Hallelujah!

Sing it out Brothers and Sisters  - Hallelujah .  .  . Hallelujah . . . Hallelujah! Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammo .  .   . , ah .  .  ., wait, different venue  .  .  .  , disregard!

Hallelujah is defined as "Praise ye the Lord!" or "A musical composition whose principal theme is found in the word."  When I went to the mailbox today, there was this "large" envelope from the UTU addressed to me as "Priority Mail" and I knew my "prayers" had been answered . . . rays of bright sunshine broke through the ominous overcast and my spirits were UPLIFTED as if I had been "annointed" by some superior power with the documents that would "empower" me to be the "damn best delegate I could possibly be"! My euphoria was somewhat short lived as I realized there was no 2002 GS&T Report OR the 2003 Directory? 

But hey .  .  . , I got the 2002 Report (President, Intl O's, BoD, ExBd, BoA) and the Report of the Committee on Constitution . . . , hallelujah . . . several weeks before I ever expected to receive them! So I ripped that baby open and went right to the Committee Recommendation on Article 12  -   NO CHANGE? The rays of sunshine engulfed me as I read the only four (4) proposals on dues increases published and realized they not only don't have the votes to get a dues increase, they are worried about a dues "rollback", i.e., the "War Chest" didn't sit well with the union members!

You can bet your ass they had "proposals" to increase dues but those came from "insiders" who were easily dissuaded in the face of  "Proposal No. 2 - submitted by Local 171", to wit: Replace lines 40-47 (automatic $2 increase "in conjunction with a 'majority' of the Board of Trustees?) with:

"Any proposed increase or decrease of dues assessments shall require approval by majority vote, by recorded roll call ballot of the delegates present. . . . "

HALLELUJAH .  .  .  ,  the "War Chest" was gotten by fraud and both proposals No. 2 and No. 4 intend to correct that wherein "NO Dues INCREASE" will ever again be given without the delegates "going on record" as to how they voted (Democracy at its best)!   Instead of these proposals and any "rollback" of dues, the International intends to argue for no change wherein they will still be able to increase dues $2 immediately after the Committee Recommendation is adopted, i.e., they will do it to be effective January 1! The question is: absent change in the language of current lines 40-47, how often could they implement said increase? Inquiring Minds Want To Know? Once every four years; once a year, once a month? Succinctly stated, I want that in writing if I can't pass Proposals 2 or 4? And I'm not necessarily adverse to #3  but I need more information before I decide on that!

Hell, IF I had my choice today based upon everything I know, I'd support Proposal No. 4 - submitted by Local 311, i.e.,  take back the "war chest" and never let them increase (or decrease) dues without a "majority roll call recorded vote"!  HALLELUJAH and AMEN!!!

"Little Don Carver" stepping up again?   Do we really need a VP ($220, 000 + per year minimum with all things considered) to represent less than 3% of the UTU membership? Hell,  how about a 16th VP to represent the "Big Sky Airline Pilots"??? Were you there when "little don" begged for his job inHawaii in 1991?  Only wanted $40 G's a year to be Assistant to the President Yardmasters?  Only got the same raises us trainmen/yardmen got in the last two agreements? Ah . . ., salary was $95,315 in 2002, the same "approximate"  137% increase in salary the rest of us have received since 1991 . . . right? But it ain't enough, he needs VP pay and stature? I'm Confused???