The New Beginning?

   Did the handsome, "who needs eloquence", debonair, Sacrosanct Charlie keep the promise of the New beginning to the UTU members or was it simply "cronyism" that has brought UTU to the beginning of the end? Are we "strong and stable" or was that always the big lie?  U decide?

   Well, while UTU began 1995 with total assests of  $46,439,237 and ended with $36,514,321, it was a Convention year and we had some serious legal setbacks that explaned much of the approximate 10 million drop in total assests.  Of course, the "New Beginning" started in August of 1995 with the election of "Sacrosanct Charlie" Little and the thing I remember most about that Convention was that VP Robert W. Earley got the biggest applause at the Banquet (who can ever forget that heartwarming sight of Charlie and "fight'in bob" {hands clasped overhead on stage} receiving the tumultuous applause of the well informed delegation)?

    Trivia question: Who was the first "Special Representative"?  Don't know? Well, there was only one listed in all employees in the 1995 LM-2 Report signed by President C. L. Little and GS&T Roger Griffeth on 3-29-96!  Hint: He left office early to make way for the "New Beginning" and became the first known "Special Representative"?   If you guessed Tom DuBose - U're Right! Charlie took over in October of 1995 and Tom Dubose received $29,600 in Salary for the last quarter?    So while 1995 was a very bad year, let's just say for accuracy, that the new beginning took over January 1, 1996 with total assets of $36,514,321 and dues at $13.50 (one should not forget that the dues were $11.50 but the New Administration begged for a $2 dollar increase and all International officers even agreed to give a % (10?) of their pay to get this passed - Want to guess how many ever did it more than once?)!

    Suffice to say the first year the concept of the "Special Representative" was a mystery other than to state the LM-2 listed nothing to identify any employee position but Tom DuBose had salary and expenses of  $96,047 and Neil Babineaux (you will remember Sac-C saying from the podium at the banquet something to the effect that I guess I have to find a position for Neil - his campaign/finance (?) manager) had s&e of $83,007? Rumor has persisted for two or three years that the FBI is still looking for Neil Babineaux?

    1997 was much the same as "positions" were still not identified but DuBose was down to only s&e of $22,200 (allegedly the Department of labor had determined this had to stop), Babineaux had disappeared completely as result of questionable dealings with Designated Counsel, and the debonair Sac-C now traveled with three body guards known as the "three stooges" who had a combined salary and expense of $269,427? Perhaps you may have been "pinned" by one of these "Special Representatives" at some Union function?

    I must assume the DoL required UTU to identify the "position" for which an employee was being paid and the 1998 LM-2 shows "Special Representatives" everywhere, ostensively a result of the so-called "Unity Initiative"?  They pulled down $1,079,496 that year not counting those that made less than $10 Gs?

1999 was recoronation year for Sac-C and the Special Reps pay increased to $1,170,149 not counting those paid less that $10 Gs and they were everywhere selling "unity", Sac-C, and bashing that lying Roger "except one" Griffeth who had the audacity to suggest UTU was in financial peril and truly needed  new direction!  This culminated at the Washington DC meeting when Byron Boyd initiated a vicious attack from the podium - I believe you may still be able to view that in archives.  You may also remember Sac-C was unable to attend due to his medical problems and Al Gore was the keynote speaker.  Special Repesentatives were there in force but some of their luster was tarnished by my stinging sarcastic rebuke in the Washington Edition of the El Paso Express (See the first Article).

Miami is history and more history was soon on the way with the first ever web-cast of Sac-C's speech from the Reno Regional Meeting. Everything was coming up roses for Sac-C and his entourage but not so for the membership. The "war chest" collapsed on March 1, 2000 when the Panel denied Sac-C's petition for "a single train and engine service craft" but the faithful kept up the hype and appealed the decsion even though there was no provision for an appeal (reconsideration).  With the "unity initiative" dead after only 60 days of 2000, one might expect the salaries and expenses of the Special Reps to begin to decline. Unfortunately, it didn't but rather rose to an all time high of $1,755,146 (primary function now was damage control)!!!!  Ah . . . , good thing we had that war chest and were "strong and stable"!

Either Sac-C got sick or the Board of Directors got sick of Sac-C, but he left office in 2001 for alleged "medical reasons".  5 full years in office (1996-2000) and what had he and his "Team"   accomplished?  Well, our dues went from $13.50 to $20.50, membership went from 69,213 in 1996 to 65,752 at the end of 2000, and total assets went from $36,514,321 to $29.082,479.  When "U" consider the funds held in Trust (JBI, GCA, and SLD) plus the approximate $5.5 Million still owed to JBI, they far exceed the total assets?   I know what Sac-C would say, BUT how about you Byron - still