Viva Las Vegas!

I just received word that I was elected to one of the six spots to go to the 73rd Quadrennial Convention. Viva Las Vegas! I would like to thank everyone that supported my campaign. The Warehouse and the Carton Department really stepped up and I am thankful for every one of your votes. I realized it would be an uphill battle, especially since my shift was on their day off, but for those of you who found the time to make it down to the union hall and vote I am extremely grateful. You did your part, now it is up to me to fulfill me pledge and bring you the best coverage I can from the Quadrennial. My attitude toward the Quadrennial is that this is an excellent opportunity to learn, and most importantly to pass on what I learn to my fellow brothers and sisters in GMP Local 17. Stay Tuned!

Why I want to be nominated to the 2008 Quadrennial Convention.

On May 28th members of GMP Local 17 will have a chance during the May monthly union meeting to vote for the delegates that we will send to the 73rd Quadrennial Convention which will convene from Monday, August 4 to Saturday, August 9th 2008 in Las Vegas. Six members will be allowed to attend, not including the President of GMP Local 17, Carlos Contreras. There are several reasons why I wish to be elected. Most importantly, I am against any union dues increase. I believe that the union needs to tighten their belts just like everybody else has during these economically tough times. There are other reasons, of course. If you see me at work ask me about them and I will be happy to expand upon it.
I believe that the convention should be an opportunity to learn and a chance to teach what we have learned to the members who cannot attend. I will use this site to blog live from the event and I will post video blogs so that everyone that desires to can find out what is happening at the convention. I pledge to bring back what I have learned and share this information with anyone who is interested. The use of this website will allow members to send feedback to me about what I am reporting. This goes along with my belief that our union will be stronger when everybody has a chance to participate and influence our union. The way we can achieve this is by activating committees that are in our bylaws but are currently unoccupied, and by giving members the educational tools so they can become better union members. I hope that this website can become the beginning of a conversation between union members so that we can share our knowledge and experience with each other. There is nothing more dangerous then an educated union member!

I am asking for your vote at the monthly union meeting on May 28th, 2008.
Where: The Union Hall at 205 1/2 S. Santa Cruz Ave.
Times are 6:30 am, 2:30 pm, and 6:30 pm.

The Right Stuff.

Here is the follow up to my previous posting. It is good to see that some unions still have the right stuff!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/04/30/financial/f155200D55.DTL&hw=International+Longshore+Warehouse+Union&sn=001&sc=1000