Wakeup 123 for Union President. He Has my vote.
I think it's appropriate to add a post on the subject of what policy's and what direction LEGALLY ELECTED FRESH leadership would be implementing and putting into place before any contract negotiating would start with any companies . At this critical and strategic place in our unions time line one should first reflect on what we had suffered to earn over the last 35 years , not a bloated and extravagant salary, but a living wage , and how we ,in such a short time, had to watch as what was earned with blood was bargained away during the Cordiello era. During the last 6 years the philosophy on how our union governs shifted from a member based decision making process to a contractor driven PARTNERSHIP where as our union decided that it was more important to bypass what was in the best interest of its members and concentrate on doing everything in its power to keep the bus company's as profitable as possible with the mindset that a filthy rich bus company will never go out of business and the millions of dollars that went back into the contractors pockets , that this would be in the new best interest of the union and the owners , people have been very confused over and over again on why none of the policies the Cordiello administration put into place and why so many anti membership contract decisions were made seemingly with no level of common sense and devoid of any respect of how hard the membership suffered to gain every financial inch over the years only to see our contractual strides disappear in an instant , well it is no confusing once you realize that we are now NOT the most important piece to the puzzle the contractors are . So let's get back to what policies NEW and FRESH leadership would be bringing to the table for the membership, before one contract would be drawn , before one member cast his or her vote , what would take place is that a new foundation would be clearly laid out , a new foundation built on dignity and respect for the members and the one aspect that keeps a union strong, RESPECT FOR SENIORITY , NUMBER 1 , AN INDUSTRY WIDE SENIORITY PICK, NUMBER 2, GETTING THE MEMBERSHIP BACK INTO A MORE COST EFFECTIVE HEALTHCARE OPTION SUCH AS REVISITING WHAT MAGNACARE WOULD OFFER US TODAY ( THEY DID VERY WELL FOR THE MEMBERS BEFORE AND SHOUD NOT HAVE BEEN DROPPED ) AND THREE , AND THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF BEING IN A UNION , WHERE OUR STRENGTH IS DERIVED FROM WHAT MAKES US ALL UNIFIED BROTHERS AND SISTERS THE ACT OF BRINGING THE MEMBERSHIP BACK UNDER ONE CONTRACT , THE CORDIELLO ERA OF DIVIDING A UNION AGAINST ONE ANOTHER WOULD END. " ONE UNION ONE CONTRACT " all this could and would and should be done before one pen hit a contract for this membership , none of this would cost the union a dime and would allow us negotiate with the contractors from a point of STRENGTH instead of being weak and divided , A NEW DAY , A NEW START , NEW LOYAL, EFFECTIVE, HONEST , TRANSPARENT LEADERSHIP BUILT ON THE TIME PROVEN PHILOSOPHY OF " MEMBERS FIRST CONTRACTORS LAST " it's what built this union in the past and is what will DRIVE THIS LOCAL INTO THE FUTURE, " UNITED WE BARGAIN DIVIDED WE BEG " THOMAS SALERNO SUPPORTS THESE POLICIES AS A REALISTIC FIRST STEP, THOMAS SALERNO IS THE FUTURE OF OUR UNION!!!!!'
Sounds great but I have one question. Why are you posting this and not Tommy Salerno? This is a sincere question.
So the the same old people who caused the division and strife in this local years ago, ruined what worked for us for decades, did irreparable damage to all members ... are now the ones who are going to give us a "fresh start," unify us, heal our wounds and make us strong again?
Interesting ...
BUZZ, WHO ARE THE SAME OLD PEOPLE? Did Salerno negotiate the last contract only to see the owners reneg on it? Did Salerno agree to divide the companies and negotiate separately weaken the union to the point on IMPOTENCE? Was is Salerno who made us go on strike only to make us loose even more? Is it Salerno who negotiated a contract that benefitted the owners so the can remain 'COMPETITIVE" at the cost of the members? Was it Salerno that watered down our medical benefits? Was it Salerno who allowed the companies to lay off good union members then hire replacements at lower wages? Is it Salerno who is supposedly negotiating a contract for us right now but refuses to provide any information as to what is happening, and like others have said on this site will 'SHOVE IT DOWN OUR THROATS" and claim this is the best we can do? Then people like you BUZZ, LIKe the last time will post and post how if we don't vote for it we are bad union members and stupid.
Buzz, enough with your BS. THIS IS REAL LIFE !!!!!!!
Stick to hurling personal insults and accusations. Don't speak to things that were before your time and of which you know nothing.
Buzz, again DUCKING the REAL ISSUE that we are confronted with!!!!!!
Yeah, and Salerno has the magic bullet.
Well, if it suits your agenda ...
Well, Cordiello has been shooting blanks for to long now. A new "Possibly Magic" bullet sounds good right about now. I'm telling you people right now, if we're given a disaster of a contract to ratify and are told "this is the best out there", or "this is the best we can do". And are also told "a no vote means an imposed contract", or something in that nature. I for one will vote no. If its that bad don't leave the table until you win.
So tell me this Buzz, What in God's name has Cordiello done for you and your family since he has been in office? And DON'T answer this with a question!!!!!!WHAT has he done?
Quote from: John Eadicicco on January 12, 2016, 04:24:44 AM
So tell me this Buzz, What in God's name has Cordiello done for you and your family since he has been in office? And DON'T answer this with a question!!!!!!WHAT has he done?
I have a job, with decent pay and benefits. I have a president who has held together a union that was fractured by people whom you support. The very ones who cut off the legs of our local are the ones who scream the loudest that it doesn't walk right. Our best chance of getting back the EPP still rests with Michael.
John, as we have stated before Buzz, must be a 'paid " union operative. If he is not receiving money he must be getting some other benefit. Nobody in their right mind after everything that has happened to this industry, union and company can with any shred of intelligence BLINDLEY FOLLOW AND OBEDIENTLY DEFEND THE CURRENT REGIME LIKE BUZZ HAS DONE!
Quote from: Buzz on January 12, 2016, 11:29:33 AM
Quote from: John Eadicicco on January 12, 2016, 04:24:44 AM
So tell me this Buzz, What in God's name has Cordiello done for you and your family since he has been in office? And DON'T answer this with a question!!!!!!WHAT has he done?
I have a job, with decent pay and benefits. I have a president who has held together a union that was fractured by people whom you support. The very ones who cut off the legs of our local are the ones who scream the loudest that it doesn't walk right. Our best chance of getting back the EPP still rests with Michael.
There you have it, with BUZZ it's ( I ) not WE. UNFORTUNATELY Buzz, the majority of us don't share in your REWARDS. that's why we question, complain and act. That's why we call out our 'elected" representatives when we believe they are not acting in our best interest, Buzz. You forget one thing like a lot of people... WE ARE PAYING FOR THEM, EVERY WEEK. paying for the 6 figure salaries, expense accounts, new luxury buildings, 75 k a year secretaries, lobbyist, etc. SO DONT FEEL SO APPRECIATIVE THAT THE ONLY THING THEY HAVE DONE FOR YOU IS THAT YOU HAVE A JOB. THAT JOB COULD BE GONE TOMMORROW AND THE EPP HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
SOME GOOD POINTS YOU REALLY CANT ARGUE WITH!!! BY WAKE UP, ITS EXACTLY WHAT IS BEING SAID BY MOST DRIVERS IN THE INDUSTRY NOT JUST PIONEER....
Asinine accusations and insinuations don't deserve a reply. Have your fun.
All of us can argue both sides of this discussion. I clearly see where Buzz is coming from and I clearly see where John Eadicicco is coming from. I really don't see how arguing about the past is going to help. All I see is exactly what it is doing on this site. Dividing us even more. I will say a few things about the past as far as what happened and what might of happened if another person (Tommy or anyone else) was in office the past 6 years. First off Michael is the only President that has had to deal with Bloomberg and his mission of destroying our Union & the EPP. We don't and will never know how any other EB would have feared. I keep hearing about the 6 figure salaries. Well that's what ANY EB Member makes. Not just Michael and his Board. I'm curious is Tommy & John Israel and any other Members on his slate are going to PROMISE (before hand) if elected that they are going to reduce their salaries? I voted for Michael twice. The second time I was leary but I thought he was the best choice at the time because he & that board were already in discussions with the City and that alone was the deciding factor. Obviously I am not at all happy with how things are today but WE will NEVER know what anyone else would have did differently and how things would have turned out regardless of what they say what they WOULD HAVE done. My left/right sheet says make a left on Glen Ave. but there was construction so I had to go a different way. Then when it comes to the subject of the Strike or the separate contracts for the most part all I keep hearing NOW is what a mistake it was. I think that NOW and I thought that THEN but back then I NEVER heard anyone at least to the degree that I'm hearing it now that it was a mistake. Three years ago WE (the overwhelming majority) voted to go on strike if need be. So let's not put all the blame on Michael. The last week of the strike when we were told we were going to go back to work I disagreed with that decision and even told Ernie but I didn't hear anyone else disagreeing. After we returned to work we all knew well in advance before Michael & the EB started negotiating separate contracts that that was what they were going to do. I didn't hear ANYBODY at that time say NO but now people want to blame Michael. We're just as much to blame. Lastly, we all agreed to and signed those separate contracts. Not only the idea of separate contracts but separate contracts that we all gave back what it took years to get. And anyone who says they were under the impression that if Neil got an extension we would get back what we gave up is only fooling themselves. Let's stop the blame game because we will never know what wasn't and we all have some blame to take ourselves!
PROUD MEMBER, you make some excellent and logical points, especially that WE voted for the strike and WE voted for our contract. Michael did none of this without our overwhelming consent. "Buyer's remorse" I guess you could call it.
Let's face it. If Michael were to walk on water tomorrow, there would be those who would say Salerno could walk on it better.
I would like to point out that our EB did give themselves a 10% pay cut several years ago ... at about the time our 10% cut was imposed. We got our 10% back, theirs is still in effect.
Also, I vehemently voiced my opinion several time to our then vice president about ending the strike. I argued that we should not go back to work without a contract because we would have no leverage whatsoever. I was told things like "One battle at a time" or "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Not his decision, I know, but not the answer I wanted to hear either. But it did look like people were going to cross the picket line over the medical benefits issue, so maybe it was the right call.
Look, I don't agree with everything the union does and if there was somebody really "New" and "Fresh" and capable, I would be more than willing to give them a listen. I understand when you say that arguing about the past isn't going to help, and you're right, to a point, it's not. But it's these people from the PAST who ruined this local and now they want to be the ones to "save" it. I don't think their roles in bringing us to where we are now should be forgotten and that they should be rewarded for their misdeeds now.
Some years ago there was an auto glass shop on Staten Island that was responsible for breaking dozens of car windshields/windows. Then they advertised heavily in the areas they vandalized to drum up business. If you knew they broke your windows, would you go to them to get them fixed?
I absolutely refuse to give any credibility to those who "broke the windows" of our local.
Let me be the first to respond to you Buzz. If that's what you believe to be the truth I couldn't be behind you more. I'm not gonna have the people who purposely broke the windows fix the windows. Obviously you already know what the response from those who are not for Michael is before they even post it. That's the whole point of my previous post. It's a never ending battle and for us to even have the slightest chance of ever becoming a Strong United Union again WE have to figure out a way of overcoming this battle. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW but I know for sure this back & forth of ripping each other apart is not helping in the least but I'll keep trying on this site and on the property. I wish I had the health to do more than I do now.
Quote from: PROUD MEMBER on January 12, 2016, 06:30:18 PM
Obviously you already know what the response from those who are not for Michael is before they even post it.
Oh, that I do, LOL. But it's always amusing to see the creative and sometimes colorful ways they will say it!
All this back and forth is doing nothing but dividing us.Its not even and hasn't been a conversation for some time now.Having an understanding of collective bargaining arguments and negotiations is important.Its easy to armchair quarterback ,as if they could do better.All I can say is be careful what you wish for because you might just get it all and then some you don't want .The problem I have with that is we all get stuck with the results.
No matter how u sugar coat it .... a RAT is still a RAT
So when do we go on strike lol what a joke the strike vote was. And one more thing if everybody hates this Union we do have a choice, Vote in another union all we need is 51% of Pioneer workers only. Lastly, see what it is like to have no Union at all. You pick or deal with the shit just like I do.