Contract

The number one priority issue to the membership is the contract. We must make sure and remind John E Sameulsen president of TWU Local 100 Take Backward Our Union TBOU of that. This is an enormous step to take and we need the strongest possible evidence that the contract committee is ready to undertake it. How can Samuelsen think the case has been made when there are conflicting stories of the non members on the contract committee.

It is obvious now the contract committee was and is not ready. The future of the membership is at stake. Now since the time is closer to the expiration of the current contract, we are forced at the last minute to act. We are forced to act in an emergency manner when we could have benefited in a period of calmness by building a process to extract the best contract. But now we are in a moment of panic and pressure is mounting therefore we are forced to chose between the property or the contract.

Who wasted all of this time? We are in a moment of difficulty as a result. Sameulsen would have a stronger argument if he had a genuine argument that has lined up all the departments and their membership but he hasn’t for the contract. Yes there are some who support him but there are a lot who don't support him - he has not made the case or demonstrated the importance of the contract of 2012.

This waste of time is counter productive it only benefits our employer as indicated by those from the previous administration. We say our duty first should be to plan to what is in the best interest of the membership, namely our contract of 2012. We do not want to fail in our duty by not taking the necessary counter measures when our employer may deploy them - we say in sorrow rather than in anger.

It is obvious Samuelsen may claim he does not need a reminder however we cannot win the best contract if we are wasting time in other peripheral issues. Can we have a look at concessions that he may make. Can he tell us how that is going to work out? It is obvious this cannot work in the benefit of the membership. Shouldn't every member now have to be thinking of the contract - this is not about Samuelsen this is about our contract.