Chicago antidemocracy book

If we look at the mode of operation of the Brotherhood. today ---

mandatory Council and Local Union By-laws and appointed Business

Representatives -- without looking at what got us here, we are taking

our current condition out of context.

It began in the late 80's and early 90's culminating in the struggle for

change at the '91 General Convention resulting in the election of new

officers in '95. We were, of course, leaders for change in 1991.

Prior to the change, the Brotherhood was nearly broke, squandering

away the $100M treasury a membership in such drastic decline it had

480,000 members which was down from nearly I million. It had

introduced no meaningful new programs relative to regaining our

strength. Business Representatives did as they pleased and District

Councils did very little relative to organizing. That was the condition

of the Brotherhood prior to the changes made by Doug McCarron and

the new Executive Board.

Today, the Brotherhood operates in an efficient and. progressive

manner. Through the means of cost cutting, professional.

investment practice and changes such, as the new headquarters

building in Washington, we are in a more solid financial

position than, any other Building Trades International Union.

Restructured Regional or District Councils collectively employ

in excess of 600 organizers. Business. Representatives ^.are

accountable and while other Building Trade Unions continue to

decline, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters has added

approximately 62,000 members, 83% of which are active, to

our ranks. It is working in the same direction and at the same

time.

CDU Statements

*Can't elect Business Representatives (could under old system of decline)

*Business Representatives are Delegates to District Council. and can't speak with free voice (Delegates are elected by membership)

Business Representatives hold more than one job, in many cases they are Officers of Locals (Local Union Officers are elected by membership)

· UBC is going after other trades work

*Note: UBC is actively organizing if work is being performed and the appropriate trade does nothing about it. Should the UBC ignore it or actively pursue it? What about the laborers long history of infringement of other trades work?

While many CDU activists have been members for many years why weren't they involved in the fight for change of our declining organization in the late 8O's and early 90's?

Our District Council

Flagship of the Brotherhood

Most effective and copied programs in the Brotherhood. Such as:

Organizing operations Job reporting

Apprentice training including inner city facility

Journeyman upgrading

Best contract and wage settlement

new Headquarters that will result in additional income

Mandatory District Council By-Laws

Last District Council to adopt by-laws

Exclusive to our by-laws

Elected 1st and 2ndVice Presidents

3 Elected District Council Business Representatives Hiring. and dismissal of Business Representatives & Organizers subject to

approval of the District Council Executive Board Committee

President/Executive Secretary-Treasurer shall consider recommendations

from Local Union Executive Committees (elected by the membership)

before making an appointment

CDU Statements

portrays me as puppet of Doug McCarron (last to adopt mandatory by-laws with exclusive provisions)

Head of Council has power to hire, fire all (no mention of our by-laws stipulation for approval of Executive Committee or Local. Union. Executive Board recommendations)

*Staffers (Business representatives) who run for office and fail are often fired (never happened in Chicago)

*Rather than Locals of 400 members, Locals of several thousand cover large areas

(not in Chicago, we have maintained a Local identity, 27 Locals)

Councils try to prevent members from going to meetings (we always encourage members to attend. meetings)

Loss of the right to elect Council-leaders and ratify contracts by membership (we have elected Council leaders and ratified contracts by elected Delegates for approximately 50 years)

AFL-CIO Disaffiliation

The Battle for Change

As stated by General President McCarron to John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, March 2I, 2001

Unfortunately, despite strong words and good intentions, fundamental changes have not been addressed. The AFL-CIO continues to operate under the rules and procedures of an era that passed years ago, while the industries that employ our members change day

to day.

Six years ago, when we began the restructuring of our Brotherhood, the changes we had to make were just as profound and the institutional inertia was as strong, But our obligation is to working Carpenters not to an institutional structure.

After five years I have seen nothing to indicate the AFL-CIO is seriously considering changes that would cure these problems, nor do I see any realistic chance that an investment of more time or resources by the UBC will alter those facts. And for that reason the General Executive Board of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters has voted unanimously to end our affiliation with the AFL-CIO.

CDU Statements

Good news) McCarron

says that division is

the best thing for the building trades!

FOR CARPENTERS: The consequences are severe. We are no longer connected in any meaningful way to the other building trades we share the job site with. This means that our work will no longer be protected from infringement from other trades. Their work will also be subject to "raiding", or undercutting from our union, which will place us in direct competition with the very people we depend on every day for safety and solidarity. If our contract negotiations ever came to a strike situation, will the trades we have lost unity with support our strikes after McCarron starts this job-side raiding? Probably not.

"Down from the 13th floor will come bolts and spud wrenches to injure carpenters,"

Smaller ' unions

Union membership as a

percentage of the work force has

declined 34 percent since 1983.. : Manufacturing and steel companies have lost traditional union jabs taster than organizers could build new membership in other areas.

Membership as a

percentage of work force 22 percent

Total membership 22 million

Union membership drops to a new low
Source: Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday, February 26, 2003

PALACE COUP AT THE APL-CIO

Now, in a sharp rebuke to Sweeney, a group of five

union chiefs concerned that he hasn't made enough

progress. have pulled off something of a palace

coup. On Feb. 27, after most of the press had left

labor's annual winter gathering in Hollywood, Fla.

the group quietly pushed through the creation of a.

new governing body to run the federation, The

goal: to reinvigorate the AFL-CIO and refocus its

agenda on recruitment (organizing) and politics -

and ditch, almost everything else.

Source: Business Week, March 17, 2003

Building Trades Re-affiliation

The UBC has re-affiliated with the National Building Trades Department after their agreement to progressive restructuring: jurisdiction decided by arbitration, joint organizing efforts, to struggle for change at the AFL-CIO, etc.

The Chicago and Northeast Illinois District Council has re-affiliated with the Chicago & Cook County Building Trades Council following their agreement to decide jurisdictional cases by arbitration, meaningful discussions for joint organizing operations, political lobbying, advertising etc..

We have also re-affiliated with the following Building Trade Councils: Will, Fox Valley, Elgin, DuPage.

will soon re-affiliate with Lake, McHenry, Kankakee/lroquois.

istrict Council Check-off

Timed the new check--off structure to coincide with our last large wage settlement and achieved the total of 3% through timely increases to lessen the impact. Lowered our quarterly dues to $75.00 for all Locals.

New check-off voted by secret ballot of the Council Delegates.

Stated goals:

*In addition to paying all full-time staff by the District Council, we will eventually employ 25 Organizers, our latest new hires will bring our current total to 22.

*Increase our reserve structure: have increased our reserves by 45%.

*Build Regional Carpenter Centers. We are in. negotiations now for our first center, 5 miles west of Rt.. 59, Northwest Tollway. At these Centers membership services will be provided.

*This steer we will announce, free to the members, legal advice through the use of an 1-800 phone number

The dues check-off increases and our plan for the future fully disclosed to the members in the Council Publication of August 2001.

CDU Statements

We are taxed 3% by our Union.

Wage increases provided in last contract would be

eaten up by the Dues Check-off increase.

Deserved to know what the money would be used for

(Carpenters Forum, August 2001).

District Council Pension

In 1994, 1 presented our Pension Plan Strategy to the Delegates and the problems we face beginning with the low accrual rate. We decided then to focus on increasing the accrual rate (made possible by larger wage settlements than in the past).

And while we were doing that all issues would improve, such as penalty for early retirement.

We decided that when the accrual rate was at an acceptable rate, we would then focus on issues such as an annuity and early retirement.

We now have the annuity (June I, 2000).

Since 1994, we have increased the accrual rate from $40 per year to $73 per year. We have increased provisions that aid any Carpenter that wished to retire at 60, For full pension information, refer to the article in the current Council Publication

We will continue to improve the Plan relative to retirement prior to the age of 62 - but we will not let others take credit for this great Plan and the strategy since 1994 that has provided it.

CDU Statements

Our pension once led the industry and is now mediocre (They have it backwards-it was mediocre and now leads the industry including health care. Refer to current Carpenter Publication).

Other unions moving to retirement of 55 years of age or 30 years of service (not true, see current Carpenter Publication).

About our pension increase since 1.994, they say they would be staggered to meet pensioners receiving it (it is my understanding they stagger quite a bit at their meetings and it is not from meeting pensioners).

Wage Increase From Last Contract

June 1, 2001 $1.80 --	June 1, 2002	$2.00	- June 1, 2003 $2.20 - June 1, 2004$2.40
June 1, 2001		$1.80	Increase
		.48	Fringes
		.30	Dues Check-off, Increasing from 1 % to 2%
		1.00	On the check
June 1, 2002		$2.00	Increase
		.50	Fringes
		.32	Dues Check-off, Increasing from 2% to 3%
		1.18	On the check.
June 1, 2003		$2.20	Increase
June 1, 2004		$2.40	Fringes to be determined Dues Check-off - no increase Increase
			Fringes to be determined Dues Check-off- no increase

All Local Union dues lowered to $75.00 per quarter.

CDU Statements

Earl Oliver said that we got an $8.40 raise for a four

year period, That's great. What he didn't say was that

maybe only half of that will make it on the check and

that we are taxed 3 percent of It by our union.

Wage increase would be eaten up by the additional dues

check-off increase..

CDU Mode of Operation

Distortion • Use Roberts Rules of Order as a tool to disrupt

Blow issues out of proportion

Lie and half truths

• Serve and behind the cause of disruption and distortion without standing in the direct line of fire of real issues

Their failure to disrupt the International Union has resulted in a shift of plans to attack Local Unions and District Councils.

CARPENTERS

FOR THE

DESTRUCTION

OF THE

UNION