Notes and Highlights from todays union meeting brothers and sisters Local 341, Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association meeting 1907 Freeman 1000hrs, Aug 7, 2014 Note: I take these notes on my own recognizance. I have no official capacity in this Local administration other than as any member in good standing. I apologize in advance for any misspelled names and any minor errors as I was trying to get the gist of everyone’s pertinent message. Since this administration has taken office no minutes have been forthcoming and this is hardly enough to fill in that breach but for what it is worth here is my version on the discussion ensuing. There are probably some editorial notes in here and if you have no sense of humor, delicate sensibilities or a similar affliction, I do not want to hear about it. First order of business: bse brings up his second lawsuit, suing the IAFF. After hearing several dissenting arguments, Jimmy Campbell, makes the motion to discharge the second lawsuit as it stands as it wasnt approved by membership or board. Atty speaking was a member of the firm that represented us in negotiations. Bse maintains that it needs to go to membership for a vote still. This atty is from the firm we just discharged as representing us in negotiations (Bohreer and Zucker). Why is he here regarding a lawsuit? Luke Manion, asks where bse gets the authority to file a lawsuit on behalf of the entire membership dragging us into a lawsuit without even giving due regard to any firefighter that needs representation. Bse says as the president he gets to use the atty he chooses in any way he wants. Rick Hoppas asks bse how he gets to swear in membership to uphold laws but he decides to flaunt them. Hoppas asks why bse is back at the station. Bse says he fears for his job (fire department job). Kim Phillips asks why the bylaw for recall hasnt gone through. He says Valdez, himself and Ralph Cunningham are the sole members of the bylaw committee. He says it was filed early June and events slowed its passing. Phillips asks for clarification then why no Union business has occurred in 2 months and Marty Lancton reads Article 14(recall bylaw proposal). It is challenged to the chair(bse) and a motion is passed to take it out of committee and have membership vote on it today. Curtis Williams explains that this recall bylaw was taken from another large local and they raised the number of required signatures from 150 to 250. Someone makes an amendment to make it that the entire membership gets to vote on the recall. There is considerable argument for that amendment. Luke Manion argues against the amendment, saying he was going to flat out drop bse and Valdez in the grease because Steve Valdez said, It (the bylaw) wasnt fair. Steve Valdez defends his decision by saying it isnt fair and he says he is worried upset people would vote people out. Campbell and Eric Zapata argue against the amendment because because the local we took it from (Ft. Worth FD) says they have never used it. Williams argues against sending bylaw back to committee because it has already been vetted. Discussion ensues on whether amendment should go back to committee: Nays carry it. However, bse allows discussion to continue. On motion to vote for recalls by paper ballot or by online: house divided. Doing a count of hands. Wait, doing a count by walking out the door. Odd, but true. Then after everyone stands up and goes to their appropriate side, bse speaks out that he probably wont recognize the will of the membership because he has to get a second opinion. Chaos ensues. Bylaw amendment by Marty Lancton voted on AGAIN and passes overwhelmingly with only one member voting nay. On voting: Ralph Cunningham says the whole problem was Votenet. He has no information on when we will be voting again. Somewhere in here someone asks for atty to leave because he is a non-union member and frankly doesn’t want him to see this embarrassment we have to go through. Unknown who made this motion. CBA: Alvin White is now chair of CBA investigative group despite the fact that city has denied any arbitration for CBA. Bse protests Alvin being appointed chair but as it isnt a standing committee so bse let it go. That being said, they are going to vet attys to see about suing city. Investigative CBA team says they are investigative only and are not bargaining and take no wages. Lancton explains that we would considering suing the city for allowing arbitration after city denied going to arbitration. Phillips asks for clarification about what we are actually going for in front of a judge and for a copy of the interim agreement to be posted to the website. bse says he hadnt been asked for it (Note: I asked Luke Manion, Greg Leonard, Brian Wilcox, Curtis Williams to ask bse for it and they sent me emails and phone calls saying they asked bse and he said it was the attys document and we should just refer to his bullet points). Bse says he will put it on website. Why we voted on something we had never seen is still a total mystery to me. A motion was made by Gabe Dominguez for bse to allow T. Scott Wilkey, the Communications Director, to have access to the communications machine (email, website, Facebook, etc.) Membership votes overwhelming to allow Communication Dir to do their job. Again, why we are making a motion to vote for something that is in the bylaw almost defies logic. Bse argues that bse gets to decide who does what despite their job description. Financial Director: hands out June and July financial report. Campbell says bse has signed a contract with Camberg for $10k /month. Board protests that but that is another argument. we are $90K over on budget for negotiations. Unknown if we have a contract with Boheer, Etc. Campbell maintains that he will not sign anything if the trustees and BoD says do not sign it (in response to bse allegations about not paying vendors). Darla Reed asks why board and bse cannot get along. Campbell replies vehemently that bse continually lies, stabs the board in the back, and rescinds his decisions. He states that the board has tried countless times to work together, including when IAFF came to arbitrate between board and president, the board asked the bse just follow the rules. Campbell maintains that when decisions are made and in agreement, bse reneges on his word. Campbell says that if the board disagrees it is their right to appeal bad decisions. Campbell says that in June bse had the per capita (dues we pay to IAFF) on bses desk. Campbell says bse said he wont pay the per capita to IAFF unless the board drops the charges in a meeting in bses office. Campbell said he refuted him. Bse stands up and says that isnt true. Bse says he was holding up per capita because committee members werent getting paid. Campbell explains that representation at the IAFF convention the L341 isnt represented in resolutions, legislative decisions, sanctions. This is the very biggest event to guide labor events in the IAFF. It happens every 2 years and is a grand total of $22k and has been a line item budget since before bse took office. Lancton brings up the point that we have discharged the Bohreer Zucker group but yet her associate was here. Bse begins waffling by saying, Oh, I did discharge her from chief negotiator duties. I never said I was discharging her from atty duties. Lancton points out that bse was splitting hairs and being deliberately obtuse. So, KP paraphrasing some indelicate language and crawfishing, bse did release her from negotiating but is keeping her on (he says and board doesnt know as this is the first they have heard about it) as an atty to help him in his multiple lawsuits. That explains the atty at the meeting at first. Gabe Dominguez points out that Camberg doesnt know about govt code, has met with grievance board one time, the grievance chair (Steve Valdez) has never met with him and we have zero wins in grievances since he took legal council. Bse says he hired Camberg to reduce legal costs. Wilcox points out that maybe the other locals do not use atty the grievance committee gets extensive training. None has occured since bse has been president. Not once has legal council represented ffers in matters small or grave since bse took office. Trustees: $3800 for vendor we have used in the past (Mason). $3900 is what VoteNet has cost us. They have confessed to it was their office that messed up the first ballot. No resolution as to what happened on the second ballot and a SPECTACULARLY lukewarm set of I dunnos regarding what we are going to do about elections that are already far out of compliance with Local and IAFF bylaws. New business: Move meetings to daytime. Motion carries. Motion to remove Valdez as pro tem president appointed by bse as in accordance to L341 bylaws. Motion carries. Motion to remove truck from union president as he is not on duty as a full time union president. Motion carries. Past president Steve Williams speaks about how horrified he is that bse has chosen to go back to the station as the duties as president is 24/7. He indicates that this is a grave and disturbing issue and the president needs to be in this building. Whatever accountability the membership needs to take to make that happen should call into question bses commitment to the membership. Williams maintains assertively that bse is in absolute violation of the contract both in word and spirit. Do not , let another minute or hour to go by letting that happen. If you hurt one member, you hurt one member too many. New member stands up to make motion to understand (authors bad wording). 2013B class voted in the interim agreement to be included in the benefits of of the interim agreement. Bse says you had be employed March 1-June 31. Campbell and Lancton make a motion, in a brotherly helpful hand to the new member, was made that 2013A and B be represented in a contract grievance. Motion passed. Motion made that president return to his union duties as prescribed by union bylaws or resign. Discussion ensues. Bse enjoins discussion that he does not dispute membership is ultimate body of decision making. He says he is just trying to navigate the how it is done. Lancton weights in that bse by acting as he is he is weakening the integrity of the position for now and the future. Elliott discusses. Williams also enjoins. Motion carries. Redress of motion made at last meeting to re-appoint Villarreall(sic) to Legislative Committee. Bse says he sent it up to IAFF. In a fit of complete reversal, despite what bse said earlier in the meeting about membership being the ultimate decider in union direction, he decides in this case not to listen to membership. There is clear bylaw that states the president picks committee members and chairs. I cant juggle my bylaws and note taking to find it(look later). Good and welfare: Someone stands up and says he is begging for just one reason to trust him. Applause. Gomez says enough has occurred in the LODDs to motivate us to get safety committee going. Says administrative chicken shit red book tactics havent saved lives to date. General amens all around. Meeting adjourned 1335.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 23:28:03 +0000
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