Wrong about Chittenden contract
IN RESPONSE to "Support Chittenden drivers": Let's get the facts straight about the Chittenden County Transit Authority (CCTA) contract impasse.
First of all, the proposals submitted to the company during all 34 meetings over the 12 months negotiation have come from the Sunday Breakfast Club (SBC) because the SBC demanded it.
The proposals were modified to fit into the contract by the business agent. The tentative agreement recently voted down was a copy of the prior tentative agreement and the recommendations made by the fact-finder Ira Lobel, all of which was based upon the proposals made by the SBC.
Mike Walker was on the negotiating committee along with Nate Bergeron, both charter members of the SBC. They actually approved the initial tentative agreement and endorsed its ratification either in writing or verbally and agreed to support its ratification.
This endorsement was never acted on by either one of them. In fact Mr. Bergeron actively promoted going to fact-finding at the November 7, 2010, ratification meeting in indicating a rejection of the contract by the voting members present was in order.
Both of them attended the fact-finders' session and had provided the issues presented to him by the local union. The local union presented to the fact finder the seven issues that the SBC requested.
As one of the hierarchy at Local 597 since 1987, and having been re-elected every three years since 1988 by the rank-and-file members of the local union, I believe that as a rank-and-file member of the local, I have a right to my opinion also. I pay the highest dues rate every month to Local 597, and I have no representation by anyone. I work for $25 an hour, with no overtime, and work an average of 70 hours a week.
Mr. Walsh certainly has no idea who I am or what I do to protect and support the members of Local 597. The statements he makes in his article "Support Chittenden drivers" are based on bullshit he had been fed by the SBC.
Ron Rabideau, Teamsters Local 597 principal officer, from the Internet
