An Open email to Director of Operations Matt Walker

From: Demian Schroeder
Date: Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Subject: [Corrected] New Agreement between NYCDCC and Wall-Ceiling
To: Matt Walker
Cc: K Patterson, Dennis Walsh , John Musumeci , Veronica Session

Dear Mr. Walker,

I am writing to inquire why the Memorandum of Agreement between NYCDCC and WC&C is being referred to (on the website) as the 'New Agreement'? In fact, what the Delegate Body approved was a contract proposal, or 'Tentative Agreement.'

I understand the District Council runs content for posting on our website by the in-house legal team; in this case, the absence of any up-front clarification, that the Review Officer, U.S. Attorney, and Judge Berman must approve any such Tentative Agreements, as consistent with purposes of the Consent Decree, before going into effect, is also misleading.

There have been widespread reports of rank-and-file Carpenters asking: "when will the contract will go into effect" but the District Council has been neither forthright, nor proactive, in clearly communicating facts to our membership-at-large. In this case, the current status of vitally important potential policy-- affecting tens-of-thousands, and their families, for many years to come-- is presented on the website as an unqualified generality. It is an insult to the intelligences of countless Carpenter mechanics, and apprentices-- who must work to precise tolerances, and out of a sense of conscience and duty fear making a single mistake, so as to not imperil others, Union, or individual livelihoods-- while our well-paid elected representatives are apparently comfortable with error, submitting sloppy accounts rife with omission, without hint of conscience for anything other than maintaining their propped up authority. 

Furthermore; the Bilello administration has tragically misguided the Delegate Body, Membership, and government, towards accepting the revocation of rank-and-file ratification of contracts.
It is crucial for the Administration to continue emphasizing, as it did earlier in this year, the need for a Membership vote, on all contracts.

Just as the Executive Committee may recommend Tentative Agreements, for the Delegate Body to vote on; so too may the Delegate Body recommend Tentative Agreements, for the rank-and-file Membership to ratify. Such initiative has not been properly presented by the Administration, as an option.

This Union will continue to be divided, and weakened by apathy, if contracts are not put into place by those who actually work under them.

And it is just as critical to ensure Delegates have finalized documents to consider, adequate time to meet with their Local Union constituencies, and for the Membership to be informed truly.

Please forward this message to the Executive Committee, Delegate Body, and legal team.