Convention Day One

Welcome, Delegates, to the first edition of a new communication tool from District 141.

“141nfo” is [a printed piece, future versions of which will be mailed out and] intended to be an additional way for us to share information relevant to our District and our lives.

Over the past year we met with thousands of members of District Lodge 141, exchanging ideas and concerns about our Union. One message that was sent repeatedly – from every station, classification, and airline – was the need for improved communication from the Union to its members. We have been listening. We are going to try several different styles and forums to keep you informed. This is the first attempt at doing so, and certainly not the last. Our plan is to increase the number of ways the Union stays in touch with our members. So this is not replacing any existing form of communication, such as The Messenger, the District 141 web site, or issue-based bulletins. We realized, during our conversations with members, that each of those approaches to information serves its purpose and there is still plenty of opportunity to increase and improve communication.

The diversity of our membership is significant and important. Our individual cultural backgrounds, our age groups, our education levels all serve to strengthen our Union. This diversity also highlights the fact that there is not a single way that all members want to receive information. 141nfo is designed to fill one of the communication gaps about which members have spoken.

There’s a message behind the new banner. Through continuous communication, pieces of the puzzle we deal with in our work life and as Union representatives come together.
We’ll be able to see a bigger picture, and be able to make more informed decisions when necessary.

141nfo gives us a tool to address multiple issues of a more immediate importance in a “briefing” style. Issues that need fuller detail and explanation will continue to be published as single bulletins.

We look forward to your response. Communication, by definition, is a two way street. If we are going to successfully improve our information sharing process we need to know what is working and what is short of expectation. We want to continue the most appropriate form of communication – talking with each other.

Rich Delaney

Current and archived messages from Rich

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

July, 2008 – Dear Brothers and Sisters,

            The election of District Lodge 141 Officers is now complete. Members from across the country, within every airline, and representing all job groups have assertively voted for A New Direction team and have endorsed our call for change within our Union. It is very exciting and humbling to receive such an overwhelming vote of support and confidence. We are all truly thankful for your participation and the trust you’ve bestowed upon us. We began this journey with a commitment to put our faith and futures in the hands of the membership. You have proven once again, that the democratic principle of membership ratification is the most powerful aspect of the IAM. The Union itself can be proud that the claim of union democracy is not a slogan but a real, fundamental, and essential part of our organization; your vote has shown that.

            The last few months have been a great opportunity for both candidates and members to reevaluate and reconnect with our District Lodge. Our station visits have shown us that the best place for Union leaders to be is with Union members. By meeting on a personal basis we have been able to hear the criticisms, compliments, and concerns of members that do not normally communicate with the Union. It has reinforced A New Direction’s goal of bringing the Union to its members. It also has given members a new sense of what is possible when we talk with each other and really listen to each other.

            The future of our industry, our airlines, and our Union is daunting, to say the least. Influences such as fuel costs and out-of-control-CEO’s are going to impact us. Our best weapon of defense is our renewed sense of solidarity and belief in collective action. The month of June has proven that is an awesome power.

            On behalf of the entire team at A New Direction, I want to give you our heartfelt thanks for your support.

Rich Delaney

Please return to this page in the future for updates.

Thank you

TO THE MEMBERS OF DISTRICT LODGE 141, IAMAW:

As voting is about to start across the system for District Lodge 141 Officers, many members have voiced a concern that the election process will be tainted and the results challenged. There is a concern that the losing side of the election will find a way to protest the results and force the nightmare of a rerunning of this election on the membership.

We have told members in every station we have visited that we intend to accept the results of this vote, as long as it is the will of the membership. We have put everything we have, including our jobs and our futures in the hands of the members. We expect nothing less from our opponents.

We call on the incumbents to go on record that they too will accept the decision of the membership and refuse to protest the results of this election, if they lose.

At some point in time we all have to recognize that this election is about the members determining their own future and not a beauty contest between candidates. If the union is not willing to listen to the members when they vote when will they listen?

Please participate in the most important process our Union has – membership ratification. The IAM is duly proud of its history as a democratic union – unlike so many other labor organizations. When the members vote our union works.

Thank you for your consideration and support.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

            Starting next week, the first week of June, the members of District Lodge 141 can begin making history. The election of District Officers will begin in local lodges across the country and the future of the District will be determined. Of course, we are hopeful that a vast majority of members participate in this process and support our A New Direction team.

            As the campaign nears its end the contrasts between the two slates could not be more obvious. We have been advocating for needed, and we believe necessary, change within our Union – from top to bottom. Changing the relationship the Union has developed with airlines for whom we work is mandatory. Changing and improving the relationship the Union has with its members is essential for survival of our Union. We are prepared to begin changing these things on Day 1.

            Our opponents also have a clearly defined message. They believe strongly that past experience is the key to the future. They ask you to reject change. They do not believe change is needed.

            The choice, as it always should be within the IAM, is yours to make. You can vote for experience, knowing that what you have gotten in the past is what you can expect in the future. Or you can vote for a team that is committed to positive change – one that will take the election results as a mandate. If we are successful we know the expectation is to work exclusively on behalf of our membership, communicate with our membership, and that we are accountable to you.

            Democracy, whether it is within the IAM or in our nation’s Presidential election, works best when there is full participation. We ask every member to take the time to let your voice be heard during the month of June. The membership’s voice will shape our union’s future. As we have said before, A New Direction values and respects your vote. We want you to cast it with confidence for us.

           By investing 30 minutes of time in us during the month of June, you can be assured of a commitment from the “New Direction” to work diligently on your behalf every day for the next four years.

           We look forward to seeing you at your Local polling place during the month of June.

Rich Delaney

May 12, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

            We reported last week about the District’s continuing attempts to derail the New Direction team from running in the June election. I do not want to belabor the issue of my required resignation – and its ongoing effects on me. Briefly, I returned to my former job as a Lead Rampserviceman and began training. After 2 days the Company notified me that, based on a telephone call from President Canale, I was not allowed to continue my training and only Canale could authorize the return  to RSM work; which he refuses to do. After I had been resigned for a week, I received a call from the Secretary-Treasurer telling me, for the first time, that the District will determine the effective date of my resignation, and that it is not reversible. Of course, I again requested some documentation showing the policy he was referring to. And, of course, no documentation has been provided. So, currently I believe I have resigned my AGC position, based on the information given me at the time my resignation was required; but the Union has notified the Company I am not permitted to work as a Lead. I continue to request all available information from the Union but to date have only received a second  letter that again made no reference to an established policy or any provision of the Bylaws or Consitution. If you are confused about this deal imagine how I feel.

            We knew this would not be the last trick that would be pulled. It didn’t take long for the next one. I received a letter from President Canale requesting information on grievances that in some cases are 9 years old. He cited a provision of the District Bylaws that he claimed required me to take some action on these cases. A reading of the Bylaws does not say anything close to what he is claiming it says (again) and also the list of grievances includes cases I never handled – over 70% of the list he provided. In addition, a quick review of the list showed cases that we actually heard in arbitration or settled with the Grievant’s involvement and acceptance. I have asked for a better explanation of the cases he is referring to but as of today I have not gotten any more information. It is probably just a District coincidence that Canale’s letter came within a month of the election. I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for Canale’s sudden concern with my job performance, I just cannot think of one now.

            I again ask you to see these new concerns and policy changes for what they are – political dirty tricks designed to prevent you from voting. Don’t fall for it. As I have said before, the New Direction team is committed to dealing with everything that is thrown at us in order to hold the election, as scheduled, and let the membership determine the outcome.

                                                Rich Delaney

Dear Brothers and Sisters, top | Printer version Distribute widely at work.

Based on the number of calls and notes I have received in the last few days I know that most of you have heard that I was required to resign my elected position as Assistant General Chairman of District Lodge 141 if I chose to remain a candidate for President of District 141. I have made a commitment to the membership and the other candidates on the New Direction team that I would be a candidate for that office and let the members decide, by their votes, who will be the next President of District 141. Although I took no joy in leaving a job I loved for the past 18 years the options given me by the IAM were clear and I feel good about the decision. I am looking forward to returning to my original classification and reconnecting with the day to day effects of negotiated changes in our contract. I am also eager to continue the campaign to change our Union and take it in A New Direction.

Many people have asked why we would put up with the political dirty tricks and power plays of those in charge of the District and question whether it would not be better to just walk away, give up on the election process, and maybe find another union. I don’t wan to give up on the IAM now. I believe the IAM is still the best available union to represent the future of employees of carriers still under District 141. We just need new leadership.

I, along with my fellow candidates on the New Direction team, have always had a single goal in mind – return our Union to its owners, the members. We need to focus on the members’ needs, not ours; worry about their job security more than our own. If that means I had to resign in order to keep the fight going I accept that. Our team knows that forcing resignations is not the last trick up the sleeve of the incumbent and we expect more outrageous attacks on us, both personal and professional. We want you to know we are ready to face them head on and not back down. We are ready to take all the punches, no matter how low, that are thrown at us and keep fighting on your behalf.

We ask only one thing from you – stick with us. Help us get a full, fair election in June and support our commitment to change District 141. We promise to stay in the fight regardless of phony policy changes, trumped up charges, or baseless attacks on our character. If we stay together during the next 2 months we can have the union we all want, the union we thought we joined. The Union that exists to serve its members, that has confidence in letting its members determine the future, and that rejects a leadership group that is corrupted by its need to remain in power at all costs.

I may have been required to resign but I am not going to quit. Don’t let your right to vote be denied or delayed. Insist that the District 141 Officers election be held as scheduled in the month of June. Support the New Direction and we will all win.

Rich Delaney top

top “I believe I can help bring our members back to the IAM in a positive way. I have seen and heard the frustration of members across our system. They think the union doesn’t listen to them or focus on their concerns.”

Rich believes in the importance of communication and is a firm believer that there is never enough communication for our membership.

He further said, “We have important, life changing events coming in the very near future on all airlines within District 141 and we are going to need the active support and understanding of all members. The only way I know to do that is to provide accurate, honest information and have faith in our members’ ability to make sound decisions.”

Rich has found that all success comes from a well-represented membership. If members know their issues and concerns are being addressed they are more likely to have faith in the union’s involvement in politics and more accepting of the union’s recommendations for political support in elections. Likewise, a well-represented membership is the best organizing tool a union can have. It encourages participation in organizing drives and is the best advertisement for a union.

Rich added, “The members of the New Direction team have all proven their ability to represent their members and I am convinced together we will make a difference in our members’ futures.” Meet the slate on the "About Us" page. top