Haiti money

By laws of the Transport Workers Union of Greater New York Local 100, AFL-CIO section XIX Obligation of Members subsection (c) No member shall take up a collection in the name of Union and any Section or Division of the Union, regardless of its purpose, without prior approval of the Section, Division and the Executive Board...

Section XVI Finances subsection (e)...Records of collection from members and expenditures from such collections must be kept by those officers, representatives and/or staff organizing a collection among the membership, and such records must be available for review by any member who makes a contribution...

Now Samuelsen and TBOU can not use prior presidents as the scape goats or talk on both sides of the mouth that this situation was inherited from previous administrations. Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund was Samuelsen’s project.

It is a known fact that the membership was generous in contributing to this important cause however Samuelsen and TBOU have not provided accounting of the showing how much was raked in, after collecting $10, water and non perishable items.

It is rumored that the water and non perishable items ended up in  a whole seller ware house. There is no accounting, how much was given to the Haitians with verification or whether those monies were pocketed. Samuelsen now has no excuse to blame anyone  because there are no scape goats.

For the future of our Local 100, Samuelsen and TBOU must provide accounting and verification of Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund and where they it went? To preserve the membership’s confidence in an honest and independent leader, Samuelsen should adhere to the above by laws. He should maintain and enforce high standards of conduct and shall personally observe those standards himself.

Accounting should be provided for the funds, water and the non perishable items in a manner that is clear of ambiguity. First the fund needs to be discussed in how it was transmitted to Haiti whether thru the department of state, financial institute or charity organization such as USAID. Second how the water and non perishable items were  shipped whether thru the US Navy [since Haiti at that time had the airport and the harbor out of commission]. Third how the aid was distributed in Haiti and by whom.

Samuelsen should respect and comply with the by laws and should act in a way that promotes membership confidence. Samuelsen should be subjected to constant membership scrutiny.