This was a record meeting even for this Present Executive Board, it lasted approximately 20 minutes.  They called the meeting to order, read the minutes and of course the B.A‘s same old bullshit.  I just don’t understand why they cannot tell us the truth about hearings.  They never tell us about the members who received time off.  How many members do you know that got time off after the great representation they received from the Present Executive Board?  Here’s some help for them.  Maybe if they sat down and talked to the members a couple of days before the hearings instead of two minutes before the hearings, they could possibly have a game plan.  You think? What pisses us off the most is when you go to your hearings, see them in the office and they are laughing and joking with Management.  Kind of makes you wonder who’s side they’re on?  But anyway, we got to see their favorite Workmen’s Compensation Lawyers again.  This time they came bearing gifts.   Three sets of Sox’s tickets to be raffled off at the meeting and they gave away free coffee cups.  The membership getting these tickets is not a bad thing.  Right after the raffle they where supposed to have new business brought to the floor.  At this time one member made a motion to adjourn the meeting, it was seconded by another member and the rest of the members shouted NO!  As usual the members where not heard and that one board member laughed and adjourned the meeting.  I have one question for this board member.  What is so funny about not listening to your membership?  Why don’t you want to help us?  Why don’t you want to know what is going on with your members at work?  Is it so hard to spend one night a month for a couple of hours hearing what your membership has to say?  But once again they showed the membership it does not matter that our members took time away from their families and came all the way down to the Union Hall to ask questions.   I guess that our questions are not that important to hear.  Brother Vercillo made a motion before the raffle took place to keep the union meetings going on throughout the summer especially because there are a lot of contracts that are ending this summer, one being the City of Chicago.  He was told he could not make the motion and that it was already a By-law.  He was also told to read the By-law book.  He asked them to read this part to the membership.  But as usual they did not and just brushed of Brother Vercillo.  Well we would like to tell you what the By-law book states.  The membership meetings may be suspended between June and October by action of the membership at a meeting after reasonable notice if intention to vote upon such question. Well I don’t understand why they stopped Brother Vercillo’s motion to keep the meetings going in the first place.  We have the right to make a motion on the floor at any General meeting on any subject.  He was not given a direct answer if there were going to be meetings or not.  Boy, if this is a hard question for them we know why we get such great representation and great contracts.  When Brother Tenuto was asked after the meeting why he thought it ended like it did he replied.  It’s contract time and they don’t want you to know anything about your contract until it’s too late.  Also, he told one of the Present Executive board members that at this meeting he was filing another grievance against CDOT about 15 more trucks being driven by Painters.  He said that he is so tired of other trades getting away with doing our jobs and that we still have approximately over 40 drivers sitting at home.  Maybe they do not want the membership to know what is really going on.  He stated that he was still going to file the grievance and that they are still in arbitration on the other grievance that he filed about the 7 trucks.  He said that it does not matter that they have already taken a year and a half to help him with the first grievance that when he gets into office these jobs will be given back to our members. 

On a better note we were told our Local 726 Union picnic for our membership will be held on July 21, 2007.  We will post all the picnic details on our website as soon as possible.  Remember this is a time for our membership to get together with our families and friends that we the membership pay for out of our union dues.  So come out and enjoy your hard earned money.

We will inform you if the meetings are still to be held from June through October as soon as we find out.  We will be drafting a letter to the Present Executive Board requesting a written answer so we can let the rest of the membership know.

Hopefully we will see you at the next meeting and Thank you for visiting our website and reading this update. 

So until the next Union Meeting, have a great month, stay safe and remember that this has been the views and opinions of some of the members that were at the last Union Meeting.

Thank you for your time -

Fighting For the Future Slate