Shorts:

workers, can report a remarkable turnaround since the old leadership was removed and an international union trustee was installed. After a strike which ended in April, 26,000 workers in residential buildings won a generous contract from the realtors’ association: 10.5% increase over three years; increased pensions; improved medical benefits; computer training. Even more significant was how they got it. Under the old regime, then-president Gus Bevona preferred privacy, even secrecy, always keeping the membership at arms length. But the trustees (there have been two) believe in rallying the members in action: stewards gatherings, membership demonstrations, parades, mass appeals to the public, and, finally, picket lines and strikes. It’s a beginning in making the members feel they have a share in owning this union. At some point there will be elections.

The Paperworkers Union reports the death of a former president, Joseph Tonelli. After recounting his services to the working class, it concludes, “Tonelli left the presidency in 1978.” It neglected to mention that he left to take up residence in a federal prison after being convicted of stealing money from the union. Tonelli’s rise to power had been resisted by the Rank and File Movement for Democratic Action which warned against him and succeeded in taking away the union’s whole West Coast division to form the Association of Western Pulp and Paperworkers, now a Carpenters affiliate.

The Civil Service Employees Association in New York State apparently ain’t what it used to be, which is a good thing. It was once a “professional association” dominated by management and political dealers. But it’s turned into a real union. In negotiations with the state, members turned down proposed contracts one after another until the union got it right and came up with something satisfactory. It just went through a lively contest for officers; the incumbents won, but got a run for their money. Now, Mike Lemyre, a CSEA member in Middleburgh (near Albany), sends us his roughly printed newsletter, The Loose Cannon. You once could be disciplined for something like that. Not now. He has already published 33 issues! A few months ago, an opposition slate won all six of the officers of the Capital Region. As far as we know, no crisis; the union took the event in stride.

Steelworkers Local 1014, Indiana: The Steelworkers union officialdom persists in its unrelenting crusade to block members from running for office. Dan McKinney was barred from running for president because he missed attending one- third of the local monthly membership meetings in the last two years.

ILA Longshoremens Local 333 NJ: George Critch and Steve Oravets keep coming with their monthly newsletter Labor Herald. Back in January 1999 they had duly nominated five candidates for local executive board in opposition to the incumbents, only to find them disqualified on spurious grounds. In due course the Labor Department upheld their complaint and sued, in September, to upset the election. The union resisted, and the case is still in court. Meanwhile, interest in the Herald increases. By the time any election rerun is scheduled, the group is likely to expand its slate to include additional officers.

Debra Bernhardt, whom we all know as director of the NYU labor archives, the depository for AUD records, was honored by the Metro New York Communications Council as the distinguished labor communicator of the year 2000. She is the co-author of a beautiful new book “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: a pictorial history of working people in New York City”. In photos and commentary, it is the story of labor in the twentieth century.

Symphony Musicians have a growing strike fund. Sixty- two orchestras have already signed up with more coming. When it’s time to negotiate, they don’t play around.

George Brooks: Thanks to the Strednaks, the Golds, and

Kenneth Margolies for their donations in his memory.

A Machinists Local president who is interested in running

for office expects to be a delegate to the convention in September. If you also expect to be there, he would like to meet you. Interested? Write, e-mail, or call AUD.

The New World Foundation, Phoenix Fund, has published a directory of organizations, publications, coalitions, etc. devoted to empowering the working poor. Sounds like a big list, but remember they cover the whole country.

Moe Foner was awarded an honorary doctorate by the New School for “his passion to bring arts to all America.” He is director of Bread and Roses and an AUD Advisor.

The Wall Street Journal has praised the NEA teachers union! It seems that 34 staff employees of the Kentucky NEA went on strike. According to the WSJ, the affiliate’s executive director announced that any staffer had the legal right to work, that they could resign from the staff union and not be penalized for not striking, and that the NEA had the right to hire replacement workers. The WSJ praises the NEA affiliate for bargaining hard and concludes, “Would that school boards and the mediators they employ showed such backbone.”

Carpenters Local 34 in Oakland is circulating among other locals the text of a proposed amendment to the international constitution that would change the method of electing officers. Nominations of candidates for the top general officers would take place at the convention, but the election would be by direct membership vote. Vice presidents would be elected by the membership of their districts. Officers and full time representatives of subordinate union bodies would be elected by their membership.

New Resource for Teamsters:

“Rank and File Power at UPS”

By David Pratt, 2000, TRF, 7Opp., $5.00

Due to the efforts of the Teamster Rank and File Education and Legal Defense Fund (TRF), working Teamsters have access to a wealth of legal and educational support. Now, TRF has just increased the wealth by putting out a booklet directed at members working for United Parcel Service. The illustrated booklet explains: the history and strategy of UPS, its attempt to use part-time workers to weaken the union, the history of the Teamsters and the struggle for Teamster reform in the union, the 1997 contract campaign and strike, and strategy and tactics that can be used to build rank and file power at UPS and in the union. Rank and filers in other unions will find the book useful as model of how to take a strategic approach.

June 2000

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Union Democracy Review