Waste of membership dues

This leads us to another waste of our membership dues: union reps going to conferences organized by fraternal or political groups. So far this year there has been a trip to Vegas, a trip to Puerto Rico as well as trips to Albany, Washington D.C., Portugal, Scotland and god knows where else. Why? To hob-nob with fraternal or political groups who organize large gatherings as a means to fund raise and have a good time away from home.

At these events there are workshops and speakers, but it is mostly about the free dinners, free booze, free jackets and fancy locations. It is a waste of our membership dues. We have never heard of any benefit to the TWU Local 100 from one of these social occasions. But union reps clamor for the spots to go. They nearly fall over each other with their hands out. And this is nothing new, it has been like this for years and years.

There have been some TWU Local 100 VPs that have been on more trips this year, than they have been out in the field visiting their members. That is a shame. And when one division goes to an event the other six divisions look on with envy and make sure they are the next in line. They are like hungry puppies looking to feed off their mother. It is so bad to the point where one VP joined one of these groups a few weeks before a Puerto Rico trip just so they could be eligible for the trip. A move that can only be described as:  Ridiculous, dishonest and just plain cheap.

Where were these fraternal groups when we went on strike? Did any of them lift a finger when our people were laid-off? You know the answers as well as we do. Groups like the Emerald Society, CBTU and LACLAA never have done anything for us. These trips and perks are a useless endeavor that help no one and only siphons membership money out of the TWU Local 100.

If the VPs want to go to one of these functions then let them use their own money, they all make well over $100,000 a year. The perks in the Union Hall have become something of an issue. Be aware that not all union reps join in these perks, the perks are mostly for the VPs and other high ranking officers. However how on one hand can the TWU Local 100 say we are in financial dire straits when it comes to hiring more field reps, or limiting pay for some of your hardest workers and then shell out extravagant perks for a select few? That is hypocrisy of the highest order.