The electricians shuffle. Fresh out of convention the current International President has resigned, and an appointment will fill the remainder of his presidency starting January 4th, 2023, with their small cabal of insiders exclusively dictating who that is.
All trades, by and large, have done this. The rank & file seldom gets a vote.
Before approximately 1975, most leaders of locals and internationals stood for election and most elections were contested. After 1975 that has deteriorated to near Aristocracy, with a tiny sprinkle of totalitarianism. Nearly all members who have pursued activism to change that know that the above is exactly correct.
So why do the rank & file, who feel they are independent and strong-willed making their own decisions, allow a handful of men to dictate how they will live? Bear in mind, many of those senior leaders have NEVER missed a paycheck in any situation.
Our Founders would NOT identify whatsoever with us as much as we think we are a union. Most of our Founders wrote about unions – none of us would qualify today.
At the root of being union is activism, both inside our unions and taking it to the streets when necessary with contractors for a fair deal – negotiated and VOTED on by us.
Our founders offered zero excuses. RTW would not even be a speed bump compared to the fight they waged to give us the lives we live. We have not built one thing on that record. Baby Boomers (including me) have coasted our entire working lives. Millennials, you have much to do to undo the BS the trades call a labor MOVEMENT, that is if you chose to.
Work to Rule – learn and implement and we can move on to tactics to again regain a vote, both within our unions and on contracts!
A New Year to dedicate ourselves to a movement greater than ourselves – who’d of thunk it?!
“if you see a good fight – get in it”
Danny L Caliendo
Organizer
Labor Rising
