ALL LOCAL UNIONS
SYSTEM COUNCIL NO. 2

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

It has been a pleasure and an honor to have been your representative for the past thirty (30) plus years.  I can confidently say that I am leaving this System Council in good hands.  Upon Brother Perry’s and my recommendation, the Executive Board has unanimously approved Jim Wisniski as your new General Chairman beginning August 1, 2007.  Vice General Chairman/Secretary-Treasurer Pat Perry will stay at the position he presently holds.

Beginning July 1, 2007, I have placed Brother Randy Shell on fulltime as an Assistant General Chairman.  Brother Shell has had experience as a former General Chairman and has negotiated Agreements, written submissions, and argued cases before the PEB’s and will do a fine job for everyone, I am sure.

Your Executive Board, based on my recommendation, has unanimously approved Brother Bob Norton to succeed as the Executive Board member for Local Union 1920.

Last, but not least, my secretary will be retained and will work out of her home for the System Council.

For whatever reason, some members feel that they have to change officers every election.  This is very destructive for the Union.  It seems that we just get a person trained and the next term they are voted out and we must start over again.  Notwithstanding, the Carrier loves to see changes on account they can fleece someone else and by the time they catch on to what the Carrier is doing, they are gone and there is a new kid on the block whom they can begin fleecing.  Change is not always good and it is my opinion, and only my opinion, from what I have seen throughout the years, the individuals that go to Union meetings merely to heckle and create chaos are NOT the good Union members.  We have seen it in our elections time after time.  The individuals that cross the picket lines are the ones complaining.  They are only present at the meetings to cause disruption and chaos and they are disagreeable with everything.  It was once said: “It is good to disagree but bad to be disagreeable.”  Always remember, a new broom doesn’t always sweep clean.

In the past, some of our former Union officers such as Carl Beig, Jack Arveseth, Rudy Bussard, and Mike Ruybalid, to mention only a few, have merely taken a Union position to step up into management and our members put them there.  Regardless of how good and strong the leadership is, we cannot function without the help and support of each and every member in order to make a better life for our brothers and sisters.  United we stand – divided we fall.  It is not us and them – it is all of us working together.

Last, but not least, do our members really realize where their money is going for training of the people they elect only to vote them out in three years?  Then, they must  start spending money on training new officers who don’t have a clue as to Railroad Retirement benefits, Broadspire benefits, United Health benefits, Aetna, Dental and Vision care, Employee’s Assistance  programs, claims, grievances, and investigations, to name only a few duties, are all about.  With our members’ jobs are on the line, do they want someone who has held several investigations to be their representative or would they rather have the new kid on the block that has never held an investigation be their representative?  The only good thing is he’ll learn at their expense.

As I have said, I am leaving you all with very good representation, but no matter how good the representation is that I place in your hands, they cannot do it without ALL of our help and support.

The President of each respective Local Union who is responsible for all Committeemen must make sure that the Local Chairman is not putting his time in being paid by the Carrier for Union business.  There is no Union business and the Carrier I am sure are not paying our representatives to attend Union meetings.  This is a direct violation of the Railway Labor Act, whereas the Carrier is interfering with the representation of the Organization.  The handling of overtime, job assignments, vacations, leaves of absence, policing of the Agreement, safety issues, all of these are certainly not Union business but fall under the enclosure of Company business or Carrier’s business not the Unions.  Our meetings are held off property and what is discussed off property is to remain off property.  Please govern yourselves accordingly.

            Wishing my entire staff and all of my brothers and sisters a very productive future and continuance of what I feel is the best System Council in the Railroad Department.

With best wishes, I remain
 

Fraternally yours,

Vic Janecek

General Chairman, SC#2