Local 18: Members Voice

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Patricia A. Kohl for President of Local 18

Executive & Advisory Boards of District 6

5 Minute Speech at Akron Union Meeting August 8, 2005

Most of you have received my mailing and no matter who you are supporting, you have to realize there are serious problem, especially within the apprenticeship. Be assured that I have written proof of all I have said and will say. What I have told is only the tip of the iceberg and the rest will eventually come out. My disappointment and determination lies in the fact that the officers of local 18 are aware of what has happened and have failed to address the issues.

I would like to ask the Executive Board if they paid for any part of the mailing with their pictures stating their candidacy was endorsed by the Sink/Triplett team. No? (All three answered NO with pride!) That means your vote and support was bought by the incumbents who did pay for the mailing. I was amazed when I read “Elect Dave Kline, Ron Milner, and Dail Roberts to the Sink/Triplett Team!” If that is not saying that they answer to Sink/Triplett, I don't know what is! I was embarrassed and ashamed to think that other trades would see an advertisement and endorsement stating that my executive board, who is supposed to demand accountability from the officers of Local 18 and answer to the membership, was blatantly stating they were part of the officer's team!

• If they are a united E-Board Team as the flyer states, where does independent thinking come in? As the picture shows, Blue Hat Sheep following!

• They paid for your mailing and that mean they have bought your votes and loyalty!

• As the ruling bodies of the local/districts the Executive Board and Advisory Board members should not be endorsing anyone? They are the watchdogs or at least supposed to be! You don't see the Election Committee endorsing anyone!

• Aren't the Boards supposed to be representing the members and not being yes men for the officers? I have been going to the Executive Board meetings for over 10 years, and I have not heard one of our e-board members ask a question or bring anything before the board except one man, Dick Young. He brought an issue before the board from the members who were not happy with Kenny Triplett or Joe Lucas. I was in the car on the way home from the meeting when your appointed president, Kenny Triplett, said that was the last meeting Dick will ever be at, I will be rid of him, and by golly, he did it! So maybe the others are afraid to do what the members elected them to do for fear of retaliation. Kenny has a long memory as Steve DiLoreto pointed out! Just ask Dave Kline and Ron Milner what exactly are “normal gratuities” that they approve every year at the meeting before Christmas. They must know because they have never asked! I can tell you one and I stress just ONE, of the “normal gratuities” is a Christmas party at Mitchell's Steak House in Columbus , that costs over $20,000 of your money (lots of alcohol) and is just for union staff and union and non union staff of the apprenticeship! They never question anything, they just vote yes!

• Is this reasonable or even legal? It is about as reasonable as Ray Orrand driving a $55,000 vehicle that we pay for and I might add that Brad McGee, Mike Cramer, and a few other members of the Advisory Board think is perfectly fine! At the Akron meeting, Ray denied paying $55,000 for his Denali but when asked by me what he did pay, he flatly refused to tell the members, who paid for the vehicle, what he says it cost! Think about it, he doesn't think the members have a right to know anything that goes on in Health & Welfare and the Pension Funds!

Brothers and sisters, these things are not perfectly fine! When we are taking cuts in our benefits while Ray Orrand is buying his second $55000 vehicle, when we have members still out of work while permit people are working steady, this is not right!

I have spoke with members of 18S, shops, and satellite agreements. They all have one common complaint. The agents negotiate contracts for them that they themselves do not have to live under. Then the agents brag at the meetings and in the Buckeye what good contracts they got. Ask any member here from 18S or a shop or from Heckett or Levy and they will tell you the only reason they voted for the contract was that they could not afford to go on strike, not because of how good it is! A contract was recently ratified by Levy and it was reported what they got, what the agent failed to tell is what they lost! Next year, Levy employees will have to start paying $60 a month for their insurance and more the following year. If that isn't bad enough, if their wives work 30 hours a week they have to buy their employers insurance for themselves! If this is such a good contract, I would suggest that since every agent sitting behind me who makes over $85,000 a year and on top of that has over $20,000 going into their pension, should offer to ease the burden on our Health & Welfare and pay for their insurance and definitely have their wives buy their own!

As candidate for President of Local18 and Executive & Advisory Boards of District 6, you have my word that I will work every day to give this union back to the members. I am not afraid of being fired, I already did that! They cannot fire me from an elected position.

I have been asked that if I am elected, how I could work with Pat Sink. Simple. I was interviewed twice for the agent's job in this district by Jim Gardner and Pat Sink who both asked me the same question. If I had a disagreement with a member or contractor, what would happen the next time I saw them. Easy, shake hands and move forward. The past is the past and it is a new day and we both want what is best for the members and the union. So I will shake hands with Pat and we will come out fighting together for the members of Local 18.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS, BY REMAINING SILENT I COULD HAVE KEPT MY $78,000 A YEAR JOB BUT I COULD NOT TURN MY BACK ON THE MEMBERS WHO ARE THE UNION . WE HAVE A GOOD UNION , BUT NOT A PERFECT UNION AS THE INCUMBENTS WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE. CHECKS AND BALANCES IS THE ANSWER! WIN OR LOSE, I WILL CONTINUE TO QUESTION AND DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM OUR LEADERS AND ALWAYS, MY ACCOUNTABILITY IS TO YOU. I ASK FOR YOUR VOTE AND THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING YOU!