Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Trust but verify

John Samuelsen president of TWU Local 100 with his TBOU leadership in their campaign against TWU International a parent organization is a meaningless waste of time, energy, resources and counterproductive. Their campaign is ‘Why would the TWU International allow auditors to come into it's largest and most powerful Local and cast doubts about it's financial procedures’. We will use four examples that we hope will help one to see clearly beyond the Samuelsen smokescreen.
First in education it is known the best high school in the world is The Bronx High School of Science due to the fact that they have produced most of the geniuses, prodigies, nobel laureates and pulitzer prize winners. Now lets assume that the principal argues that because they are the best that they should ignore the NYC Department of Education’s rules and regulations. Any reasonable person would come to the conclusion that this principal is delusional. The question is can TWU Local 100 ignore instructions from the TWU International? Obviously not.
Second when General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (Gaijin Shogun, Dugout Doug, Big Chief) in 1951 on March 24, called on China to admit that it had been defeated, simultaneously challenging both the Chinese and his own superiors. His strategy was to occupy China, looking back now if that strategy would have been implemented China would not have been a threat as it is today. Even though General MacArthur was correct ‘from a purely military point of view’ his strategy had the backing of all men in uniform except President Harry S.Truman. The question is why would John Samuelsen want to challenge the TWU International chain of command with the eventual outcome of losing - that is not proper thinking in the rules of engagement.
Third imagine in the military that the US Navy claims that they have the most expensive submarines and aircraft carriers therefore they should not adhere to orders from the Pentagon - now anyone would conclude that those admirals are loony. The question is why would TWU Local 100 not adhere to TWU International? Fourth imagine a child who does not respect his parents - this is what John Samuelsen’s campaign is doing. Rather than coming to an understanding with the TWU International so that we can move on with what is important to the membership which is the wage raise in the contract of 2012.
John Samuelsen’s grandiose ‘largest and most powerful’ rhetoric is useless, he should seek a good compromise. In a very good compromise everybody feels that they’ve gotten something. One can look at the reaction of both supporters and opponents of John Samuelsen’s supremacy which does not add up to a very good compromise. John Samuelsen should come with an explanation - why was he elected the obvious answer is to protect TWU Local 100 membership not to engage in a futile turf war with the TWU International. This phony resentment war of TWU International stirred up by John Samuelsen with TBOU is a smokescreen to cover up his financial irregularities. We object to his use of Local 100 as a pawn against International or the portrayal that ‘TWU International is mad at us’ thus we have to fight back - ‘it is war’. We say no to this cold war. We the membership trust John Samuelsen but would still verify. The audit verified there were financial irregularities - now is the time for every TWU Local 100 credit card holder to reimburse TWU Local 100.

3 comments:

  1. As usual I find it difficult to agree with you. Your examples are all twisted:
    First
    Bronx Science is part of the BOE but operates as it's own separate entity. Yes Bronx Science follows the BASIC rules and regs of the BOE but it is a specialty school focusing on math and science. SO it sets and establishes its OWN cirriculum. Much like Local 100 follows the rules of the International but as a SOVEREIGN Local inside TWU of AMerica sets its own rules (bylaws) as long as they are approved by the nternational.
    This relationship, which is fair, is more of a co-operative relationship than the "parent-child" relationship you later ascribe to.
    The International and the Local work hand in hand and side by side rather than in a subserviant role.
    So in regards to a "campaign" against the International there is none.
    Once again you have confused what is right with what you can hope for politically.

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  2. What you also forget to recognize is that President Sameulsen has institued financial controls and policies to grow this Union into the next few decades.
    Do you give credit for that? No.
    Would you have been one of those eboard members who holwed wildly about "financial irregularities" and then voted "no" for the new financial controls?
    (read that again because it is a statement disguised as a question)
    Where are your articles about such "politics"?
    Hopefully when the info becomes available you will hammer them as hard as you hammer others.

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  3. And since you are now answering questions here is another good one:
    Being that TWU Local 100 is the largest Local in the International, the Local who provides the most dues money, and the most PAC money to the international as well, why is it that we do not have a representitve in the top 5 of the International TWU?

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