Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. New Articles from Union Democracy Review:Operating Engineers defend their internet rights; Mob ousted, reformerswin in ILA Local 1588; IBEW President Hill upholds Canadian member'srights.

2. New Audio: from the AUD conference on Confronting Corruption in Labor Unions: Eileen Sullivan, Ed Sadlowski, Discussion.

3. Notice to disabled Carpenters: Possible Dues Refund.

-----------------------------------------

1. New Articles:

By Matt Noyes and Herman Benson

Surely and steadily the internet has been mitigating the uneven balanceof power and resources in union elections, giving insurgents a betterability to reach member-voters with their message and compete withincumbents. Incumbents possess formidable advantages; nevertheless,many are still so worried that they seek to erect all kinds ofroadblocks to limit the rights of challengers on the internet....

Themost recent attack on internet rights comes in the International Unionof Operating Engineers, where the members of three locals are infederal court to block restrictive rules that would undercut theoperation of their independent web sites. Events in IUOE Local 150triggered the lawsuit...

By Kurt Richwerger

On April 19, the election of officers in the 450-member Longshoremen'sLocal 1588 in New Jersey --- the first since it came under federalcourt trusteeship --- brought into office an executive board and topleaders without mob ties. A group of eight reformers, running unopposedon a "Unity, Power, Respect" slate, take over a local union that, justsix years ago, was called "corrupt from top to bottom" by AssistantU.S. Attorney V. Grady O'Malley...

By Matt Noyes

In March, IBEW InternationalPresident Ed Hill overturned discipline imposed on Perry Speranza, amember of Toronto Local 353, and ordered the local to refund his fines.Speranza had been found guilty "of posting or permitting to be postedon the OurLocal353.ca web site material that he knew or should haveknown to be untrue, that would affect the reputation of Local 353.

..Hill'sdecision, while a welcome support of Speranza's rights in this case,actually falls short of a forthright defense of the democratic rightsof all members. For one thing, Hill insists upon the IBEW's monopolycontrol of the union logo, and denies the right of members to use itindependently. But that shortcoming is minor compared to onefundamental defect in his decision...

Find all the articles here: http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

2. New Audio:from the AUD conference "Confronting Corruption in Labor Unions --Rank-and-file insurgency? Government intervention? Internal reform?Assessing a half century of effort."

Eileen Sullivan -- Former Trustee Teamster Local 295 who completed its transition from mob control to court control to member control; staff in Teamster Local 295 trusteeship; former Teamster tractor-trailer driver and VP of TWU local 504; former AUD Women's Project Director.

Ed Sadlowski -- Holder of many elected offices in Steelworkers Union; advisor to trustee of Laborers' Chicago District Council, posted in several Laborers locals.

Discussion -- Michael J. Goldberg, moderator. Professor, Widener University School of Law; represented numerous reformers; represented Longshore Union members in recent U.S. appeals court victory, finding ILA constitution violated members' free speech and due process rights and that members were not adequately notified of their democratic rights; AUD Board of Directors member.

Hear these and other talks: http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Education/audconffightingcorruption.htm

3. Notice to disabled Carpenters: Possible Dues Refund. Effective December 1, 2000, the UnitedBrotherhood of Carpenters changed its constitution (Section 50) tosharply reduce dues for members who are no longer working in the tradeand are totally disabled. Total disability for purposes of eligibilityis defined as drawing a Social Security Disability pension, or a Canadaor Quebec Pension Plan Disability Pension. For these members, dues areonly $6 per month as of December 2000.

At least one DistrictCouncil (New York City) and its locals never effectively notifiedeligible members and has continued to collect at the old rate. The NYCDistrict Council is under a federal monitorship. We are told that thepresiding judge has instructed the U.S. Attorney's office toinvestigate. Whatever the outcome of that inquiry, it appears thatrefunds are warranted. We bring this to your attention because totallydisabled Carpenters in other district councils and locals may besimilarly uninformed and paying excess dues. Pass the word around.

(RSS feed -- http://www.uniondemocracy.org/rss/rss.xml)