THE BURNING EMBER 22

ATTENTION PDX APWU MEMBERS
HERE ARE THE NOMINATIONS
AND MY RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR LOCAL OFFICES

Well the nominations are in and the ballots will soon be out. I attended the October meeting and I was surprised by some of the nominations for office. The word who came to mind as some of the names were read off. Maybe you will have the same reaction. I had to ask some of the other members who were there who some of the people were that were nominated. Several offices had only one nominee. I was pleased to see that at least four of the offices will be filled by some very good people and highly skilled members. These four also bring a wealth of experience. The contested offices also have some very good people running. I have made my choices and I am going to work hard to make sure they get elected in spite of the dirty tricks that the Stinson is already trying. It is going to be a tough campaign. Below is a list the offices and folks who are in the running. My personal endorsements for them follow. As far as the offices of president and vice president are concerned, it looks as though "Send in the Marines" should be the slogan, and they are a couple of tough, butt-kicking Marines when it comes to dealing with management.

UNCONTESTED OFFICES:

MAINTENANCE CRAFT DIRECTOR--Mike Jolly

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION--Kevin Fraser.

DIRECTOR OF ASSOCIATE OFFICES--Anna Smith.

CLERK CRAFT DIRECTOR--Bill Martin.

CONTESTED OFFICES:

PRESIDENT

--Brian Dunsmore

--Ken Piper

--Greg Stinson

VICE PRESIDENT

--Joe Cogan

--Diane Randall

--Randy Hammock

SECRETARY-TREASURER

--Debbie Battle

--Evelyn Dalton

DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATION

--Patty Olson

--Deborah Morton-Hamlet

EDITOR OF THE POKER

--David Baldwin

--Louis Deoca

MOTOR VEHICLE SERVICES

--Ralph McEvers

--Steve Clinton

My recommendations: (In bold type)

PRESIDENT

Brian Dunsmore is the only choice. He has demonstrated time and again all of the qualities needed by a local president. He has stepped in as president repeatedly over the last three years. He brings a wealth of knowledge of the contract, union, and issues affecting the members of the local. He has demonstrated the skill needed to deal with the issues. He puts in the time needed to give the members the best representation possible. He does his best to make certain that the stewards are supported. He has also been instrumental in seeing the local through the problems brought on it by Stinson. Making any other choice for this office will mean a continuation of the problems that have plagued the local and its members.

As far as Ken Piper is concerned, to me he has not demonstrated the dedication that is needed by the president of the local. He rarely attends meetings and rarely participates in union activities. His only motivation for running is that he does not like the other candidates. He has sat on the sidelines for the last few years and only recently even started handling a few grievances. In my opinion, he lacks in knowledge and experience as well. Furthermore, I question his dedication to the union's causes in general as he shops and supports places like Wal-Mart which abuse their employees and actively fight against any their employees having rights. Supporting such places is decidedly anti-union and therefore Ken would not be a good choice as president.

As to Greg Stinson, there will be a blog about his abject failures during his time in office. In the meantime, read some of the previous posts on this blog to help refresh your memory. I have to laugh to hear that he even thinks he has a chance. I have even heard that he is going to challenge the election if he loses. His challenge will be on some technicality that he should already know. He is holding this like an ace up his sleeve. He thinks if he challenges the election that he will stay in office. He Greg get a clue--that ace up your sleeve is really the 2 of clubs. The Department of Labor says that any election will stand even if challenged. If the challenge is upheld, then the election stands until a new election is held. Nice try bullfrog, but it seems you cannot even get that right.

VICE PRESIDENT

Joe Cogan is the hands down choice for this office. He is the local's most experienced officer. He has the dedication, knowledge, and experience. He has negotiated several Local Memos. He has done and won numerous grievances. Has even done and won some arbitrations. He is so far ahead of the other candidates for this office in qualifications that there should be no doubt as to who should be elected.

Retiree Diane Randall, does anyone remember her and the problems she brought to the local. I have heard the horror stories and it scares me gray. I seriously question her dedication, as she has only been to three or four meetings in the last three years and then only to pursue her own interests. She did not even show up to the nominations in October. Now there is some dedication. She has not been active in union activities for quite some time and is lacking in current experience. She should not be given any consideration for office at all. If you think otherwise, ask someone who was here when she was in office, that should remove all doubt.

As far as Randy Hammock all I can say is who? No disrespect meant, only no experience, unproven dedication, and no demonstrated ability. He has also only been to one meeting, that one being the nominations.

SECRETARY-TREASURER

Debbie Battle is my choice for this office. She has proven herself and her dedication time and again. She has put in long hours, even in the face of some extreme personal adversities she continued to perform. She has made sure that the local's bills are paid and financial records are accurate and correct. She sacrifices a lot of personal time to do the job right. She is also a no doubt choice.

Evelyn Dalton is not the best choice. She has some experience and knowledge. I do question her dedication to union issues and her support Stinson in some of his blunders in the past brings her motivation into doubt.

EDITOR OF THE POKER

David Baldwin should be the only choice for this office. He has years of devoted service to the union and the local. He has fought for members rights repeatedly. He will bring great knowledge and skill to the job. He also has the experience as he currently is the editor of the Oregon Stater, the Oregon APWU's newspaper. No question here.

Louis Deoca I laughed out loud when this name was nominated. Really, I thought this was a joke. This man lacks dedication, he has only been to three meetings in the last four years. He lacks knowledge as demonstrated by the grievances that he files. He lacks skill and his only motivations are purely selfish and self-serving. Furthermore, in my opinion, he does not even have a basic grasp of the English language, as also demonstrated by his grievances. I would fear for the future of the Poker if he were elected. The Poker is read and respected by many on the national level, Louis' lack of ability would not only mean the loss of respect, but also would probably mean the end of the Poker as a means of information and connection from the local.

DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATION

Patty Olson is the clear choice for this office. Along with years of experience as an officer and a steward, she has kept in touch with issues that affect the members of the local both directly and indirectly. She would be a great asset to the local in this office.

Deborah Morton-Hamlet no real experience, little knowledge, no demonstrated dedication to the union or the union's issues. I doubt she would look out for local's or the members of the local interests.

MOTOR VEHICLE SERVICES CRAFT DIRECTOR

Ralph McEvers should take this vital office. He has served his craft well. He has worked hard to make sure that his craft and the local's interests are served. He has put in the time and effort to learn the job and to do it well.

Steve Clinton, no experience, no knowledge, no skill, no way. Steve continually demonstrates all of the best qualities of a minion in that all he knows or does is what Stinson tells him.


That is it. My choices for the contested offices. The people I support have demonstrated that they will serve the member's and the local's interests. They will bring the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to fix the problems of the past few years so that Stinson and problems that he has inflicted on the local will become a sad, but dim memory. Most of the other candidates are only Stinson's minions who want to take control of the local and turn it into their own personal Country Club. I strongly endorse my selections and I will do whatever I can to see that they are elected. Let's get with it. Look for the posts on my reasons not to vote for Stinson coming soon.