Veronica Session letter to Judge Berman

In a letter dated August 28, filed on September 4, 2012 in federal court in Manhattan, rank-and-file Local 926 member, Veronica Session, request Court intervention on, full mobility, the new three dispatch rule and the MWA Arbitration crisis.

Dear Judge Berman: I am writing on behalf of myself and the many rank and file members of the District Council. These members request your intervention over several matters of concern. As a long time member and a shop steward for about 13years I have firsthand knowledge of the many trials and barriers to a corruption free union.

Judge Berman ordered, "The RO, Mr. Walsh, is requested to respond by 9/11/2012."
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Addendum to the Session Berman Article 

While Judge Berman has justly acknowledged the reasonable concerns of rank-and-file Carpenters, as expressed by Sister Veronica Session, the longtime Carpenter steward and LU 926 member had already, several months ago, submitted a similar letter to the District Council:

On March 21, 2012, (about five days before the deadline of ballots to be returned for the previous tentative agreement ratification vote,) Veronica Session sent a request to EST Mike Bilello, that the District Council post her 'positions and points of view' on the website, as per the Bylaws:

From: veronica session
To: "mbilello@nycdistrictcouncil.org" 
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 7:28 PM 
Subject: Request to provide information on the District Council website

To: EST Mike Bilello

Re: Request to provide information' on District Council website regarding the contracts and general concerns.

As per section 12 (G) of the District Council bylaws, I am requesting that you post the attached document, with link intact, on the District Council website, to provide the membership with a "range of positions and points of view" on the contract ratification vote.

Section 12 (G) The Executive Committee shall have the authority and responsibility to provide information about the District Council to the public and the membership including by publishing The Carpenter and effectively maintaining the District Council website. When presenting information to the public and the membership, the Executive Committee shall provide information fairly reflecting the range of positions and points of view on subjects relevant to the District Council and members."

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank You, 
Veronica Session 
LU 926
_________________________________________________________ 

In the Third Interim Report of the Review Officer, December 5, 2011, Mr. Walsh described to Judge Berman an upgraded and revamped District Council website including a "forum for discourse" about to be available for members-- as professional technical assistance had been retained. Subsequently, when no website improvements, or forum, materialized, members were told the help had been let go.

On March 14, and 21, in the days prior to the ratification voting deadline, two other NYC Carpenters, John Musumeci and Demian Schroeder, separately submitted documents containing their individual 'positions and points of view' to EST Bilello, which the District Council actually posted, on March 23.

So too, on March 21, Sister Veronica Session also formally requested that EST Bilello post her own discourse-- but she did not receive any response-- even though the document certainly reflected upon subjects relevant to the District Council and members, including an argument for the furlough system, and was written in a way appropriate and applicable not only for the 'Contracts for Member Ratification' page (on the website at the time,) but also in a more overall sense.

After inquiries regarding the administrative lapse, Lebo finally responded on Wednesday, April 4, 2012:

"First of all the section in the bylaws doesn't state that the Council shall post every single point of view of every single member. It for that matter doesn't state that the Council will post any point of view of any particular member (not that we mind doing that, in fact we did as you so noted). The bylaws simply state that the Executive Committee shall provide information fairly reflecting the range of positions and points of view on subjects relevant to the District Council and members. Nowhere does it say the Executive Board has to print your particular position (which we did) nor does it say we have to put any particular link to any other site (which we did). Also we receive hundreds of emails a day, so it is possible Veronica's was missed."

Bilello's only response was on Thursday, April 5, 2012:

"If you check the email address Veronica used, you will see it is incorrect. Mike Bilello- mbilello@nycdistrictcouncil.org"

Though Session misaddressed her initial email to Bilello, just 28 minutes later she sent it to him again, at the correct address (see above.)

The office of the new Director of Communications-- Kwame Patterson-- was also contacted, but without response.

As Lebo and Bilello denied Veronica's valid request, for no good reason, and have repeatedly ignored further inquiry about the facts of their administrative neglect-- for not providing equal rights and privileges of members to participate in their union-- finally, we are symbolically vindicated by Judge Berman.

Meanwhile, Kwame's revamped website no longer contains any past contributions by rank-and-file Carpenters, or their member organizations. V Session 21 March 2012