Is TWU Local 100 in good hands?

Any respectable organization has policies in the event that their Chief Executive Officer CEO is absent due to either a medical or personal reason. They plan ahead so that every one knows and there are no surprises. The biggest example would be when the Apple Corporation’s CEO Steve Jobs took medical leave, Tim Cook replaced him as the CEO. Now lets look at the smallest example - when a class room teacher is absent the New York City Department of Education knows exactly who is the substitute teacher so that the students are not left alone. Another example is when the bus operator comes to relieve the bus operator on the road the MTA knows ahead of time so that the customers can continue with their journey with minimal interruption. Those examples above demonstrate clear lines of authority which ensures continuity with minimal disruption coupled with smooth operation therefore the transition is made easier.

However TWU Local 100 with president John E Samuelsen Take Backward Our Union TBOU is on vacation without any clear lines of authority - if our president is absent then who is in charge? If president John E Samuelsen is sick then how long should the transition period be? Does John E Samuelsen’s vacation put TWU Local 100 power for grabs? One wonders for the day-to-day business and one supervisory for control purposes (since he was elected by the membership - 5549 votes out of 38,180 members as per LM2 of 2010). 

For TWU Local 100 John E Samuelsen presides over the executive board as well as the executive committee. Instead of these two roles being held by different people in our TWU Local 100 it is held by one. Those two roles usually ensure a distinction between management of the executive board and governing by the executive committee. This allows for clear lines of authority. The aim is to prevent a conflict of interest and too much power being concentrated in the hands of one person. That is the principle that a reasonable organization would follow but not in the case of TWU Local 100.

The rumors are flying that Shannon Poland is John E Samuelsen’s designee or a proxy to run the day to day business of TWU Local 100 but the question remains - is TWU Local 100 in good hands?