The strike of 2005 was suppose to enhance the blue collar ability of wellbeing due to the pressure of the mounting skyrocketing prices coupled with inflation. Members were struggling to put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, and get medical care. Therefore TWU Local 100 membership were too weary of promises to settle for anything less, thus the result was the strike.
There is no question that the membership were right to strike, however, those basic principles which they envisioned to accomplish are still for debate. It depends on which camp you fall in. There is John Samuelsen with his TBOU camp who would like to take advantage of the fruits of the strike but will downplay or discredit others.
Currently there are rumors going around that a new camp wants to erect its tent using the strike of 2005 as a smoke screen to prepare for the 2012 TWU Local 100 election. Specifically that the former president of TWU Local 100 Roger Toussaint the architect of the 2005 strike is trying to form a slate that can compete in the election of 2012, with the hope that his slate wins thus gaining the automatic status of delegates to the TWU International convention. With that aim Roger Toussaint will run for the TWU International against James Little - if his slate wins the Local 100 then he has those votes in the pocket thus guaranteeing toppling Jim Little. It is not clear whether this is a myth or reality or whether this is John Samuelsen with his TBOU peddling this version to get friendlier or some concessions from Jim Little.
Well we here in why did you join the union will form an independent slate to compete with the above camps. You have suffered enough from both whether it is John Samuelsen’s TBOU camp: that let over 1000 members to be laid off in 2010 without any response to the MTA, in addition to taking your hard earned $5 weekly for the so called solidarity fund or the so called Toussaint slate. You have endured enough now is the time to shift to a complete new beginning with the independent slate.
Manhattanville your post is quite interesting. I would say your permise is likely, although admittadly I have no inside information.
ReplyDeleteBut I will congratulate you on one piece of literary prowess: you manage to damn the current administration on both the layoffs and trying to help those who got laid off. QUite a trick and ultimately proving the old cliche "damned if you do or damned if you don't"
LMFAO