May 8, 2009
Brothers & Sisters,
The following letter was forwarded to us from several Delegates who have taken an active role in supporting the legal efforts to uphold our rights to a fully-informed vote on the SMART merger. They have worked tirelessly to support the Save Our Union effort.
They pose a very good question to all of us. Do you believe it is right to spend your dues money to honor one of those International officers who played an important part in Paul Thompson’s sellout of your rights? Brokenrail was there, from the beginning, supporting Thompson’s efforts to destroy the UTU.
Save Our Union has had the support of several State Legislative Directors from the very beginning, so we know that it is not every SLD who is advocating for these expenditures. We would like to see those Directors, who support this movement to create a “Brokenrail” award, step up and publicly identify themselves to the entire rank-and-file membership. That would give them the opportunity to explain.
If your State Legislative Director does not publicly state his position, you would be entirely within your rights to write and ask him to do so.
UTU James "Brokenrail" Brunkenhoefer Legislative Award
Dear UTU Brothers & Sisters:
There is currently an on-gong debate among the Association of State Legislative Directors on how they intend to spend membership dues money to create and distribute annually an award to honor former National Legislative Director James M. Brunkenhoefer.
Yes, this is the same James M. Brunkenhoefer who was brought up on charges for serious violations of the UTU Constitution which included amongst them “dual unionism” for his alleged complicity in the behind the scene activities of the attempted SMART merger. He along with his comrades, the other six dwarfs who all had trials that started on February 14, 2009 and are due to reconvene on May 18, 2009.
Interesting to note is that in honoring former NLD Brunkenhoefer, the State Legislative Directors want to spend your dues money and not contribute from their own pockets. I would also question the judgment of these directors in bypassing the great National Legislative Directors of the past; Al H. Chesser and James R. Snyder who handled crucial legislative issues that dealt with the very survival of the railroads and our members who were employed on them and garnered huge protection benefits for us within UTU.
The below listed excerpts show the thinking of this group from emails exchanged by them:
“1) Find 50 lb rail that we can cut into 6 inch pieces, have it cleaned up, chrome plated and mounted on a piece of mahogany (around $80.00 a unit) with the inscription placed onto the wood base. Issues; the 50 lb rail is hard to find. I knew of where some was and found out yesterday it was just recently scrapped. If anyone knows the location of this size rail, please let me know as it would reduce the weight and size of the project. 80 /90 lb rail is simply to large and heavy. Cheap to do and could be substantial, but need to find the material, and enough of it to do the job.
2) Make the award smaller with a pre-made rail award ($50 a unit) that they can mold the UTU logo inside the brass, placed onto a mahogany base again, with the inscription. Issues, it is much smaller, about 2 1/2 inches in total height which does not make a significant presence which in my opinion does not match the person we are attempting to honor. Brokenrail could light up a room with his personality and I believe the award should do the same. We can add a glass box wood trimmed box in which to place the award inside for additional professionalism but again, it is small.
3) Make it out of crystal (costly) or Lucite, can be any size we want, shaped into a broken piece of rail we can design, one piece matching attached base, etched or "floated" internally with the UTU logo. The cost for these are all over the map. I did not pursue until I had more feedback on which direction to go with. Lots of options here.
4) The nicest, but most costly. We can have a mold made with the UTU logo placed inside the web of the rail, made any size we want out of any material we want. It was suggested that we use brass as it is lighter and cheaper than other metals. It would be placed onto a mahogany base again, with the inscription. Issues are, very expensive. Original mold/casting costs will be around $1200.00 with each piece around $150.00 thereafter. Very nice, very substantial...very expensive.”
I guess that the question that comes up by the average member is; “Did anyone ask me if I want to spend my dues money honoring a former officer who would be standing trial right now if he had not passed away?”
I would also question if the State Legislative Directors are actually in tune with how the members feel about this issue. It sounds more like they are out there once again representing their own interests and feelings and not the rank and file dues paying UTU member.
It has also been pointed out that should the State Legislative Directors be allowed to use the membership’s dues money for something like this; where will it stop and what will it mean? Will the State Legislative Directors select an honoree to be sited at a UTU Regional Meeting and as soon as that “friend of labor” is handed the James M. Brunkenhoefer Award will he or she be booed by the many members who did not support this officer’s last endeavor before his death?
Perhaps these same State Legislative Directors could due something useful by raising money to assist us in offsetting the almost one million dollars in legal expenses brought about by James M. Brunkenhoefer’s last exercise as our UTU National Legislative Director along with his six cohorts.
Are these the legitimate activities of a UTU State Legislative Director or are they once again floating their own balloon? You be the judge.
Concerned Delegates committed to Save Our Union
Admin Note: Often when serious problems are faced over a length of time, a little comedy goes a long way towards relieving the stress and lightening the day. In that vein, our appreciation to those Brothers put this together and sent it to us.
In a land not so far away in a kingdom of Unity fraught with turmoil, once lived an elevated, vain and wicked King called Paulie Tomputz. This kingdom of Unity was filled with minions who toiled for abusive Lords and Overseers. These Lords and Overseers used the sweat and blood of the minions to move goods, belongings and other such treasures all around the vast land. These minions were supposed to be represented and protected by Paulie Tomputz and the Princes & sub-Princes of the kingdom. The kingdom of Unity had not always been filled with turmoil, but Paulie and the two Kings before him had shamed their house ever so much by sowing discord for their own pleasure and benefit.
Each and every morning, Paulie Tomputz would stand in front of his Magic Mirror and ask, “who is the most wicked King of all?” The mirror would always answer that Paulie was the most wicked, pleasing him greatly and sending him back to partake in his many daily jugs of refreshment and to plot more turmoil for his minions.
One morning, the Magic Mirror told Paulie that Mikey the Sultan in the kingdom of Tinworkings was the most wicked king. Intrigued, Paulie Tomputz soon knocked at the gate of Mikey’s kingdom, introduced himself and begged Mikey the Sultan to teach him how to be more wicked. Mikey, quickly recognizing a way to be even more wicked, bade Paulie, “enter & learn”. Thence, he and Paulie set down and put their wicked heads together.
Paulie told Mikey the Sultan of his desire to create a kingdom that would discard its’ democracy so its’ king and princes would not have to answer to the delegates of their minions and where his chosen lackey could replace him, rule and create even more vile turmoil. Mikey the Sultan told Paulie that his own kingdom was exactly of that sort; and he and Paulie soon hatched a dastardly plan to join their kingdoms into one and thereby deceive Paulie’s princes, sub-princes and minions into believing this would make them all live happily thereafter amongst a glorious and shining land of Tinworkings.
Paulie marched off to his kingdom and sprung his treacherous surprise. Deceived by Paulie Tomputz’s beautiful lies of eternal happiness ringing in their ears, the Princes agreed and many of the sub-princes and minions approved his plan and Paulie was able to craftily bring about an approval.
But fortunately, before the dastardly plan could take affect, Paulie, deep in his cups as he so often was, foolishly began to let the cat out of the bag. Bursting with joy at his subterfuge and unable to keep his lips sealed, Paulie let slip his plans to give away the kingdom and subject the minions to the rule of Paulie’s lackey and Mikey the Sultan in the land of Tinworkings.
Discovering the horrid, unlawful deception, a group of the minions banded together and vowed to save the kingdom and stop Paulie’s destruction by revealing it to the Adamant Judge for The Law of the Land. The minions and their friends soon faced a torrent of lies and vile abuse by Paulie and others, but they were determined to weather the insulting storm and see the kingdom saved.
Meanwhile, Paulie, facing retirement, was foiled by the delegates of the minions in his attempt to place his hand-picked lackey on the throne. These wise delegates instead placed the kingdom’s scepter in the hands of Mac the Fruitfil. They were hopeful Mac would break the chain of shameful kings of Unity.
Mac, finally recognizing Paulie’s deception for himself and being desirous of ending the turmoil in the kingdom of Unity and living up to the Law of the Land, knocked at Mikey the Sultan’s gate and informed him that together they must tell the minions exactly how their joined kingdoms would be constituted and ruled or they could not rightly and lawfully join.
Mikey the Sultan, being wicked, quickly refused. He did not want the minions to know of his and Paulie’s plans for even more turmoil in their joined kingdoms. Mikey knew Paulie Tomputz had agreed to turning over his treasury and powers, and allow him to auction the Kingdom of Unity’s profitable Program of Assurance to the highest bidder. Mikey also knew that no one in the Kingdom of Unity, save Paulie, knew of the dire problems in the retirements for the minions of Tinworkings. He wanted no one else to know these truths until it was too late to save Unity from its fate.
It quickly became obvious that only the brave minions could save the Kingdom of Unity by showing the Adamant Judge of the Law of the Land how evil the plan was. They toiled hard, ably represented and assisted by the foxy Polisher of the Law, to convince the Adamant Judge for the Law of the Land that Paulie’s lies had truly deceived the kingdom and that Paulie had knowingly thumbed his nose at the law which bade him to inform the minions of the real truth of the plan.
Right away, this brave and resolute group of minions almost succeeded. They had agreed with Mac the Fruitfil who was now on the throne and at last understood how he had let himself be deceived by Paulie’s beautiful lies. The agreement was that Mac would solicit Mikey the Sultan to scribe the true rules for the joined kingdoms and pass them before the minions for their lawful approval. This was as it rightly should have always been.
Unfortunately, seven dwarf princes who were lackeys of Paulie’s and Mikey the Sultan’s leapt forward at Mikey’s bidding to fight the minions in the House of the Law. They treated the constituted powers of King Mac the Fruitful as unworthy of notice.
These dwarf princes are known far and wide, in every nook and cranny of the kingdom as Babbleaboutthemoney, Baffooned, Bowlingpin, Brokenskills, Clueless, Fittobungle and Iamalone.
These dwarfs are conspirators in the dastardly plan and desire to continue Paulie’s deceit. They are assisted by a lowly and devious, golden Twister of the Law who was quickly dispatched by Mikey the Sultan and paid out of his treasury.
This tale of strife has yet to end. Dwarfs Babbleaboutthemoney, Baffooned, Bowlingpin, Brokenskills, Clueless, Fittobungle and Iamalone, assisted generously by Mike the Sultan’s treasury and his golden Twister of the Law, have taken over this disagreeable quest from Paulie Tomputz.
These dwarfs have abandoned their princely duties to their minions and cast aside the solemn oath they each pledged to the kingdom of Unity and are now continuing to fight against the minions in the halls of The Law of the Land. At the behest of Mikey the Sultan through the mouth of his golden Twister of the Law, the seven dwarfs continue to mangle the truth before the Adamant Judge of the Law of the Land. There is but little doubt that their names shall soon be stricken from Unity’s rolls and entered forever into the Roll of Past Disgrace and Turmoil.
The minions know, in their hearts, that their cause is just and together with the foxy Polisher of the Law, they must and can stop Mikey the Sultan and his Dwarfs. The minions’ sturdy and courageous group has the support and aid of other relatively unknown princes, many sub-princes and countless other minions of the kingdom.
Strengthened by the unity of the support and aid of others, the minions are determined to continue their battle, in the halls of The Law of the Land. They know their kingdom of Unity must have lawful democracy and an end to the turmoil.
Editorial Note: The following came from our forum.
The last paragraph from the article from the Association for Union Democracy says it all:
The seven intervening VPs AND their supporters do not want UTU members to have a democratic referendum vote on a SMART constitution. Instead, they want a "blank check" to write a constitution as they see fit.The plain language of the Merger Agreement REQUIRES that vote. The General Chairmen & State Legislative Directors who support the seven intervenors don't want us to have that vote.WHY? WHY? WHY?Those General Chairman and State Legislative Directors are ELECTED leaders who are supposed to represent their constituent rank-and-file members. Why don't they support their member's rights to an informed vote? Instead they support Paul Thompson's and the seven VP's actions to violate the LMRDA.
WHY? WHY? WHY?
