Weakness At The Top

Well, I got a call the other day from a Shop Steward telling me about some concerns he had. He met the new head of his Local when the man came to the company and met the GM. This Steward is having unity problems within his rank & file because of the weak contract he has to deal with. They have a lot of newer employees that don't really know the value of a union contract, so, they question why they should keep paying the monthly dues. This Steward was hoping the Local leadership would make a strong first impression on the company, and that did not happen. The Steward told his Local that he needs a mini organizing event, and because of the scheduling of the drivers, he want's it to be 2 consecutive days. The Local said he would look into doing that. The problem is the Steward does not feel the Local leadership can instill the confidence in the rank & file that needs to be shown.

So, what can be done? It is definitely a tough situation: the Steward does not want to jeopardize his relationship with his Local, obviously, however he does know what needs to be done. So, we are going to reach out to the organizers and see if once the dates are set (provided the Local goes through with the promise) several boot camp organizers can show up for the event. We will go through the Stewards Biz Agent to help coordinate and see how that works out. Bottom line: if the Local leadership does not do what is in the best interest of the Local membership and the rank and file that the Steward represents, we will file a complaint of failure to perform with the IBT. Stay tuned.