Annie's House - revisited!

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=170629" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=130 BGCOLOR="#BBBBBB" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04425821ewjdxp.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCCB2" FACE="Arial" ><B><IMG SRC="04332320.gif" border=0 width="50" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  </b></FONT><B>Annie's House - revisited!</b></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="1013" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 66 ><NOBR><div> <B>Re-created October 20, 2001 - Last updated February 11, 2002. Today is  <SCRIPT LANGUAGE = "JavaScript">  </SCRIPT>  </b></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></b></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="042d2272egerdp.gif"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="08779a80.jpg" border=0 width="121" height="168" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></b></div> <div> <B>I'm back!</b></div> <div> <B>(And Better than Ever?)  </b></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto: anniejgabston@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: anniejgabston@aol.com"><U><I>e-mail me!</I></U></A></div> <div> <B>______</b></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BYLAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES A"><U><B>By-Laws</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Metro East Online regarding anonymous "><U><B>ME online</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WE ARE THE UNION"><U><B>We Are the Union</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Family aka Senior Moments that exte"><U><B>Family</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ramblin on bout nothing much"><U><B>Ramblin'</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="home.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Annies House revisited! (Archive)"><U><B>Archives</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.uniondemocracy.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.uniondemocracy.com"><U><B>Union Democracy!</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.uniondemocracy.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.uniondemocracy.com"><U><B>Join AUD</b></U></A></div> <div> <B>_____</b></div> <bR> <div> <B>Dec. 7, 2001</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>Is this, the "delayed election" enough to make you angry? Send me an</b></FONT><B> </b><A HREF="mailto: anniejgabston@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: anniejgabston@aol.com"><U><B>e-mail </b></U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>and let's talk about taking back our union!</b></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>-------</b></div> <bR> <div> <B>Nov. 10, 2001</b></div> <bR> <div> <B>Annie's Slate</b></div> <div> <B>Hey, Alejandro was nice enough to put out a flyer listing all the people NOT  to vote for, (er..I mean, listing his slate) so the least I can do is tell you who I believe to be worth the effort of pushing out a chad.</b><B> </b></div> <div> <B>***</b></div> <div> <B>President: </b></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.unionglenn.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.unionglenn.com"><U><B>GLENN STEPHENS</b></U></A></div> <div> <B>***</b></div> <div> <B>Vice-President</b></div> <div> <B>Shirley Carter</b></div> <div> <B>Or</b></div> <div> <B>Cynthia Swink</b></div> <div> <B>***</b></div> <div> <B>Secretary</b></div> <div> <B>Nobody</b></div> <div> <B>*incumbent is running unopposed</b></div> <div> <B>***</b></div> <div> <B>Treasurer</b></div> <div> <B>Norm Johnson</b></div> <div> <B>***</b></div> <div> <B>10/20/2001</b></div> <div> <B> It's been very close to a year since I last attended to my 'house' here on the web.</b></div> <bR> <div> <B>Time is annoying.  There's never enough of it to do </b><I>all</I><B> the things I want to do, somehow. </b></div> <bR> <div> <B>This past year has been worse than usual and the web site fell about five places down my list of priorities.  Just enough to be past the point of being important enough to get done.</b></div> <bR> <div> <B>Let's try again, shall we?   </b></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=350 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Annie's House - revisited!</I></div> <div> <I><B>  <SCRIPT TYPE="text/javascript" LANGUAGE="javascript"> s="na";c="na";j="na";f=""+escape(document.referrer) </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT TYPE="text/javascript" LANGUAGE="javascript1.2"> s=screen.width;v=navigator.appName if (v != "Netscape") {c=screen.colorDepth} else {c=screen.pixelDepth} j=navigator.javaEnabled() </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT TYPE="text/javascript" LANGUAGE="javascript"> function pr(n) {document.write(n,"\n");} NS2Ch=0 if (navigator.appName == "Netscape" && navigator.appVersion.charAt(0) == "2") {NS2Ch=1} if (NS2Ch == 0) { r="&size="+s+"&colors="+c+"&referer="+f+"&java="+j+"" pr("<A HREF=\"http://www.TheCounter.com\" TARGET=\"_top\"><IMG"+ " BORDER=0 SRC=\"http://c1.thecounter.com/id=442467"+r+"\"><\/A>")} </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT><A HREF="http://www.TheCounter.com" TARGET="_top"><IMG SRC="http://c1.thecounter.com/id=442467" ALT="TC" BORDER=0></A> </NOSCRIPT>   </b></I></div> <div> <I><B>                                                                   </b></I></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BYLAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES A"><U><I><B>BY-LAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION</b></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/dynamic/960/660/660.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/dy"><U><I><B>A View From the Outside: Allan Looks at 660.</b></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Members Guide to Local 660"><U><I><B>How Local 660 Works - A Member's Guide to the Union.</b></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://enigmaone.150m.com/660/index.html#begin" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://enigmaone.150m.com/660/index.html"><U><I><B>The official  Local 660 "budget" for the last couple of years.</b></I></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>May 6, 2002</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Some folks finally got a response to those Election Complaints we filed way back when.  The International is conducting a hearing.  The notice states:  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> All members and officers of Local 660 shall have a right to attend the hearing.  All members filing appeals, candidates, elected officers and the Local Election Committee shall have the right to present testimony and other evidence through witnesses and/or documents and to state their position with respect to the decisions of the Local Union Election Committee and the appeals from those decisions.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sounds good, and fair.  My sole objection, so far, is that they didn't send a notice to me or to anyone that I work with who filed complaints.  How are we supposed to know that they're listening if they don't tell us?  </b></I></div> <div> <I><B>----------------------------------</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The letter below got two reactions.  Brother Stern wrote back saying something very soothing --along the lines of "I'm looking into it."  And Alejandro blew his top at a board meeting and threatened to sue me for everything that I own.   I wasn't there, you understand, but a number of 'his' board members found it necessary to tell me all about it.  If I got the impression that he was practically foaming at the mouth, I'm sure it was their overstatements, not his loss of the last litttle bit of what I'll laughingly refer to as his mind.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Which reminds me, what   do you think are appropriate  goals for a union hardship committee?</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Think about it awhile.  Email me with your answer.  If enough of you have  ideas that come close to mine --like maybe helping out members who are undergoing hardships?-- we could arrange to attend a few meetings of the committee in question.  Find out what it thinks it's supposed to be doing.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>February 10, 2002</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Sometimes I wonder about our president.  Right now, I'm wondering aloud everywhere I can think of and to everyone I can think of.  You see, I have this theory that people are less likely to take action on threats if LOT'S of people are aware of the threat.</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Hence, the following letter to Andy Stern, president of SEIU International.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> February 10, 2002 </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Andy Stern, President</div> <div> Service Employees International Union</div> <div> 1313 L Street, NW</div> <div> Washington, DC 20005</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Brother Stern,</div> <bR> <div> Last week, I wrote to you for help as a union member requesting assistance from a union leader on a matter affecting all members within my local –660-- our most recent election.</div> <bR> <div> Although troublesome, the situation was one that I felt prepared to deal with. It is not pleasant, but there are rules to follow when the question is merely an election complaint. </div> <bR> <div> Today, I request your immediate assistance on a more personal level. I,Annie J. Gabston, request your help in a matter relating to my individual health and well being.</div> <bR> <div> Brother Stern, yesterday the president of Local 660, Alejandro Stephens, threatened me. He was angered when,during a meeting, he responded to other members questioning the way the election was supervised and the validity of him holding the office he holds by stating that “malcontents” should just leave. I stood up, stated that if there was to be no freedom of speech for my fellow stewards and myself in the steward’s council meeting, then I would answer to the title of “malcontent” and accept his invitation to leave.</div> <bR> <div> As I sat outside the building, Alejandro Stephens came out. I smiled and greeted him, saying, “Hello, sir.”</div> <bR> <div> He responded, “You’ll be hearing from me!”</div> <bR> <div> As he strode towards his car, I responded cheerfully that he would also be hearing from me. He appeared angry enough as he got into his car, that I prepared myself to jump away should his temper overcome him and he attempt to drive the vehicle over me. That preparation, thankfully, proved unnecessary. He drove away, doing nothing worse than glaring at me as he passed.</div> <bR> <div> He surprised me by returning almost immediately. He parked, got out of his car muttering angrily to himself. As he approached me, I asked, “Talking to yourself now?”</div> <bR> <div> He responded in the affirmative in a manner that clearly communicated his anger and entered the building.</div> <bR> <div> I was surprised when I, planning to return to the meeting, attempted to open the door and discovered that he had locked it behind him.</div> <bR> <div> Because a number of people were inside, I was more amused at being locked out than otherwise. I merely waited beside the door for someone to open it on his or her way out.</div> <bR> <div> Alejandro Stephens startled me by being that next person. I stepped past him, into the building as he stood in the open doorway staring at me and I said, “Alejandro, you locked me out! I’d almost think you didn’t want me in the union.”</div> <bR> <div> He responded, sounding almost uncontrollably enraged, “We don’t and we’re working on getting you out!”</div> <bR> <div> I went inside and told everyone who would listen, including the General Manager, Annelle Grajeda, of the threat, hoping that, if enough people are aware of it in advance, Alejandro Stephens will be less likely to attempt to cause harm to me.</div> <bR> <div> Normally, I would not take him as a serious threat. He is, in and of himself, just another bully who can’t control his temper when crossed. I am confident of my own ability to protect myself from Alejandro Stephens, the individual.</div> <bR> <div> However, credible claims have been made that he has, and has made use of, personal information provided by members to the local. Not fearing him personally does not preclude my fearing his ability to unjustly use the power of the presidency of the local against me.</div> <bR> <div> Brother Stern, a union consisting of over forty-thousand members (even apathetic members) has more power than I care to battle alone.</div> <bR> <div> I believe, as stated above, that he has lost his ability to control his temper. In addition to his behavior towards myself yesterday, he refused to shake hands with a number of people and explained his abject rudeness by saying; “I don’t shake hands with my enemies.”</div> <bR> <div> He responded to members who questioned the legitimacy of his election victory and asked for a hearing on the issue by calling them “malcontents”.</div> <bR> <div> All of the above occurred during and after a steward’s meeting on a single day when there were many witnesses and potential witnesses. Such public loss of control leaves me questioning what he is capable of in private.</div> <bR> <div> This person has my address at home and at work. He has my phone number at home and at work. He has all the knowledge he needs to offer harm tome and mine. I am not confident in his ability to control his rage to the degree necessary to prevent him doing so.</div> <bR> <div> The LMRDA guarantees freedom of speech and assembly. I ask you to take whatever steps within your power to support that guarantee within SEIU. As a union of workers, we must show that we can police ourselves. Each time a member is required to go outside the union for help with matters within the union, we weaken ourselves in the eyes of the non-union public.</div> <bR> <div> I readily admit that as an individual, I don’t have the power to force Alejandro Stephens to play by the rules. We are engaged, Alejandro Stephens and I, in a battle which should be limited to words, to honest debate. I have no confidence in his ability to remain objective enough to realize that this is a battle where words are the only acceptable ammunition. </div> <bR> <div> I am unable go to the Board of Directors of Local 660 with any expectation that they will assist me. In the last few months, they have shown themselves unwilling to challenge Alejandro Stephens on any but the most minor of issues. I <I>will</I> make them aware of this latest incident, but I will do so because my honor requires it,not because I believe that they will take action.</div> <bR> <div> At this stage, then, I have only two choices. There are two possible sources with the power to insist that Alejandro Stephens stay within the law. I can go to the law itself or to the union and ask for protection.</div> <bR> <div> Brother Stern, I choose my union.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> In solidarity,</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Annie J. Gabston</div> <bR> <bR> <div> C: Ruby Dye, Director</div> <div> SEIU, Local 660</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>February 2, 2002</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Louie Duran sent me a response to my election appeal.  Because he, and presumably the rest of the Election Committee, decided not to take action, I'm sending the following on to the International:</b></I></div> <bR> <div> The Petitioner in the above entitled action, a member in good standing, of The Los Angeles County Employees Association, Local 660 does hereby request that the Respondent review the attached documents, investigate to the extent necessary to verify the veracity of the charges made by this Petitioner and take such actions as are required by the Bylaws of this organization and the laws of the United States.</div> <bR> <div> The requested action is necessary because, particularly in such difficult economic times as we currently endure, the strength of the worker is measured by the strength of the worker's labor union.  No labor union can be strong without the support of its individual members.  SEIU, Local 660, as represented by the Elected Officers, the Board of Directors and the Election Committee, has acted with such bad faith towards the rank and file members during this most recent election period that few members can offer honest belief in our union.</div> <bR> <div> Close examination of the enclosed letter, dated January 25, addressed to me and signed by Louie Duran, Election Committee Chair will show that Mr. Duran either admits or fails to refute each charge. Most damning is his admission, on page three, (paragraph one, line nine) that he and the members of the Election Committee did knowingly violate the Bylaws of Local 660.</div> <bR> <div> To understand the depth of my current disgust with Mr. Duran, I ask you to imagine yourself, or any other United States citizen, being told that a decision affecting you had been made on grounds known to violate the Constitution. Then, you are told, “But it doesn't really matter, so the decision will stand.”</div> <bR> <div> Brother Stern, we are a nation of law.  Many decisions have been made by courts that citizens thought to be unfair, but accepted because it is acknowledged that, in a nation of law, the law <I><B>must</b></I> be held to be sacrosanct. As citizens, we work to change or repeal unfair laws, we do not ignore them.</div> <bR> <div> There is no higher law in SEIU, Local 660 than our Bylaws.  It had, within our local, the same weight that the Constitution of the United States holds within this nation.  I use the words “it had” because, if Mr. Duran's decision is allowed to stand, members of Local 660 must acknowledge that our Bylaws are without meaning and have no power to bind our officers and Board to work for our benefit.</div> <bR> <div> In my letter, dated January 15, 2002, to the Election Committee and the Board of the Directors, I charge (page three, line six) that the Election Committee knew that Alejandro Stephens had possession of and was making use of a member list which contained residence phone numbers. Mr. Duran admits, by his failure to deny that he knew of this, that he and the members of the Election Committee, also knew that Alejandro Stephens had an unfair advantage over other candidates. </div> <bR> <div> Mr. Duran explains in his response to me, the several ways by which Mr. Stephens <I><B>may</b></I> have obtained such a list (page three, paragraph two), but fails to explain why the Election Committee failed to take action to remedy the obvious inequity of one candidate having greater access to members than other candidates.</div> <bR> <div> In summation, a translation of Mr. Duran's response to the many charges presented for his consideration in what he terms my “lengthy letter of protest” may be read as: <I>We, the members of the Election Committee, violated the Bylaws. The winning candidates had an advantage over other candidates. The Election Committee failed to supervise a clean election. The Election Committee now refuses to see any problem with the above and declares the election to be valid.</I></div> <bR> <div> Brother Stern, I have, in good faith, spent a great deal of my time investigating matters which should, more properly, have been investigated by the Board of Directors and the Election Committee of SEIU, Local 660. The Board, by failing to respond at all, refuses to admit any responsibility for these matters. The Election Committee provides a response that clearly shows a refusal to admit that they are bound by law.</div> <bR> <div> I bring this matter to you with the earnest hope that such good faith, having been spurned at the local level, will be met with earnest effort and good will at the International level.</div> <bR> <div> In solidarity,</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Dated this 2<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >nd</FONT> day of February, 2002</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Attachments:</div> <bR> <div> A. Four numbered pages: Letter, dated January 25, 2002, from Louie Duran, Chairman of Local 660 Election Committee. </div> <div> B. Eleven numbered pages: Petition, dated January 15, 2002, from Annie Gabston to the Board of Directors and Election Committee, Local 660. </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>    </b></FONT>C. One page: Copies of two ballots sent to the same member<B>.</b></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>January 16, 2002</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>It's been a busy and contentious week since the Election Committee, finally, allowed the ballots to be counted on January 7, 2002.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>On January 8, 2002, while we were, most of us, still waiting for the smoke to clear to find out who had been declared the winners, the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) announced publically, that they've declared their own election invalid. They decided that allowing some members an extra two days to vote compromised the validity of their election and will be doing it over.  (There was some sort of complaint about Sequoia Voting Systems, too. That, FYI, is the same company that worked on OUR election.)</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Does everyone remember that some of OUR members had an extra MONTH to cast their ballots?  I wonder if our Leaders are going to take SAGs decision into consideration when deciding on the Election Complaints we've submitted?</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>On January 9, 2002, the new Board was allowed to meet.  If I sound surprised, it was because Alejandro Stephens had canceled the last two scheduled meetings. Some of us had begun to think that he didn't plan to ever allow us to address our concerns to the board!</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The real shock to me:  Without any prompting, he announced my request to speak before the board, and didn't make (that I could see) any gestures of the type he's famous for, while I spoke.  I introduced myself as that strange critter that most board members tend to forget about --a member!-- and demanded that they remember me in future, especially when making decisions that impact me.  You know the decisions I mean, right?  Like every single one they make as board members? Those decisions?</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Only the future will tell us if they listened.  Several of them are new to the board and, presumably, not yet steeped in Alejandro's way.  If we can get them to see that we're out here AND we care, we should be able to keep them on the side of the angels.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Although, newly elected doesn't HAVE to mean honest, come to think of it. One of the newly elected EW reps won by a coin toss after the vote count ended in a tie. She took the seat that otherwise would have gone to Janice Netterville.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>She accepted the results of the toss, made no objection to taking her new seat, listed no reason why the seat should be given to Netterville, swore to be honest, brave and true, etc...  Then, at the end of the meeting, she announced that she'd been promoted to Supervisor, was no longer eligible to represent the barganing unit, and was resigning. </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The only motive that any of us have been able to come up with for doing this in this fashion?  If she, or Alejandro, had admitted at any time since they first knew of the promotion back in December that she wasn't eligible, Alejandro would have been forced to accept Netterville on "his" board.  It was better for his agenda to swear the ineligible member in on January 9, then out again on the same day, so that he could APPOINT a sympathetic party to the now "vacated" seat.  Hopefully, the wronged candidate will make strong and prolonged legal objections until the matter is settled.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>January 10th and 11th were a busy mishmash of member meetings and war councils.  Nobody is taking this stuff lying down, but all of us have different primary goals and differing planned tactics for addressing the problems.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The favorite three for the moment --and the most solidly foundationed so far-- Elections Complaints have been written and submitted listing the worst of the violations.  Few folks expect Local 660 to find any validity to any allegation of wrongdoing, but the complaints have to be submitted locally before we can take them to the international or to the Federal Government.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Members have consulted with --and may have, by now, hired-- an attorney who is of the opinion that some of those complaints that CAN be fought through the courts, actually SHOULD be fought through the courts.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Members have started dragooning other members into the fray.  Much of what we're going through now is as a result of member apathy.  To end the problems, we need to make all members aware of the responsibility to supervise their own union.  With member involvement comes power.  This third battle front is more likely to require long-term commitment from the planners, but will pay far more dividends than the two above. The first two are short term (and satisfying!) fixes to individual problems, the third is THE FIX. Failing success in either/both of the first lines, the third gives us the ability to recall Alejandro and any of the Board who fail to show respect for the members.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>And speaking of a lack of respect, the Steward's Council met on January 12, 2002.  We got a new chairperson who is, apparently, a bit unclear on the concept.  She decided that the agenda was too important to allow a member of the committee to make a motion to change.  She REFUSED to allow any member motion as a matter of fact.  The meeting, of course, lost all pretense to order at that point.  Stewards ended up banging on the tables and chanting.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Funny.  You'd have expected her to expect something of the sort.  When Los Angeles County refuses to respect our rights, don't we, as a union, stop being orderly?  Don't we take to the streets and chant slogans demanding democracy?  Oh well, maybe she'll have gained some wisdom by the time of next month's meeting.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> </b></I></div> <div> <I><B>January 8, 2002</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Alejandro Stephens "wins" again!  Or did he?  The world may never know.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The official count shows AS's team still in power. Alejandro is prez, Lupe vice-president, and Donna remaining as secretary. The one ray of hope is that Jim is out and Norm Johnson takes over as treasurer.  (Take a look at the </b></I><A HREF="http://enigmaone.150m.com/660/doc_index.html#begin" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://enigmaone.150m.com/660/doc_index."><U><I><B>"budget" link </b></I></U></A><I><B>above.  It leads to the LM2s filed for the last couple of years.  Did we really need to spend that much money two years running on new furniture?  And if so, where'd we put it?  All I've seen is the same old stuff.)</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Too bad that the official count didn't show up 'til after a large percentage of the ballots had sat around open for over a month.  I didn't trust Alejandro and company while the ballots were still in their security envelopes, you think I trust the results after they were removed and left uncounted for a month? Do you trust him? </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Supposedly, approximately 6500 ballots were cast with approximately 4500 voting for president.  Of these 1400 or so wanted Alejandro back. Yeah. Uh-huh.  Right.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Time to file a complaint folks.  You have ten days to complain to the election committee.  The complaint must be in writing.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>You can also call the local at (213) 748-9000 to find out who your new representatives are on the board of directors and give them a call or ten.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Your choice: Another 3 years with the same old apathy on your part allowing the same old corruption on theirs, or: You can get busy, get involved and get some action from our union!</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>We want change. To get change, we must act.  Call your board representative. Go to tomorrow's (1-9-02 , 6:00 p.m.) meeting of the Board.  FerGoshSake, GO TO THE NEXT GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING (quorum, quorum, quorum!), sit down and write a complaint to the election committee.  Do something that says, loudly and clearly, "This is MY union, and it will be run for MY benefit, not for the benefit of a few people who are too dishonest to work without being watched."</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>December 23, 2001</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>If you've read the comments below, you know that we're having a few problems getting our Board of Directors to pay attention.  Some of them act as if they ran for the Board in order to help themselves instead of to help the membership.  I'm sure that isn't true.  Most likely, they don't pay attention because not enough of us have called and asked them to pay attention.  Maybe you can help by making a few calls of your own.</b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>CALL YOUR  DIRECTOR</b></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Alejandro Stephens</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>President</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>All Members</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (213) 744-8238</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>home: (323) 235-2669</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (213) 508-6470</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (213) 494-6790</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Contacting him probably won't do much good, but, who knows?  Can't hurt to try!</b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Linda Templeton-Dent</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Vice President</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>All Members</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (213) 974-9346</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell:  (562) 577-5895</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (310) 731-9081</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Linda is INTERESTING.  She  showed up at the Board meeting on December 12th and, since we lacked a quorum, helped make arrangements for the meeting to be held on December 20th.  She made promises about being upright and aboveboard, then she failed to follow through on anything. She was brave enough to go against Alejandro on the 12th, but by the 20th, she'd backed down and gone into hiding. My bad actually.  I was told by folks who've known her for awhile that she'd do exactly what she DID do.  Promise a lot and produce nothing.  Call her anyway, though.  If we can convince her that the crowd has ethics, being a follower of crowds, Linda will have ethics, too.</b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Donna Meredith</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Secretary</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>All Members</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work:  (562) 462-2059</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>home: (310) 326-6741</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (213) 917-0777</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (213) 494-8858</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>From what I've heard, Donna is as interesting as Linda, but not as ethical.  Do call her!</b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Jim McCarthy</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Treasurer</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>All Members</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work:   (310) 326-6741</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>home:  (562) 698-5305</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (562) 465-1605</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell:     (562) 577-4679</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Jim is in charge of watching our money.  Alejandro is happy with Jim.  The two facts, taken together, scare the dickens out of me.  Call Jim!</b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Gerry Armijo</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Non-Represented Members</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 226-6188</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Kathleen Austria</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Supervising Health Science Professionals</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 226-6844</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (562) 466-6913</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Leana Babineaux</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Professional Paramedics</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 846-4258</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (213) 760-9330</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Don Baker</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Supervising RN's</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 267-2055</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (213) 307-7635</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Richard Bartolomeo</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Santa Monica-Malibu School District</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (310) 264-1856</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>(310) 450-8338 *108</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Surdalyer Brown</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Supervising Blue Collar</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (310) 543-1967</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>John Butkis</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Librarians</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 722-5621</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Shirley Carter</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Eligibility Workers/Social Service Investigators</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 418-2313</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell:  (213) 910-6360</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Connie Castellanos</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Clerical</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 727-4537</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Amusing rumors going around about Connie.  'They'  say she's honest.  'They' also say she believes in Alejandro.  Facts that should be mutually exclusive.  Not surprisingly, 'they' don't say Connie is smart!</b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Gary Cramer</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Superior Courts</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (213) 974-6468</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (818) 413-1074</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Nice work if you can get it.  Director Cramer was elected to the Board of Directors.  This kind of implies his willingness to serve the membership without conflict of interest, doesn't it?  Somebody might want to tell him that there's a nasty rumor going around about him.  "They" say that Director Cramer has a lucrative consultancy contract with Local 660.  "They" claim that we pay him $10,460.00 per month on a three year contract term.  "They" aren't clear about whether he voted to award himself the contract.  "They" also haven't said exactly what he's supposed to consult about. Call him and let him know that you don't believe such vicious rumors!  Or, do you believe them? What a nasty, suspicious mind you have!</b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Charles Doakes</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Supervising Ad-Tech</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>(310) 668-4429</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Pete Enriquez</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Eligibility Workers/Social Service Investigators</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 727-4378</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (626) 827-8548</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Lourdes Esparza</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Community Health Foundation</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 266-5630</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>messages: (323) 222-9457</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Julio Fernandez</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Clerical</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (562) 462-2211</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (323) 253-4551</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Lupe Figueroa</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Registered Nurses</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (626) 579-8321</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (562) 715-0849</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Rick Gibson</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Sanitation Districts</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (562) 699-7411 x6131</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (626)644-4007</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Luis Gonzalez</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Eligibility Supervisors/Supervising Social Services Investigators</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 727-4579</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Norm Johnson</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Supervising Deputy Probation Officers</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (818) 364-2050</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (310) 366-9834</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Carolyn Lawson</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Ad-Tech</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (310) 603-8626</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Rosie Martinez</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Registered Nurses</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (818) 364-3539</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Pam Moore</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Health Science Professionals</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (310) 668-4454</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (213) 240-2660</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Gregory Myers</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Institutional Support</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 343-0506</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Jonathan Nickles</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Chapter 787</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (714) 567-7762</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>cell: (714) 624-4941</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Allen Parker</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Custodians</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (213) 974-9431</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Herman Santos</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Non-Represented Members</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (909) 868-6429</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>pager: (626) 930-6294</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tommie Shaw</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>County Office of Education</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (562) 922-6214</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sarah Speck</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Supervising Clerical</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (661) 945-8237</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Carroll Stephens</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Blue Collar</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (323) 226-8598</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (800) 225-0256/(818) 229-1951</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Jack Thomas</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Six-sixty seniors</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>only home number listed.  </b></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><A HREF="mailto: anniejgabston@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: anniejgabston@aol.com"><U><I><B>Email </b></I></U></A></FONT><I><B>me for number.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Mae Thomas</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Health Financial Support Services</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (310) 668-4777</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Al Ward</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Clerical</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>work: (310) 222-4211</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Ninette Aguilar</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Clerical</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>(310) 668-5103</b></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>December 20, 2001</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>This is going to be a SHORT update because it's now 11:45 and it's been a LONG day.  But, before I tell you about my day, allow me to say something quite rude about our president, I really need to say something rude about him.  He behaved very much like himself today. AS behaving like himself is a pathetic thing to observe.  The more dealings I have with him the more convinced I am that what I heard about him is true:  If you stuffed AS's brain up a flea's behind it would look like a 'BB' in a boxcar.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Okay, that's better.  Now that I've got that off my chest, I can tell you about today.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Alejandro called me this afternoon.  He told me that, By-Laws or no By-Laws, he is our President, it's HIS Board of Directors and he is not about to let me speak before them, ever.  Then, he hung up on me.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Another member spoke to him.  I don't know exactly what was said, but she came into my office afterwards and informed me that "Alejandro Stephens is an A--Hole."  I knew this already, of course, but it's gratifying to have one's own perceptions supported by those of an unbiased observer.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Then, AS called Bridget and got his ego kicked.  Hard.  He told her that we, the membership are a bunch on "ingrates" who don't deserve any more respect from him that we get.  He wasn't going to allow a Board Meeting tonight because it's HIS board and He doesnt have to hold a meeting for a bunch of ingrates who don't appreciate what he does for us all. </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>He was kind enough to inform Bridget that most of the good things that have happened to the members for the last nine years  have been thanks to him and every single one of the not-so-good things are either Annelle Grajeda's fault or Linda Templeton-Dent's fault.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Bridget responded with things that had a room full of people laughing and urging her on.  Alejandro wasn't laughing, but stayed on the phone trying to convince her that she was paying too much attention to reality and not enough to what he had to say.  He finally gave up after an hour or more.  Wonder if we're paying the cell phone charges?</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>THE MEETING</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I'm not sure (since a security guard was outside, claiming that "no meeting is going on in there tonight") how many people went to the trouble of attending the meeting, only to be turned away.  Some of us did make it inside, and gleefully shared information gathered from various sources since  last week's un-meeting.  Although I went to both un-meetings intending a good faith effort to convince my Board that it should listen to members instead of AS, I probably learned more during his absence than I would've had he been present.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Those of us who attended the un-meeting had spent time on the phone trying to convince Directors to attend the meeting in spite of AS.  We shared with each other since Alejandro wouldn't let HIS board talk to us.  It's AMAZING how much dirt a Board Member has access to and is willing to tell an interested member during a phone call--so long as Alejandro isn't listening.  Call your Director today, encourage them to speak by promising not to tell AS what is said, and get an earful.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>We're trying to get real proof of some of the rumors we heard today.  If you know an interesting story,</b></I><I><B> </b></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><A HREF="mailto: anniejgabston@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: anniejgabston@aol.com"><U><I><B>email</b></I></U></A></FONT><I><B> </b></I><I><B>it to me.  Email me even if you don't have a story of your own, but want  to keep in the know. We're getting started on a concerted effort to get members informed.  A good start would be a mailing list with your name on it!</b></I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>December 14, 2001</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I'm about to start calling Alejandro Stephens </b></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><I><B>nasty</b></I></FONT><I><B> names folks.  The man is seriously messin' with my calm, peaceful outlook on life.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>To be specific, he, Alejandro Stephens, CANCELED the Board Meeting scheduled for December 12th!  Our By-Laws, our sacred "legally binding contract with our union"  our "enforceable in a court of law" By-Laws (click </b></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><A HREF="id30.htm#meetings_of_the_board_of_directors_" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BYLAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES A"><U><I><B>here</b></I></U></A></FONT><A HREF="id30.htm#meetings_of_the_board_of_directors_" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BYLAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES A"><U><I><B> </b></I></U></A><I><B>to read it for yourself!) say there is to be at least one regular  meeting of the Board each month. </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Alejandro canceled a meeting MANDATED by the By-Laws and the rest of the Board (with the exception of five Board members) stayed home thereby putting the union in violation --AGAIN-- of their contract with us.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I have no problem understanding why he tried to call off the meeting.  He's aware of how much power he does NOT have.  Alejandro has one vote on the Board of Directors. AND SO DOES EVERY OTHER BOARD MEMBER. </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Alejandro is president of the local, but every Board member has the moral and legal obligation to abide by the By-Laws and assure that all Committees do the same.  That obligation extends even to the Election Committee that, with Annelle's helpful advice, decided to ignore the By-Laws that created it. The Election Committee had no right to decide not to count the ballots or certify the election results.  They did it illegally.  The Board can and must rectify the situation.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Board Meeting that most of our Directors decided not to attend could have been used by them to bring the local back into compliance with Federal Law.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Board Meeting that they decided not to attend could have resulted in each Director taking action to enforce the By-Laws (thus saving themselves from the real threat of lawsuits against the union and against themselves as Directors).</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>However, only five Directors showed up.  The rest have now been tricked into violating the By-Laws themselves!  The president of the local called them and told them, reportedly, that having a meeting when they weren't supposed to still be in office might put them in violation of the Federal Law requiring locals to hold elections every three years, so they'd better cancel the meeting. They were told that there was no reason to have a meeting anyway because there was nothing to meet about.  The usual purpose of this election-year December meeting was to swear in a new board, and since there was no new board, why bother meeting?</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>First of all, this was an outright lie.  The local will be in violation of that just as soon as the end of the year rolls into the  past and we still haven't completed the ballot count.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><I><B>Second of all, this was an outright lie. The MONTHLY MEETING IS MANDATED BY THE BYLAWS.  By allowing it to be canceled, the other Directors denied me (and all of you) my right to address the Board about the election.  They may not have had anything to discuss with each other, but I wanted to talk to them and I HAVE THE  RIGHT TO DO SO.  (Click </b></I></FONT><A HREF="id30.htm#right_of_member_to_appear_before_the" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BYLAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES A"><U><I><B>here</b></I></U></A><A HREF="id30.htm#right_of_member_to_appear_before_the" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BYLAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES A"><U><I><B> </b></I></U></A><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><I><B>and read it for yourself) The Directors who stayed away robbed me of my right to address them.</b></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> </b></I><I><B>Had they shown up in sufficient numbers to establish a quorum, Alejandro could've stayed home and it wouldn't have mattered.  They could have cleaned up the mess and his absence would've been no worse than the absence of any other trash.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Instead, all but five stayed home. By staying home, the absent Directors  robbed themselves of the chance to do what was right and legal.  Instead of standing up to Alejandro, they put themselves in collusion with him.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><I><B>The members and Directors who DID attend the "canceled" meeting decided on a second attempt to allow the Board to fix the situation before going to the International.  The By-Laws say a Board of Director's meeting can be called by the President OR BY 1/3 of the Directors.  (Click </b></I></FONT><A HREF="id30.htm#meetings_of_the_board_of_directors_" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BYLAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES A"><U><I><B>here</b></I></U></A><I><B> </b></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><I><B>to read it)  We hoped to get at least a third of the Directors to agree to a meeting next Thursday, December 20, 2001.</b></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>It was easy.  Sixteen Board Members had agreed to attend by yesterday,  December 13, 2001.  The meeting is now on, right? We'll talk to the Board on Thursday, they'll see the light and we're enter 2002 in a state of legal bliss with the Federal Government, right?</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Ummm? Gotta confess, I don't know that.  Yesterday, I thought so, but today, good ol' Alejandro made a few calls to his fellow Board Members. Told them that there's NO GOOD REASON FOR HAVING A MEETING IN DECEMBER AND THEY SHOULD WAIT 'TIL JANUARY.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Some of them might believe him again.  Some people can be lied to over and over and never learn.  Their loss. </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> I (and several friends) plan to show up on Thursday, December 20, 2001 and meet with whoever does show up. Last time I went, I didn't get to address the Board, but I got a lot of good information about what my legal rights are when the Board refuses to allow me to address them.  I have a feeling that this one might prove to be even more informative if the Board --again-- refuses to do the right thing by me.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Meet us there, please? </b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Date:  Thursday December 20, 2001</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Time:  6:00 p.m</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Place:  905 W. Washington Blvd.</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>              Los Angeles, CA 90015</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Questions?  E-mail me at </b></I><A HREF="mailto: AnnieJGabston@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: AnnieJGabston@aol.com"><U><I><B>AnnieJGabston@aol.com</b></I></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>*******************************************</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>**********************</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> </b></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>December 9, 2001</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Meeting of the Board of Directors to be held Wednesday, December 12, 2001 at 6:00 p.m.  Come on down!</b></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>For those of you who haven't been paying attention:  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Election Day was December 6, 2001.  Our Elections Committee was entrusted with the tasks of counting the Ballots on that day and certifying election results  for the offices of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and for the Board of Directors.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Instead, they betrayed that trust and decided NOT to count the ballots, certify results, or declare winners.  The reason given by our General Manager, Annelle Grajeda,  is that approximately 800 members entitled to vote were not sent ballots because of a staff error.  Annelle and /or the Election Committee decided  --after opening many of the returned ballots-- that it wouldn't be fair to those members to continue with the election.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Because the ballots were opened prior to this decision, the appearance of wrongdoing is so great as to render the entire process highly suspect.  This would be true even if Local 660 had enjoyed many years of strong membership trust.  Local 660 does not have those years and the trust isn't there, either. Most of us have, at one time or another, complained about things that "didn't look right" in the relationship between the Local and ourselves.  We EXPECTED dirty tricks during this election.  Annelle asks for understanding and trust.  I have none of either to give to her in this instance.  I cannot understand why she would be involved, nor why the Election Committee allowed her involvement. Allowing staff to influence our election is a clear violation of our By-Laws.  Even if she stepped in as a private citizen supporting Alejandro because of their relationship, her involvement should have been barred as inappropriate.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>To facilitate understanding of my objections to the above, I've posted a copy of the by-laws of our organization.  You can read the rules for yourself by clicking </b></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BYLAWS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES A"><U><I><B>here</b></I></U></A></FONT><I><B> or following the link above.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>A careful reading reveals no authority by which the Election Committee can make the decision or allow a staff person (the General Manager) to make the decision to refuse to allow the counting of ballots or to postpone the counting more than ten days subsequent to Election Day.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The By-Laws are written in clear language.  The tell us that we should now have elected officers and Board members. By deciding not to count the ballots until January 7, 2002, the Election Committee and Annelle and whoever else was involved, decided to place us in violation of our own By-Laws and, it appears, in violation of </b></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><A HREF="http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/regs/statutes/olms/lmrda.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/regs/s"><U><I><B>Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959</b></I></U></A></FONT><I><B>, Title IV-Elections which requires that local labor organizations elect offices not less often than once every three years.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I am not an expert on legal matters, of course, but it would appear logical to me that , currently  WE HAVE NO LEGALLY ELECTED OFFICERS.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>All normal methods of protest are rendered suspect during this period without someone at the helm. </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> We can, according to the by-laws, submit protests to the Election Committee only after the results are certified.   Problematic when the Election Committee has decided to certify results in January and my protest is of the decision to postpone certification past ten days after the first or second Monday in December of this year as called for in the by-laws.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I could, of course, bring the Election Committee up on charges, except that such charges are to be presented to the President and a Hearing Board consisting of members of the Board of Directors.  My charges would accuse the Election Committee of robbing us of a President and Board of Directors to present charges to!</b></I></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>_________________________</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>DECEMBER 7, 2001</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>A</b></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><I><B>ccording to the NEWSFLASH prepared by the Local: </b></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>"Vote Count Delayed</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>Election Committee reschedules final tally to give a group of Local 660 members who, inadvertently, were not mailed ballots a chance to vote."</b></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>People who were there to observe last night, December 6, 2001, say the ballot boxes were brought in, thousands of ballots were unsealed, then a decision was made by the election committee with the advice of General Manager Annelle Grajeda and legal council to put the ballots back in the box and take them away again.  They later decided to send ballots to the folks who had "somehow" been overlooked and move election day to January 7, 2002.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>My question:</b></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial Black" ><I><B> </b></I></FONT></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B> WHO THE HELL DO THESE PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE?</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I have a copy of our bylaws here.  This is how Article XV, Section 4 defines Election Day, </b></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial Black" ><I><B>"Election Day shall be that day set by the Board of Directors which shall not be sooner than the first Monday of December or later than the second Monday of December of each calendar year and shall not be earlier than fifty (50) days after certification of the candidates by the Elections Committee."</b></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Section 10 of the same Article states, </b></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial Black" ><I><B>"Within ten days immediately following Election Day, ballots shall be counted which: </b></I></FONT></div> <div> <I><B>a) Are received from the U.S. Postal Service not later than the close of business on the third day on which there are postal deliveries following election day, and</b></I></div> <div> <I><B>b) Appear to be from a voting member in good standing of the Local."</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I swear folks, I looked long and hard and NOWHERE in my bylaws does it say that the election committee can decide NOT to count ballots.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>There have been rumors about fraud in each of the last several elections. </b></I></div> <div> <I><B> </b></I></div> <div> <I><B>We, the membership, complained a little, but mostly just let it slide.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>So this year they take it farther than ever before.  This year they don't even bother to try to make things look right.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>It's our fault.  They rip us off and we do nothing.  </b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>It's time to start attending meetings.</b></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>We are the union and what we get depends on what we put into it.</b></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>  </b></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>