padraic Pearse proclaimed Irish independence from the steps of the Dublin Post Office in what became known as the Easter Rising of 1916.


The TWU leader was a junior volunteer in the Irish Republican Army, which fought for years to throw off the yoke of colonialism. He learned that you needed to persevere against overwhelming odds — something that stood him well when confronting the task of organizing thousands of subway workers in the midst of the Great Depression. But, more important, he learned the lesson he would preach his whole life as an organizer: "You will have to fight for your rights — they will never be given to you. And, you cannot win if you fight alone." Quill was also a gifted speaker who could pass on these lessons to his fellow workers.


Quill's first full day in New York was St. Patrick's Day in 1926. Among his early jobs were digging tunnels for the IND line, a conductor on the Long Island Railroad and selling religious trinkets to miners in Pennsylvania. Wherever he went, he saw great disparities in wealth and the exploitation of working people.


The story was no different when he became a ticket agent with the IRT in 1929. Working conditions were horrendous, with the norm being 12-hour days, seven days a week.


In 1961 he recalled: "During those twelve hour nights we'd chat about the motormen, conductors, guards etc. whose conditions were even worse. They had to work a ‘spread' of 16 hours each day in order to get 10 hours pay. Negro workers could get jobs only as porters. They were subjected to treatment that makes Little Rock and Birmingham seem liberal and respectable by comparison …
 "I also saw Catholic ticket agents fired by Catholic bosses for going to mass early in the morning while the porter ‘covered' the booth for half an hour. Protestant bosses fired Protestant workers for similar crimes — going to church. The Jewish workers had no trouble with the subway bosses — Jews were denied employment in the transit lines."
 From its founding in 1934, Quill committed TWU to the principle of equality of opportunity for all races, ethnic groups and religions. That commitment continued as TWU branched into other transportation modes and occupations, and was the reason the union was an early supporter of the civil rights movement.
 Although Quill was elected to the New York City Council for several terms, representing TWU members was his first priority. He most likely sacrificed his life by calling the 1966 transit strike, despite his weakened health. 


At the time of his death, the Reverend Martin Luther King said, "Mike Quill was a fighter for decent things all his life — Irish independence, labor organization and racial equality. He spent his life ripping the chains of bondage off his fellow man. This is a man the ages will remember."


5 TWU Family Members 
Win Union Plus Scholarships

Five children or spouses of TWU members were awarded Union Plus Scholarships this year, an impressive performance by a union of TWU’s size. The awards are in addition to the Michael J. Quill Scholarships and others funded by various TWU locals. (This year’s Quill Winners were profiled in the last issue of the Express.)


In tough economic times, affording an education is harder than ever. To meet the growing need, Union Plus provided $200,000 in scholarships to 133 students from 41 unions this year, including the five TWU winners. 


“We understand what working families are facing,” says Leslie Tolf, president of Union Privilege, the organization that provides an array of benefit programs for union families, including the scholarship program. “Many of this year’s applicants made it clear that, without help from our scholarship program, they would have to put their dreams on hold or forget about college entirely.” 


Since starting the program in 1991, Union Plus has awarded $2.8 million in educational funding to 1,813 union members, spouses and dependent children. This year more than 4,200 applications were received from students representing 49 states, Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands.The 2009 TWU Honorees 



Christina Johnson – Local 100
Christina Johnson of New York, NY, whose father Kenneth Johnson is a member of Local 100, has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship. Christina is quick to enumerate the life lessons she has learned from her father, a TWU member since the year she was born. “It’s about turning out the light at the end of the day and knowing that our time was put to good use. It’s about knowing that enjoyment comes from making sacrifices for things we believe in. And most importantly, it’s about surrounding yourself with people who feel the same way.” That could describe the family’s relationship to their brothers and sisters in the union. “My father took his job so that I could have a better life.” For Christina, that includes a future as a forensic pathologist, while still finding time to indulge her passion for the dramatic arts. 



Debora Wallace-Wood – Local 208
Debora Wallace-Wood of Columbus, OH, whose spouse Steven Wood Sr. is a member of Local 208, has been awarded a $750 scholarship. “I feel like a locomotive,” Debora says, “ready to persevere and move forward at a steady and fast pace.” She understands that it’s going to be a long journey. Debora, who has a strong track record working for charitable organizations, says her plan for further education and career has three phases, and right now she’s still in Phase I. But she’s working hard and she can see clearly ahead to the day, not too far in the future, when she receives a doctorate in education. “At that point my hopes, dreams and aspirations will be fulfilled,” she says. 



Travis Benaiges – Local 568
Travis Benaiges of Miami Lakes, FL, whose father Carlos Benaiges is a member of TWU Local 568, has been awarded a $1,500 scholarship. “My parents made it,” Travis says, and the term is rich with meaning. They made it to America from Cuba. They made it through persistent effort, hard work and sacrifice so that Travis could have the opportunities now before him. “I am so grateful to them for having fought for my future,” he says. “I am so grateful this great nation has offered them a better life. I believe that if it weren’t for unions, we wouldn’t be standing where we are now.” Travis knows that America, for all its opportunities, isn’t perfect, so he’s striving to make it better. He led a program that resulted in more than 33,000 service hours being contributed to environmental projects. And he dreams of becoming a lawyer, and then a politician, to be able to change people’s lives for the better. Then, he’ll know he’s made it. 



Lauren Gwinn – Local 568

Lauren Gwinn of Sarasota, FL, whose father Lawson Gwinn is a member of Local 568, has been awarded a $3,000 scholarship. Lauren says her friends didn’t quite grasp her enthusiasm about her visit to the county morgue. To them, it seemed like the last place in the world they would want to go. But for Lauren, who has a fascination with the human body, and whose visit to the morgue was part of a program sponsored by a local college of osteopathic medicine, it was the perfect opportunity to study human anatomy close up. As she graduates from high school, Lauren has the grades, the desire and the determination to become a doctor. But more than that, she has an understanding that being a great doctor is about more than pure science. “Doctors must possess good character and moral integrity,” she says. Lauren expresses thanks to TWU for helping make her dreams possible. “Thanks to the union, my father has had job security and that has allowed me to have an excellent education and a stable home life.”



Virginia O’Leary – Local 569
Virginia O’Leary of Youngsville, NC, whose spouse Tod O’Leary is a member of Local 569, has been awarded a $500 scholarship. “I am very thankful that my husband is a union member,” Virginia says. “We have even marched together with his local during Solidarity Day events in Washington, D.C.” For more than 25 years, as Tod and Virginia have raised their four children (ages 11 to 29), Tod’s TWU wages and benefits have provided a solid foundation for their family. Now, with the children grown, Virginia is ready to build on that foundation and improve her own opportunities by becoming a nurse. She recently graduated as a Licensed Practical Nurse and after fulfilling her work requirement, hopes to continue on to be a Registered Nurse.



Apply for 2010 Scholarships

Please visit UnionPlus.org/Scholarships for information on eligibility and to apply for next year’s scholarships. Recipients are selected based on academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor. 
 Union Privilege offers the Union Plus benefits, which help union members and their families save money. Union Privilege also provides the Union Safe benefits, which assist union members during difficult times. One of the newest benefits is the College Savings Grant, which helps to spur savings for a bright future by adding to participating members’ contributions. 
 Other programs include mortgage and finance benefits, education and insurance benefits and even money-saving offers on health services and vacations. TWU members are eligible for most benefits. Visit UnionPlus.org to see which programs suit your needs.

Willie Brown at the Convention

Declaring that what happens to working people is more important than what happens to big corporations, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown set a populist tone in his keynote speech to the Convention on September 16.


A fixture in California politics for four decades, Brown was the powerful Speaker of the California Assembly before term limits forced him out in 1995. He then served as Mayor of San Francisco for eight years and remains a force in the state’s public life.


A longtime friend of TWU, Brown has been a guest at TWU conventions and is known as an amusing speaker. He didn’t disappoint. Part of his address to delegates was a riff on how he didn’t give much of a chance to an unknown young man running for Senator of Illinois with a name like Barack Obama. He again underestimated Obama when he announced he was seeking the presidency against all the odds.


But Brown said delegates could learn from that as they seek to carry out the Convention’s mandates in their own states. “If Barack Obama can have the limited success he has had at elevating an African-American to the presidency, we collectively, organized labor, can do the same,” he said.


Noting that workers’ ability to earn a decent living with dignity is the cornerstone of our democracy, Brown said, “Civil rights and human rights can only be achieved when we have addressed workers’ rights first.”


But, he added that involvement in the political process was necessary to achieve labor’s goals. If workers fight to make their votes count, Brown said, “gradually the labor movement will move from just workers’ rights to civil rights and to human rights in an organized fashion.”


The California firebrand took issue with some of the measures the government took to pull the country out of its economic tailspin, saying again that workers should have come first by making job creation the first priority. “The recession cycle for us must be measured by how many people have jobs, not how many banks are still able to deny us loans, even though they have gotten bailed out,” he said to much applause from the delegates.


Citing TWU’s history as a militant union unafraid to stand up for what’s right, Brown said the powers that be never give up anything without a fight. “This nation has begrudgingly granted us the privilege to withhold our labor if we choose to do so collectively, but it’s been only a grant of privilege by virtue of our assaulting the door,” he said.


Because of TWU’s stellar record on civil rights, Brown said he expects the union to be a leader in the coming battles to organize more workers. “It’s no longer just about salaries and working conditions for your members. It’s about all working people,” he said. “I’m counting on you to bring dramatic change in your next 75 years.” 


Vegas Rally to Support Dealers

The 23rd Convention adjourned at 3:30 p.m. on September 17, but the excitement was not yet over. Immediately after the session ended hundreds of delegates and their guests, and Int’l TWU officers and staff boarded buses to go “support their dealers” at Caesar’s Palace. 


In 100 degree heat, they energetically showed their ongoing support for struggling Caesar’s dealers by marching up and down E. Flamingo and Las Vegas Blvds in front of Caesar’s chanting “No Contract, No Peace,” as Harrah’s executives looked on. 


Dealers at Caesar’s Palace voted in December of 2007 by a 3 to 1 margin to be represented by Local 721 of the Gaming Division of the TWU, but have been unable to bring long negotiations to a conclusion with a contract. After engaging in anti-union election tactics in 2007, Harrah’s Entertainment, the parent company of Caesar’s Palace, has stalled contract negotiations for its 600 dealers for nearly two years.


“They’re not asking for big raises, they’re not asking for an increase in their pension,” said Shane Kaufmann, a Caesar’s dealer involved with negotiations. “We just want the status quo and the right to have union representation.”


“These dealers deserve a fair contract,” said Joe Carbon, director of TWU’s Gaming Division. Speaking of the Employee Free Choice Act, Kanie Kastroll, a Wynn dealer and acting president of Local 721, added, “it shouldn’t take a federal law to get a fair contract.”


Read more about the rally and watch a video from the event on twu.org/Convention, and visit twu.org/flickr for rally photos.


International Staff Retire at Convention

nternational Vice President for Legislative and Governmental Afffairs Roger Tauss, and Administrative Assistant to the Int’l President Michael Bakalo, could tell you just about anything there is to know about the TWU. Bakalo and Tauss have worked hard in specialized areas within the TWU for decades and announced at the 23rd Convention that they were officially retiring. President Little honored Tauss and Bakalo at an evening event on September 14, thanking them for their service and wishing them the best in their retirement.



International Vice President for Legislative and 
Governmental Affairs Roger Tauss Retires

Roger Tauss became a bus driver for SEPTA in Philadelphia 34 years ago and began his union career by winning an election as Section Chair in 1980. He served as strike coordinator in the 1981 nineteen-day strike building coalitions with community groups and using innovative tactics that shut down rail and New Jersey Transit service. He was elected president of Local 234 in 1984 in a three-way race garnering 63 percent of the vote.


During his nine years as Local 234 president, Tauss worked with local politicians and management to win major contract gains for members and increased the safety of the SEPTA subway system. 


In 1993, after four years as an International Representative working in the Transit Division, Tauss was sent to Washington, DC to set up a legislative office, where he laid the foundation for TWU’s renewed presence on Capitol Hill.


As Legislative and Political Director of TWU Tauss was instrumental in a number of major labor efforts including protecting 13(c) transit labor protections; preserving rail FELA and rail labor pensions; protecting American Airline pensions; and advancing the fight for a level playing field with foreign aircraft maintenance. He created the TWU Grassroots program that trained and placed TWU local activists in major local, state, and national political campaigns. Additionally, he engineered an internship program in the Washington office that resulted in an expansion of the number of TWU political activists and staff. Tauss was responsible for the early TWU endorsement of Barack Obama as the candidate for President in the Democratic primaries and then went on to recruit 64 members to work as full-time volunteers in the campaign.


Tauss is a member of the AFL-CIO’s National Legislative Committee and their National Political Committee. He was Vice president of the Pennsylvania State Federation of Labor and Vice President of the Philadelphia Central Labor Council. He earned a Bachelor of Science in 1964 in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and attended graduate school at Northwestern. 



Administrative Assistant to the Int’l 
President Michael Bakalo Retires

Mike Bakalo has served in various capacities in the International and in local union office for the last 50 years. At the Convention, Bakalo retired from his position as Administrative Assistant to the Int’l President and Chair of the Int’l Committee on Appeals. 


Bakalo joined the TWU Local 504 in 1959 after being hired as an aircraft mechanic by Pan American World Airways. Five years later he was elected shop steward for that Local at Kennedy Airport in New York and became senior steward two years later. In 1969, Local 504 members elected Bakalo Vice Chair of the local’s largest section and in 1973 he was elected Chair. He held that post until 1979, when he was put on special assignment as an organizer by the International union.


The following year Bakalo became a full-time International Representative working out of TWU’s Air Transport Division, which represents more than 40,000 airline and aerospace workers across the nation. In 1983, Bakalo was elected an International Vice president and named to the International Executive Council. He was elected an Administrative VP at the 2005 Convention.


Throughout his career, Bakalo assisted in the administration of ATD overseeing the drafting and negotiation of major contracts, handling grievances and system board arbitrations and conducting organizing drives. He was coordinator for the Pan Am System Board of Adjustment for many years as well as chair of the Pan Am President’s Council. Bakalo represented TWU on a joint committee of cooperation with Pan Am’s four other contracted unions, the Airline pilots, Teamsters, Flight Engineers and Flight Attendants. 


Subsequently, Bakalo handled the Division’s contracts with many of TWU’s US Airways groups such as the Flight Instructors, Simulator Engineers and Flight Dispatchers as well as many of the union’s Flight Dispatch groups. He also worked with the former Eastern Airlines Flight Attendants when the company was purchased by Donald Trump. 


RESOLUTIONS: A Core Component of the Convention

Resolutions are based on membership feedback and are prepared months in advance by Local Executive Boards, who create their own resolutions and review members’ submissions for approval, and by the International Union. A meeting of the International Executive Council & Board the week before the Convention was largely devoted to reviewing the resolutions, many of which were modified or rewritten.


Resolutions from the Locals — “Timely Resolutions” — can be accepted and assigned a number, rejected or incorporated into other resolutions. Resolutions may also be introduced or amended from the floor. Delegates who feel strongly about an issue often support the resolution with comments from the floor. Local 514 member Jenni-Proctor Timms, a current military member in the Air National Guard, spoke briefly and emotionally on Resolution 18, “Support Our Troops.” She persuaded locals that have not yet formed Veterans Committees to consider the help the Committees could provide and the pain they could help alleviate for military members and veterans. See Jenni-Proctor Timms’ comments on the Support Our Troops resolution on twu.org/Convention.


The IEC&B also reviews amendments to the TWU Constitution. This year, six amendments were referred favorably to the Convention’s Constitution Committee and all were subsequently approved by delegates.


Delegates passed 29 resolutions, voting to refer the remaining 11 resolutions to the incoming IEC&B. That body will meet at the beginning of next year. The full texts of all accepted resolutions are available on twu.org/convention.


Appropriately, Resolution 1, “A Strong Economy that Works for All Americans,” dealt with the economy, urging the President and Congress to be mindful of the needs of working families when rebuilding our shattered financial institutions. The resolution also called for a second stimulus package. Other resolutions covered on the first day of the Convention — Health Care Reform, Outsourced Aircraft Maintenance, Raise Minimum Wage, and others — reflected the day’s theme which was focused on our country’s current economic situation and what it means for our union and members. Resolutions 2 and 3 set the tone for the second and third day’s themes, Global Warming, Energy Independence and Mass Transportation; and Strengthen Civil Rights, Union Rights and Diversity, respectively.


Resolution 32, “Strategic Planning for a Strong TWU,” was a key resolution related directly to TWU. Delegates urged that the union continue to build on the strategic planning initiative begun by President James C. Little after the last Convention, saying, “Strategic Planning provides a critical foundation for charting the course for rapid and sustained organizational growth and power.” The resolution also called on locals to participate in the process and adopt their own strategic planning where needed.


Many resolutions dealt with workplace issues, such as health and safety on the job, pension protection, outsourcing of jobs, protecting transportation workers from security threats, civil service reform and protection, stopping privatization and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Resolution 12 commended President Obama for expanding the Service Contract Act and other labor protections, while Resolution 33 praised the President for creating the White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families.


Several resolutions dealt with specific issues in each transportation mode. Resolution 10 called for holding foreign aircraft repair stations to the same standards imposed on domestic facilities. Resolution 31 called for support of passenger rail, including “sufficient operating and capital funding for Amtrak.” Resolution 36 pledged TWU to fight for restoration of federal transit operating assistance to the Highway-Transit Bill and the implementation of HR 2746 to stop service cuts, layoffs and fare hikes.


Because much of the union’s agenda requires legislative action, delegates passed Resolution 24 urging TWU to continue to foster the legislative and political activism of members, including registration drives, increased COPE contributions, training for grass roots activists and encouraging members to run for office.


The need to organize was the theme of several resolutions, including one calling for the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Resolution 20 called for a union-wide Volunteer Member Organizing (VMO) program to take advantage of opportunities presented by the enactment of EFCA. It also called for strengthening ties with unions overseas who deal with the same multi-national employers.


Delegates also recommitted the union to strong support for civil and human rights, including pay equity and racial, ethnic and gender diversity in the labor movement.

Convention Elects Little’s Team

Aroar of excitement emanated from the large Convention Hall in Las Vegas' Rio Hotel on September 16, 2009, the third day of the Transport Workers Union's 23rd Constitutional Convention. Just after noon, as the last member of President James C. Little's slate of officers was elected, delegates stood to applaud the reaffirmed leadership team elected to move the union forward for another four years. 


Delegates overwhelmingly supported the election of Little's slate put forward by the Nominating Committee: President James C. Little, Executive Vice President Harry Lombardo, Secretary-Treasurer Joseph C. Gordon, and International Administrative Vice Presidents Hubert Snead and Susan Resch. The 13 new International Vice Presidents and 40 new Executive Council and Board members were also elected. See pages 12-13 for a full list and photo of the new IEC & B members.


A total of 353 delegates and alternates attended the International Convention, which is the supreme authority of the TWU and happens every four years. 


This year's Convention was based upon a look to a bright TWU future and an acknowledgment of a proud TWU past, with the theme of the event "Building On Our Legacy." While all resolutions dealt with important industry and national issues such as transportation funding, overtime protections, foreign maintenance and social security, three main resolutions shaped the focus of the Convention: "A Strong Economy that Works for All Americans," "Global Warming, Energy Independence and Mass Transportation," and "Strengthen Civil Rights, Union Rights and Diversity." 


Behind the top officers seated on a dais outlined in TWU blue and gold, thirty different brightly lit and larger-than-life photo displays of members at work served as backdrops for the event. In celebration of the union's 75th Anniversary an elaborate shadow box filled with TWU photographs, articles, and artifacts, some dated all the way back to 1934, sat to the right of the stage to provide delegates a way to explore a tangible form of our legacy. You can view a photo of the shadow box and even purchase a poster of the item at shoptwu.com.


Opening day began with a color guard from a local Las Vegas school and an inspirational performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" by Portia Reddick White, Director of the Department of Legislative and Political Affairs. Kanie Kastroll, the president of the Gaming Division's Local 721, welcomed her sisters and brothers to Las Vegas with an enthusiastic speech and an expression of gratitude for the union's much-needed help organizing casino dealers. 


After lively discussion of ten different resolutions, most of which were related to some aspect of the economy and all of which were passed, the last two hours of opening day were dedicated to a celebration of the union's 75th Anniversary. Read more about the Quill Celebration on page 5.


The majority of the four-day long event was dedicated to resolutions, feature videos, speakers, Constitutional amendments and committee reports, but several special events broke up each day. On Tuesday, September 15, the general session ended early to allow delegates to attend one of four workshops designed to encourage communication, organizing and information sharing between divisions, locals and the International. More than 60 percent of the delegates participated which resulted in about 50 delegates per workshop, all of which were well received and successful. Read more about the workshops and the concluding reports on pages 14-15.


Wednesday, Sept. 16, was packed with excitement. Keynote speaker Willie Brown, former Mayor of San Francisco, kicked off the day's events with an inspirational speech about civil, human and workers' rights, appropriate for the day's theme. See page 15 for more on Brown's address.


During the Convention session delegates heard several intriguing and informative addresses from speakers including the President of the Transportation Trades Department Ed Wytkind, President of Union Privilege Leslie Tolf, National Mediation Board Member Harry Hoglander, President of the Apollo Alliance Jerome Ringo, and more. Find the full list in the program on twu.org/Convention. Speakers addressed issues important to the TWU like transportation funding, health care, operating assistance, foreign maintenance and solidarity. 


Other greetings arrived as specially prepared videos from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, U.S. Representative Dina Titus and AFL-CIO leaders: then President John Sweeny, newly elected President Richard Trumka and Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker. President Barack Obama sent a letter to the Convention emphasizing the importance of America's middle class and his commitment to working families. 


Video presentations that set the stage for specific resolutions were shown over the four-day period. They featured: Corporate Campaigns; Working Women's Committee; Community Service; Retirees; Veterans; Legislative and Political Action; Civil, Human and Workers' Rights, and a special video in memoriam of recently deceased officers. 


Celebrating TWU’s 75-year Legacy

Here is the list of Locals who contributed to the Michael J. Quill Memorial Fund (the asterisk (*) indicates that the local donated a minimum of one dollar per member)
The TWU 23rd Convention serendipitously coincided with the 75th Anniversary of the union's founding. Thanks to many locals' contributions to the Michael J. Quill Memorial Fund the TWU threw a celebration fit for the quality of man who founded the union. 

*1

*100

101

106

171

200

208

212

*223

*225

*225-4

*226

*227

*229

*234

*239

*241

248

*249

250-A

*252

258

*259

260

261

262

*264

265

266

267

268

*269

276

279

*282

*289

*290

*291

295

299

*700

*1400

500

501

*502

504

505

*507

*510

*512

*513

*514

516

*521

525

*526

*527

529

*530

540

*541

*542

543

545

*555

556

561

*562

563

*564

565

567
568

569

*570

571

572

573

574

*575

*576

*590

*1460

2001

*2003

*2005

*2008

*2009

*2011

2013

2014

*2015

*2016

*2017

*2019

*2020

2022

2025

*2035

*2037

*2051

2053

*2054

*2055

The "Quill Celebration" began during the afternoon session of opening day with the powerful sounds of MaBSTOA's bagpipe and drum band marching down the center aisle of the Convention Hall. After standing to get a glimpse of the excitement delegates settled back into their seats for a viewing of a commemorative video on Quill. The audacious Quill was TWU's first International President, serving from 1934 to 1966 when he died of heart disease just days after the successful completion of the first city-wide transit strike in New York City history. You can view the video and read more about Quill on www.twu.org/Convention and on page 18.


In Quill's honor, a portion of the Quill Memorial Fund was donated to Kerry Parents and Friends Association in Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland, which supports families of people with intellectual disabilities. The TWU first established a connection with the organization twenty years ago and has now reconnected with this donation which enabled the Association to dedicate a therapy room in Quill's honor. The facility is located in the same Irish county in which Quill was born. Tony Darmody, the Association's director, gave a heartfelt presentation which incorporated photos of the beautiful Irish facility to the delegates. 


Unity in the Face of Adversity

TWU COPE 
seeks a better life for our members and our families and COPE dollars support political education and action that helps to ensure the best for working families. At this year’s Convention the following members went above and beyond with their COPE contributions and exceeded the highest COPE Club level.

Don Shipman 
Shop Steward, Local 556 
Airline Division 
Thom McDaniel 
President, Local 556 
Airline Division 
Sharon Polk 
Recording Secretary, Local 502
Airline Division 
Richie Adams
President, Local 1460 
Railroad DivisionDarrin Pierce, President of Local 513, experienced the power of unity under circumstances that most others will never be forced to endure. As a victim of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, Pierce and his family lost everything — they lost loved ones, their home and everything else they’d worked for their whole lives — and they suffered through the devastation of their native city of New Orleans. 


On opening day of the Convention Pierce gave a touching address explaining his experience post-Katrina and how the power of unity, faith and strength were able to turn his “loss into a victory.” “The reason I believe my story is important and should be told is because we are living in extremely difficult times, and I believe and I hope that my experience will be an inspiration to others,” said Pierce in his address.


Katrina flooded 80 percent of New Orleans which shut down the city for weeks and eliminated the jobs of Pierce and other TWU members at Louis Armstrong International Airport. In the midst of the trauma, Pierce still made it to TWU’s 22nd Constitutional Convention, only three weeks after the storm, and found support and care in his union brothers and sisters.


“The same way that unity brought strength to us as a family (during the hard times four years ago),” Pierce told the 23rd Convention this September, “so did my membership in the TWU empower me in my determination to make the very best of a bad situation.” 


Pierce and his family now live in Texas and he proudly leads one of the biggest ATD locals, Local 513. Towards the end of his speech Pierce passionately declared that his union family’s support during his tribulation post-Katrina confirmed for him his conviction that “the Transport Workers Union of America is the greatest union in the world.”
 Watch the whole speech at twu.org/
Convention.

Continuing the Vision

I am invigorated by the opportunity to serve the Transport Workers Union for the next four years, and thank the 23rd Convention delegates for their hard work at this year’s Convention and for electing my team and me to office.

Nothing compares to the unique opportunity to hear from hundreds of members during the Convention on issues that concern our locals, our union, our nation and the daily lives of members. Based on the enthusiasm and discussions with many of the delegates, we are apparently on the right track with our redevelopment of the organization, which has been driven by strategic planning over the last three years. This is great news to hear. 


The union can now move forward standing on the firm ground that we have been creating together for the last three years that I have served as President. With strategic planning, I am quite fortunate to work with experienced and dedicated colleagues from across our Divisions. Their mixed backgrounds and expertise in a wide-range of areas allows us to debate the issues from different angles, but still create successful plans. 


As I stated at the convention, I take my responsibility very seriously. I want our union to be transparent in what it does, fully accountable, efficient and creative. I want to continue the vision that our team at the International, our local officers and our members have been a part of for the last few years by strengthening the union in a number of areas. Over the last few years we’ve already had a number of successful organizational changes that have made me proud, mostly the enhancing of our services to Locals, increased training and internal growth. We will continue all current department changes, with some refinements where needed; to expand our grassroots program and statewide conferences; and to enhance our communications through online social networking and by utilizing the most current technological and communication tools. 


We have a very aggressive legislative agenda that we will maintain and strengthen in Washington D.C. in order to assure our members’ voices are heard and their families and jobs are protected. One of the issues that the Department of Legislative and Political Affairs has been fighting for is a health care plan that will provide quality and affordable care for all Americans. I encourage all members to participate in a national call-in day on November 5 to demand urgent action from Congress. Visit twu.org for more information. 


At the Convention, we explored the pressing issues our country faces today and what the current economic and political situation means for our members. With the delegates’ adoption of dozens of resolutions we have committed to tackle some of the country’s biggest problems to the benefit of our members, from demanding accountability for the economy to working towards energy efficiency. These are no easy tasks, but I am confident that the TWU, continuing our vision, will accomplish these goals. Our union has a bright future and will always strive for the best for our members and working families everywhere.