AUD Picnic in the park
Sunday, August 1, 12:30 PM

Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Meet
New AUD staff: Kurt Richwerger, the Quickbooks demon; Myles Ephraim,
raiser of trouble and dollars, and a surprise guest, the new assistant
director.

Old AUD staff: Carl Biers, outgoing executive director; Herman Benson,
AUD founder and Secretary-Treasurer.

Hear
Japanese Perspectives on Union Democracy, a report from Toyko Bureau
Chief Matt Noyes.

Eat
Standard barbecue fare, enhanced by your own potluck contributions:
salads, desserts, and especially veggie options so that vegetarians
among us have something more than tofu pups and garden burgers. Beer,
wine, etc.

Chat
With the usual unusual assortment of rabblerousers and troublemakers.

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Articles from the latest Union Democracy Review.
2. Question and Answer: my union -- the ILA -- faces a RICO
monitorship, what can I expect?
3. New links: teachers, screen actors, autoworkers, longshore workers,
pilots, and more.
4. New assistant director for AUD.
5. New and updated books published by AUD.
6. CFC time for Federal Employees -- please give to AUD.
-----------------------------------------

1. Articles from UDR #152:

Longshore workers nearly defeat master contract.
"This is the first time in ILA history that we have had such a narrow
contract vote. We consider it a major victory," said Leonard Riley, a
reform leader and member of ILA Local 1422 in Charleston, South
Carolina. "This is part of a bigger fight to reform our union. We want
a strong and democratic union, free from corruption."

MASS merger in SEIU Local 888.
"...proponents of these larger structures never explain why, in their
new expansive unions, it is necessary to hamstring union democracy."

RISE uncovers corruption before its demise.
"Rumore stands accused of ordering his business agents --- and not
very gently --- to put the arm on every member to kick in toward his
"defense" fund. Some members, understandably not enthusiastic,
ducked."

IATSE 600: Internet democracy triumphs over super centralization, plus
twelve tips for an internet election campaign (revised).
The Local 600 insurgent coalition's experience is a lesson in the
possibilities of democracy even as the labor movement concentrates its
forces to meet a concentrated employer adversary.

Divided appeals court denies Carpenters direct elections (revised).
"The New England Regional Council of Carpenters serves as the possible
model for a future labor movement: ultra centralized, authoritarian,
autocratic."

See all the articles at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

2. Legal Rights Question and Answer: "...recent racketeering
indictments of top ILA officials have prompted press reports that a
federal RICO monitorship is coming soon. What will it look like and
will it be good for the ILA reform movement?"
See the full question and our reply:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Legal/faqs.htm

3. New Links: Three sites for members of the Screen Actors Guild:
Rumors and Myths; Membership First!; and Restore Respect.
Two links for NYC Teachers and staff: The Independent Community of
Educators and Teachers for a Just Contract.
Two for ILA members: ILA Rank and File and Voice of the Membership.
Plus: APA Pilots Defending the Profession; Committee to Save GCIU;
Future of the Union; MMNA Members Network Portal, for UAW 2488
members; The Members' Voice for PSCOA members; Fight the Bully for
members of ATU 1181; Unity Slate for IUOE 30; MEBA United for Marine
Engineers; and SEIU 888 Members' Democracy Campaign.
See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/AUDLinks.

4. New Assistant Director: Rachel Padgett has joined AUD's staff.
Rachel worked as an organizer for the United Auto Workers, Region 9 in
New York and brings her enthusiasm and many skills to AUD. We are glad
to have her.

5. New and updated books: Rebels, Reformers and Racketeers, How
Insurgents Transformed the Labor Movement is now available for
purchase from AUD. Democratic Rights for Union Members is back in
print and we have published a new version of How to Get an Honest
Union Election -- with a new section on meeting attendance rules. See
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/resourcehome.htm

6. It's Combined Federal Campaign time for federal employees. Please
give generously to AUD, and help us fight for your rights. Our number
is 2205. See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/cfc2004.htm

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Letter from Rachel Padgett
2. Benson's Union Democracy Blog.
3. New links: Machinists, Screen Actors, Canadian Public Employees,
Pilots and more.
4. New Troublemakers on the way.
5. AUD holiday party, Friday 12/10

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

1. Appeal from Rachel Padgett, AUD Assistant Executive Director.
"thelast few months has been a crash course in union democracy and
labor law. However, what I have learned is so much more than cold hard
facts and legalese...AUD is truly　irreplaceable and vital to
building a strong labor movement...but it takes money...We need your
help." See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/fundraiser.htm

2. Benson's Union Democracy Blog: we know, too many blogs, too little
time, but readers looking for more of Herman Benson's reflections on
the state of labor and union democracy today can find them on
http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/ Please check it out and post a
comment.

3. New Links: Two for machinists: Keith Thomas, and Machinists for
Democracy(formerly Free 701);  Pilots United; [IUE-CWA] Local 717;
CUPE Reform[Canadian Public Employees]; SAG Watchdog; [IATSE] 798
Members. New resources: FindLaw Employment Rights Center; New Labor
Forum; LaborWire; WorkSite.org; Popular Education News.
See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/AUDLinks.

4. A new Troublemaker's Handbook is due from Labor Notes in early
January. Contact AUD to pre-order now. This is an all new edition of
the classic guide to union activism. Required reading for anyone who
wants to build a stronger and more democratic union movement. Features
a chapter on websites written by APWU activist David Yao and AUD's
internet coordinator Matt Noyes. See
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/resourcehome.htm

5. If you are in the NYC area, please join us for a holiday party on
Friday, December 10th. Celebrate a year of hard work done and get
fired up for another one! For more information: aud@..., 718-564-1114

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Benson's Union Democracy Blog asks for your schemes.
2. Articles from the latest Union Democracy Review.
3. DOL to enforce Section 105 for public sector unionists.
4. Uniondemocracy.org -- Labor Website of the Year?
5. Give AUD a stocking stuffer (or a pony!)

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

1. Benson's Union Democracy Blog looks at schemes for saving the Labor
Movement from UNITE-HERE, the Carpenters, and the Teamsters; and a
modest idea from TDU. http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/

2. Articles from the latest Union Democracy Review (#153):

Reform movement spreads in the ILA Longshore union
"The new spirit of independence, militancy, and reform, gestating for
years, soared last spring when dissidents spearheaded a grassroots
campaign against ratification of a six-year East Coast master contract
which, they charged, was riddled with givebacks.... The rise of an
effectively organized reform movement in the ILA --- in the ILA! ---is
a spectacular labor event. There has been nothing like it since the
big East Coast rank and file longshore strikes of the mid-forties and
the ILA's expulsion from the AFL in 1953..."

Local 509 asks questions about democracy in the SEIU
"At the convention, Boston Local 509 submitted a series of motions
which, taken together, express serious misgivings over the future fate
of democracy in the SEIU, concerns which are not limited to Local
509."

In quest of democracy at Amalgamated Transit Convention
"Peter Fionda, a longtime member of Amalgamated Transit Union Local
241, attended the ATU national convention in Las Vegas this September.
Local 241 represents bus drivers employed by Chicago. This is the
story as he told it to us..."

Screen Actors Guild officers unnerved by actors' internet free
speech;
"Officials of the Screen Actors Guild were thrown off balance when
union members rejected their proposal to merge with the American
Federation of Radio and Television Artists. ... It must have been
infuriating when the merger opponents, who spent little, won out
simply by using the internet."

See all the articles at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

3. A win: upon petition from AUD, the U.S. Labor Department has agreed
to begin enforcement of the requirements of LMRDA Section 105 for
federal employee unions. Section 105 requires labor organizations to
inform their members of the provisions of federal law which protect
union democracy.

4. Vote for the AUD website in LabourStart's Labor Website of the Year
contest. It's a great, global, contest, well worth checking out.
LabourStart is a great resource for unionists. Go here to see the
competition, and vote http://www.labourstart.org/l
wsoty/2004/ballot.shtml

5. Give AUD a stocking stuffer (or a pony!). We are gearing up for the
new year and we need your help. Please give what you can to help AUD
stay on the job. See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/fundraiser.htm

New on uniondemocracy.org

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. New AUD email: info@...
2. Articles from the latest Union Democracy Review.
3. New links: Shop Rats, The Running Trades, Moore for the Musicians, and more
4. Call for info: retaliation against rank-and-file websites?

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

1. Change your address books: AUD’s email is now: info@.... (And,
if you still link to AUD’s website at www.uniondemocracy.com, please switch to
.org)

2. Articles from the latest Union Democracy Review (#154):

Focusing the AFL-CIO debate: Bureaucracy vs Democracy
“The NUP trend looks for the answer in the ultra bureaucratization of the labor
movement, more extreme than anything we have seen before... Regrettably, this
scheme is more than a nightmarish dream. It is actually a work in progress.”

Will the DOL permit unions to evade secret ballot elections?
“[The UBC’s approach], under which only the lowest level of a union must hold
direct elections, would turn the LMRDA from a statute designed to reform and
democratize union government, into a source of privileges for union autocracy,
in a way that would have astonished and infuriated its framers.”

Rank and file give IATSE 798 a makeover
“A formidable reform group is rapidly emerging as a powerful force in Local 798
of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees [IATSE]. This is
the 1,200-member east coast local of hair stylists and makeup artists.”

Federal unions must let their members know and AUD's brief to the Department of
Labor
“The AUD commends the Department of Labor for its favorable response to the
AUD's April, 5, 2002 petition for rule making... The proposed rule for the first
time would incorporate into the standards of conduct for federal sector labor
organizations an obligation to inform their members of such critical rights
within the union as freedom of speech, equal treatment, due process in union
disciplinary proceedings, and the right to nominate and vote for candidates for
union office in fair elections.”

UA's Maddaloni and Patchell Ousted
“The USDOL originally approved investment of the UA pension funds' assets in the
hotel, but with tight limits. The government then neglected to monitor the
project and belatedly woke up to loud whistle-blowing by dissidents, notably Tom
Preuett, and by newspaper exposes.”

Interview with UA reformer Frank Natalie
“I became disenchanted with the leadership because they were lying to us. That's
when I started doing research on the internet and that's when I found AUD. …when
AUD had its construction conference in November 2002 …we caucused and formed
Pipe Trades for A Democratic Union (P4DU).”

SEIU's Unite to Win and the "free and open debate" on Labor's future
”SEIU is to be commended (not that they need more of that) for creating a
website that breaks new ground for official "cyberunionism." Many positive
repercussions, most probably unintended, are sure to follow, but…”

See all the articles at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

3. New Links: Local 435(LIUNA); Postal Blog; Factory Rats (UAW); Four sites for
rail workers: Members Against Corruption, Reform It 2004, The Rail Forum, and
The Running Trades; The Darker Side of Brown (for Teamsters); Moore for the
Musicians; UBC Members; Ten Points for Union Meetings; Law Help NYC; U.S. Labor
Education in the Americas Project.

4. Call for info: retaliation against rank-and-file websites?
We want to know: have you been the subject of retaliation or threats of
retaliation from union officials or staff in response to your hosting of or
participation in an independent union website? Please drop us an email:
info@....

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. RSS feed for AUD updates.
2. New online guide to building rank-and-file websites.
3. Revamped AUDLinks pages (please update your links).
4. Internet Angel needed.
5. Information for union women.
6. Review & exchange on Rebels, Reformers, and Racketeers.
7. New Links: Grocery Workers, Operating Engineers, Bricklayers.
-----------------------------------------

NOTE: New AUD email address: info@...

1. RSS feed for AUD Updates.
If you are not familiar with RSS, you may want to check it out. It is
a great way to keep track of updates and news from various sources.
Subscribe to our RSS feed. http://www.uniondemocracy.org/#nu

2. New AUD Online Guide: build an effective rank-and-file website.
Based on a chapter in the new Troublemaker's Handbook, this
checklist of 50 points and the accompanying sample website should be
of interest to newbies and old hands alike. (Try the
"self-diagnostic quiz.")
See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/website%20g
uide/buildawebsite.htm

3. Revamped AUDLinks pages: we added several pages and now collect
links to official union websites that link to AUD. Please help us
build this unique resource, send us links, tell us about dead links.
NOTE: you will need to change your own links to our AUDLinks page.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

4. Internet angel needed: to pay our webhosting bill. We switched to a
low fee host, but the additions we are making to the website involve
additional costs. Still, for $200 you could keep AUD online for a
year. To donate see http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/joinaud.htm

5. Looking for information for union women? We reorganized the
resources on our website. See See the page for women in
non-traditional jobs, the links to women's organizations, or email us
at info@....

6. Review and an exchange on Rebels, Reformers, and Racketeers: Gene
Carroll, director of the Union Leadership Program at Cornell
University's School of Industrial & Labor Relations says, "WHILE THE
LABOR MOVEMENT in the United States is a beacon for democracy, too
often it fails as a beacon of democracy. Herman Benson makes this
clear in his remarkable personal memoir..." See the review and an
exchange between Paul Buhle and Herman Benson at h
ttp://www.newpol.org.

7. New Links: You in Union; Local 18 [IUOE] Members Voice; Bricklayers
Members for Union Democracy; Grocery Workers United for a Democratic
Union; BC Carpenters Union; CILU/CIPU; Labor Commons; Cyber
Solidarity; Radio Labour Start; United Action (UTLA); SEIU Members
First! See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/AUDLinks.htm

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Articles from Union Democracy Review #155
2. UDRs by the bundle.
3. Updated online guide to building websites
4. New links
-----------------------------------------

1. Articles from the latest Union Democracy Review, #155

If you can't woo 'em, sue 'em! -- An ingenious twist in punishing
dissent in the SEIU: "The Service Employees International
Union…has come up with an ingenious device to discourage
disenchanted members from seeking a more congenial affiliation…"

Harvey for TDU Charges Teamster IRB Coddles Top Hoffa Aide:
"Lesser union officials have gone to federal prison and been
barred from all union positions for the 13-year period mandated by the
LMRDA… for [offenses] such as Mr. Scalf has clearly
committed…"

NY Postal Union needs a lesson in democracy: "…the APWU chapter
might reconsider whether that reference to "A Democratic Trade Union"
really belongs on its letterhead."

IATSE Local 798 Update: "While the Concerned Members remain
guarded about the trusteeship, there are some optimistic signs…"

LMRDA 105: "Dear Mr. Hoffa..." "…the Teamster who sent this
letter to James Hoffa had asked him to comply with LMRDA Section 105.
He was told to await the union's new website. Came the new site, but
nothing there. And so, after consulting AUD, he wrote again."

See these articles and the complete list of contents:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

2. Spread Union Democracy, get a bundle of UDR: 20 copies of Union
Democracy Review for just $5.00. Hand them out to coworkers, bring to
the union meeting or picket line, post on the bulletin board, etc.
Order here: http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm#bundles

3. Updated: How to Build an Effective Rank-and-File Website: 50
guidelines and a sample homepage. We updated the Sample
"Widgetknockers" Homepage and the Website Effectiveness Test,
and made changes to the guidelines based on comments from
LabourStart's Eric Lee. See Build a better rank-and-file website.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/website gui
de/buildawebsite.htm

4. New Links: A New Day in ODOT 730 (SEIU); Introduction to Activism
on the Internet; IBEW Journeyman Wireman Forum; Coalition of
University Employees; UE; BigLabor (from the publishers of Stewards
Update); Legal Momentum, helping women enforce their rights (formerly
NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund).
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

(An RSS feed is available for AUD updates, see the AUD homepage. These
updates are also now posted publicly on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330 )

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. AUD July workshop in NYC

2. New Tool for Rank-and-File networking

3. New Links: for Railworkers, Laborers, Millwrights and more.

4. New AUD Mentoring program for Union Democracy Attorneys

5. Benson's Blog: Sweeney, Stern

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

1. AUD July workshop in NYC: Okay, we won, now what?

For newly elected union officers or those who are campaigning for
union office. This hands-on, one-day workshop will teach you how to
use your union position to work for democracy and power after the
election is won. Contact Rachel Padgett for more information.

Date: Saturday, July 16th ; Location/Time: TBA
(facilitated by Matt Noyes and Rachel Padgett)

http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Education/audevents.htm

2. New tool for Rank-and-File networking: AUD's RSS Feeds Page

To help encourage networking among Rank-and-File activists, we have
set up an AUD RSS Feeds Page, on Bloglines. RSS feeds are a way to
inform people of updates or news. The RSS Feeds Page collects feeds
from some of the websites, forums, and blogs listed on our links
pages, so you can see what's new on many websites, without having to
visit each one. Send us RSS feed suggestions.

For information about how to add an RSS feed to your website, see "Add
an RSS feed to your website" on the blog connected to the AUD Feeds
page. (Thanks to brother Frank Natalie for his help with this.)
http://www.bloglines.com/public/AUDFeeds

3. New Links/dead links

Rail Operating Crafts United (ROCU); Chicago Laborers District Council
unofficial site; National Alliance of "Brown" Employees and Retirees
INC; Teamsters 63; Union Millwrights and Machine Erectors; Women's
Rights at Work; Eric Lee; and Labor Unions Online Forums

We are weeding our links list, but keeping a list of dead/inactive
links (find out why). Please check to see that your site is correctly
listed, and please suggest websites for the lists, especially
rank-and-file sites. See Rank-and-File links.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

4. AUD Mentoring program for Union Democracy Attorneys

Are you an attorney with a case that raises union democracy issues? A
law student interested in practicing in this field? Need feedback,
advice, or pointers? AUD offers mentoring from leading union democracy
attorneys. See our Legal Rights page.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Legal/legalhome.htm

5. Benson's Blog – "Union democracy and the white working
class in
labor's Great Debate"

"...{Sweeney} veers sharply from Stern, who disparages those who
talk
about union democracy. What Sweeney omits, however, is any proposal,
or even any hint of one, that would strengthen union democracy, not
one. Here are some of the practices that must be corrected to make
democracy a robust reality throughout the labor movement…"
http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/

(An RSS feed is available on the AUD homepage. These updates are also
now posted publicly on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330)

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. AUD July workshop in NYC

2. Letter from Rachel Padgett

3. Articles from Union Democracy Review, Benson's Blog

4. New Links

5. Notice to donors to AUD in the CFC

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

1. July 16th : AUD Workshop in NYC: Okay, we won the election, now
what?

For newly elected union officers or those who are campaigning for
union office. This one-day workshop will teach you how to use your
union position to work for democracy and power after the election is
won. Facilitated by AUD's Rachel Padgett and Matt Noyes; teachers
include David Pratt, author of several books on organizing and legal
rights. Register online at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Education/audevents.htm

Contact Rachel Padgett for more information.

2. Letter from Rachel Padgett: please support AUD
"A debate is raging about the future of the labor movement!
Everyone from union presidents to university academics has offered an
opinion on how to save the labor movement… AUD has never wavered
from the simple idea that democratic, member run unions create a
strong and enduring labor movement… We rely on your support.
Won't you please donate online
<http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/joinaud.htm>
send us a check or credit card donation for $500, $100, $50, $35 or
whatever you can afford?"
See the full letter - and contribute to AUD - here:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/fundraiser.htm

3. Articles from the latest issue of Union Democracy Review #156:

Social Security office attack on AFGE splits union leaders

"The administration insisted on devastating cuts in the number of
union representatives (the equivalent of shop stewards) who would be
allowed time off to service their constituents. A debate now rages
over this issue and others…"

Insurgent victory in ATU 241

"…insurgents won 15 of the 31 positions available, giving them a
strong voice on the executive board….and the new position of
Assistant BA for maintenance and president …by large margins."

2KB of Free Speech? ACLU & Public Citizen sue in IBEW Local 46
election

"The American Civil Liberties Union has joined the Public Citizen
Litigation Group in backing the protest of electrician James Hughes
against restrictive election campaigning rules… that limit access
to the internet and forbid campaigning in the union hall."
See the articles and a full list of contents:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

A glimpse at labor's projected future (on Benson's Blog)
"The Stern family would reassert a principle that frustrates
workers' choice and turns them into a traded commodity."

How the Sweeney camp ignores its own first principle (on Benson's
Blog)
"What Sweeney omits… is any proposal, or even any hint of
one, that would strengthen union democracy, not one. Here are some of
the practices that must be corrected to make democracy a robust
reality throughout the labor movement…"
See Benson's Union Democracy Blog: http://bens
onsudblog.blogspot.com/

4. New Links

Teamsters Local 200 Unofficial Website; Indy Teamsters; Local 1 Forum;
Western Mass Pride at Work; Pride at Work Transgender Caucus;
Tradeswomen Now and Tomorrow. Revived Links: Greg Shotwell's Live Bait
and Ammo and In the Crosshairs (UAW); Dave's Dirty Rat Bastard Hunting
Club (IUOE+). Yahoo Groups: Cingular CWA members; Dave's Dirty Rat
Bastard Hunting Club; IBEW Alternative for S&C; Electrical Workers
Minority Coalition; Iron Workers Union; Laborers; Millwright; UTU Bus
Caucus. See Rank-and-File links.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

5. Notice to donors to AUD in the Combined Federal Campaign

We'd like to thank you, but unless federal employees authorize
the CFC to release their names to us, we never know who gives through
this program, and we never know how much the donor gives even if the
name is released. Please let us know about your support to AUD.
See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/cfc2004.htm

(An RSS feed is also available, see the AUD homepage. These updates
are also now posted publicly on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330 )

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. AUD Stickers!
2. New Articles: IATSE, ILA, IUOE and more
3. New Links: Carpenters; Operating Engineers; Flight Attendants…
4. Benson talk on internet radio
5. Benson's Blog: AFL-CIO split poses question
-----------------------------------------

1. AUD Stickers.
For your hardhat, lunch box, locker, bulletin board or anywhere it
makes sense to post a "silent agitator" for union democracy. Union
printed. $3.00 for the first sheet of 12 stickers. $2.00 for each
additional sheet (buy more, save more!) Thanks to AUD intern Tristan
Masat for the design. See the stickers here:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/tshirts.htm#stickers

2. Articles from the latest Union Democracy Review #157:

IATSE showdown in Waikiki
"Four years ago …the dissidents numbered but a handful and
focused on the union's failure to deal with the outsourcing of film
and television jobs, this time they showed up in force and came with
an agenda for democratic reform."

Feds file suit vs rackets in ILA
"Skeptics will ask: Can it succeed this time after all else
failed? But optimists can reply that this time there is a new element:
A strong organized reform movement, independent of the old
officialdom, has emerged up and down the East and Gulf Coasts."

Battling corruption in the ILA: a partial chronology
"The federal government's RICO suit against the ILA comes after a
long history of corruption on the East Coast waterfront and of
resistance to it. What follows is a partial summary of that
record…"

Top Plumbers international officers expelled.
"The UA General Executive Board, in familiar fashion, awarded the
discredited duo the usual golden parachutes, including full salaries,
benefits, and free use of union cars until the end of 2006. The GEB
concluded, "...in light of their resignations, the GEB considers the
matter closed."…But it would not remain closed!"

Action in Operating Engineers locals 18 and 66
"Kohl and Gonter are not mere token candidates; they are running
hard-hitting campaigns. And that's not an easy thing to do in this
14,000-member local spread out over 89 counties in Ohio. It is
venturesome; some say, courageous."

See the articles and a full list of contents:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

3. New Links.
Save Our Brotherhood; Local 18 Members Voice; A New Day in ODOT;
Standing Up 4 Change (Yahoo Group); Communicate or Die. Revived links:
MEBA-UNITED; Carpenters for a Democratic Union International.
See Rank-and-File links.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

4. Herman Benson on internet radio?
Building Bridges recorded a talk given by Herman Benson this summer at
AFSCME 1930. Hear the talk (followed by a funny interview with Labor
cartoonists Gary Huck and Mike Konopacki).
http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=13402

5. Benson's Blog: Split in AFL-CIO poses question: must Labor
bureaucratize to organize?
"The notion that this motley collection could ever convince other
unions to do precisely what they themselves will not and cannot do is
ludicrous. It will never happen. But in any event, even
hypothetically, the Stern scheme is mostly irrelevant to the big,
sometimes intractable, problems facing unions in today's
climate."
See Benson's Union Democracy Blog: http://bens
onsudblog.blogspot.com/

(An RSS feed is available on the AUD homepage. These updates
are also  posted on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330 )

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Democracy on the Waterfront: resources for ILA members
2. Give to AUD in memory of an activist
3. Volunteer for AUD
4. New Links: Animators, Food and Commercial Workers, Autoworkers,
NAGEmembers…
5. New AUDFeeds
-----------------------------------------

1. Democracy on the Waterfront: resources for ILA members.
The US Department of Justice has filed a RICO suit against the ILA.
The key to freeing the union from corruption and winning crucial
democratic reforms is an organized and active membership. AUD has
created a page that pulls together information and resources ILA
members can get from AUD: information about your democratic rights and
how to enforce them, background on the struggle against corruption in
the ILA, the possible consequences of the RICO suit and more. See the
page at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Legal/ILA%20
Longshore%20workers.htm

2. Give to AUD in memory of an activist.
AUD welcomes contributions made in memory of a friend, family member,
or coworker who supported union democracy. Dave Robbins and Arthur
Doty ask that we remember "Teamster Rebel" Jerry Crowley, who
fought for many years to strengthen and democratize Boston Teamsters
Local 82 and recently died of a heart attack. Read more about brother
Crowley and donate in his memory at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/memorybequest.htm

3. Volunteer for AUD. Work with AUD staff on online projects. Current
opportunities:
Translate website content into Spanish.
Design/produce an interactive graphic for the AUD website. (Could
require advanced technical skills in website design and graphics.)
Help index Union Democracy Review.
Post current articles from Union Democracy Review to discussion lists.
See our new volunteer page at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/volunteer.htm

4. New Links.
Oregon Workers Union; Animation Guild; Pernicious Representation
(UFCW); Change Your Union (UAW Yahoo group); Unofficial IBU site (and
Yahoo group); NAGEmembers; Cybersteward.net.
See Rank-and-File links.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

5. New AUDFeeds.
AUD's list of RSS feeds is rapidly growing. We now have twenty
five rank-and-file blogs, discussion lists, and websites, along with
other labor resources and official union feeds. See the feeds here,
subscribe, and let us know about feeds to add.
http://www.bloglines.com/public/AUDFeeds

(An RSS feed is available on the AUD homepage. These updates are also
posted on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330)

Friends, please post and circulate widely. Thanks, Matt Noyes
------------

The 2005 AUD Best Rank-and-File Website Contest

AUD is running the Second Annual Best Rank-and-File Website contest
and we want your favorite websites in it!

Like the last contest, this one has three goals:

1) to spotlight the great work that rank-and-file activists are doing
and make your work known to a broader audience,

2) to promote the use of the internet as an organizing tool for union
reformers, and,

3) to encourage discussion among rank-and-file webstewards about what
works and what doesn't -- both technically and in terms of
organizing -- so we can all be more effective.

This year's contest has three new elements:

Blogs welcome! We have expanded the contest to include blogs and
websites based on content management systems.

The inside dope. This year's contestants have an edge: AUD has
published "50 Guidelines to Building an Effective Rank-and-File
Website" available online along with sample website homepage. The
Guidelines grew out of the criteria we used to assess websites in the
first contest. Forewarned is fore-armed. Feel free to use the guide to
tweak your website and improve your odds.

People's choice. Our panel of judges will decide the results of
the contest. But, we will also set up an online vote for the contest, open to
anyone and not restricted to our criteria. We will announce the results of both
the judged contest and the online vote.

For more contest details and the online entry form see the AUD website
(www.uniondemocracy.org).

Thanks and good luck, Matt Noyes AUD internet coordinator

"The GREAT contests for web sites run by LabourStart and by the AUD
are the "Oscar ceremonies" of the Labor Cyber World." - Art Shostak,
author of CyberUnion and the CyberUnion Handbook.

Note: you do not have to be an AUD member to enter; there is no entry
fee.

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Get Help
2. New Articles: DC37 pickets; Reform breakthrough in IUOE 18;
Fearsome Local 52; SEIU pulls plug on debate, and more.
3. Website contest heats up: deadline Nov 20.
4. New Links: autoworkers, flight attendants, railroad workers, teachers
5. Websites to watch: Future of the Union, Edwize, ICE-UFT
-----------------------------------------

1. Get Help. Need help with a union democracy problem? See our new Get
Help page for a guide to resources on our website, and an intake form
you can use to ask AUD for advice, information or assistance. The page
is under construction, feedback welcome. See the page at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Legal/gethelp.htm

2. Articles from the latest Union Democracy Review.

100 DC 37 Pickets Demand One Member, One Vote! -- "The same spirit
that bars you from your own union property, would bar you from
electing your own union officers."

Reform breakthrough in Ohio Operating Engineers Local 18 – "Patricia
Kohl, heading an insurgent slate, has just been elected to the
executive board of Operating Engineers Local 18… In her 2,700-member
division, she outpolled two men to win election… But the bare facts
hardly tell the full story…"

Fifty-two playing cards = fearsome "Local 52" – "The UFCWU is part of
the Change to Win coalition which stakes a claim as a great reform
movement. Obviously, one thing that it does not propose to reform or
to change is the prevailing bureaucratic mood that infects wide
sections of the labor movement."

SEIU pulls plug on "Future of Labor" discussion online. -- "Unite to
Win is dead, of course, and so is its website www.unitetowin.org.
Launched by SEIU, the website included a blog with uncensored
commentary - something previously unheard of at that level of the
union leadership. But the time for innovation appears to be over..."

See these articles and others at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

A fine feud with no fighting! (on Benson's Blog) – "…Even before any
battle has been engaged, the two camps already seem to have arrived at
an unspoken armistice. Many on both sides, forced by their
international affiliations to become partisans, seem shaken and
dismayed by the split. Their reaction suggests what is the probable
reality: that the new federation is on a fast track to nowhere…"
See Benson's Blog at http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/

3. New Links. BMWE 3014; Virginia Public Service Workers Union; Public
Service Alliance BC; Flight Attendants for Union Democracy; ROCU; UAW
Info; UAW Local 1976 info; Solidarity Now; New York City Workers for
Just and Democratic Unions; Catholic Worker; Voice of [IBT] Local 82;
New York Coalition of Radical Educators; Labor Talk [Canada];
Education Page for a Democratic Society.
See Rank-and-File links:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

4. AUD Best Rank-and-File Website contest heats up: 23 entries and
counting. The deadline for submission is Nov. 20. See the list of
entries and enter your website or one you like:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/website%20guide/websitecontest.htm

5. Websites & blogs to watch:
As Delphi and GM wreck workers' pensions, wages and jobs, get the
rank-and-file perspective on Future of the Union and other UAW sites.
See autoworker links: http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

New York City teachers debate a proposed new contract on new official
UFT blog Edwize (pro) and rank-and-file blogs like ICE-UFT (con). Find
them on AUD feeds: http://www.bloglines.com/public/AUDFeeds

(An RSS feed is available on the AUD homepage. These updates are also
posted on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330)

Friends, please post and circulate -- thanks, Matt Noyes.

The deadline for entering the 2005 AUD Best Rank-and-File Website
contest is just five days away: November 20th.

Websites/blogs entered in the contest will be judged by an expert
panel including experienced activists, an attorney, an internet
architect, and a blog expert.

In addition to the judged contest, there will be an online poll where
anyone can vote for the website they find most effective.

Winners receive prizes, publicity, and detailed feedback on their
sites. The contest helps publicize the great work being done by
rank-and-file unionists online.

But, "you have to be in it to win it!" Enter your site, or a site you
like, before November 20th.

Friends, please post and circulate. And please do make a contribution
to AUD today. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Letter to friends of union democracy.
2. Best Rank-and-File Website 2005: you be the judge
3. New Articles: District Council 37, Union Democracy 2005.
4. New: AUD Buttons, union-made.
5. Read Rebels, Reformers, and Racketeers chapter online.
6. SPECIAL SALE: 37 years of Union Democracy Review for $25.00
-----------------------------------------

1. Letter to friends of union democracy:

"Every week at AUD we field phone calls, emails, faxes and letters
from union members who do not know where else to turn... We help them
because we know what they do is essential for the labor movement's
future...Please take a moment to contribute online. The future of
union democracy needs you and so do we..."

Read more at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/fundraiser.htm

2. The candidates for Best Rank-and-File Website 2005 are in.

Citizen Chris, Factory Rats, Meatballs and more. Thirty five sites
from the UAW, Teamsters, UFCW, Teachers, Transport Workers, Flight
Attendants, Communications Workers, and many more. See the sites and
vote for your favorite in our online survey.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/website%20guide/websitecontest.htm

3. New Articles:

District Council 37 union delegates reject proposal for direct
election of Council officers. "…on October 25th, the delegates voted
down the proposal, 56 to 44 percent. This was the second time in five
years that the amendment was turned down."

Update: Still Subverting Union Democracy in 2005. "Efforts continue to
evade the provisions of the federal Labor Management Reporting and
Disclosure Act (LMRDA), the 1959 law that guarantees union democracy
for union members. Here are some of the latest methods that officials
have found to subvert membership rights in unions…"

Read more at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

4. AUD Buttons now available. These "silent agitators" will get your
fellow unionists talking. $1.50 each, union made, durable. Buy them
here http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/tshirts.htm

5. Read Rebels, Reformers, and Racketeers chapter online. Chapter Five
of Rebels, Reformers and Racketeers -- The Painters 1962-1972 -- can
now be read online. Learn about Schonfeld's fight against the mob, the
landmark Salzhandler case, the murders of Wilson and Green, and the
origins of AUD. http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Legal/rebelschapt5.htm

6. Round out your Union Democracy Library with bound volumes of Union
Democracy Review and its predecessor Union Democracy in Action. Read
the original stories of the struggles in the Painters, Mineworkers,
Steelworkers, and many other unions. A unique perspective on union
history.

SPECIAL SALE: only $8 per volume, all five volumes – 1959 to 1996 --
for just $25, $2 shipping each volume. Call 718-564-1114 or order
online here http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/resourcehome.htm

(An RSS feed is available on the AUD homepage. These updates are also
posted on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330)

The deadline for the popular vote in AUD's Best Rank-and-File Website
Contest of 2005 is January 30th. Please visit the sites in the
competition and complete the survey now.

http://www.uniondemocracy.org/surveyor/index.php?sid=2

Thanks, Matt Noyes

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. New Articles: Union democracy online; Operating Engineers; Plumbers
and Pipefitters.

2. Benson's Blog: on the New York City Transit strike.

3. New Links: autoworkers, engineers, grocery workers, university workers.

4. Best Rank-and-File Website 2005: last chance to put in your two cents

5. Your Union can support AUD
-----------------------------------------

1. New Articles:

Union democracy online survives two lawsuits. "The right of union
members to criticize their union officials is well established…thanks
to the LMRDA and the landmark Salzhandler v Caputo decision… However,
the LMRDA was written before the internet was more than a dream. What
are the rights of union members online? The outcome of two test cases
in court is mixed, but generally bodes well for union democracy."

In the Operating Engineers (IUOE). "Local 18 members elected Patricia
Kohl as representative from her 2,700-member Division 6, a remarkable
accomplishment for a woman running on an insurgent slate in this
overwhelmingly male hardhat local. Nevertheless, in the larger
interests of her union's democracy, she is challenging the conduct of
the elections, even though it could jeopardize her own victory."

Last year's scandal hangs over next Plumbers convention. "Last year,
former UA president Martin Maddaloni and Secretary Thomas Patchell
were removed by the Labor Department… A special panel selected by the
GEB found that they had cost the union treasury millions in suspect
loans to friends. They were expelled from the union and fined heavily.
That's how current officers Hite and Perno got their jobs: appointed
by the GEB. And so they seem willing to ignore that dark cloud of
scandal that hangs over the convention proceedings: where was the GEB
as all these millions evaporated?"

Read more at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

2. New on Benson's Union Democracy Blog: Thinking about the New York
City transit strike. "Most of the media comments and all of the
outrage were focused on the inconvenience inflicted on the suffering
riding public by the 33,700 New York City subway and bus workers
during their three-day strike, right in the middle of the holiday
season. All those mythical million dollars worth of business
presumably "lost!" But why did they do it? That question, lost in the
arguments over bargaining details, never got the attention it still
requires…"

Read more at http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/

3. New Links: Engineers Cut Sheet; The Store Floor; Our Local 353; My
CSUEU Opinions; Mindless Blather; UAW Crisis; Quorum 325; The Offbeat;
UAW Forum; Soldiers of Solidarity Unite; Flint Solidarity; Internal
UAW Appeals practice manual. Also the great Chief-Leader newspaper in
NYC is now online.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

4. Best Rank-and-File Website 2005, last chance to put in your two
cents. Vote for your favorite site in our online survey.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/website%20guide/websitecontest.htm

5. Your Union can support AUD.
Unions, union officers, staff and members can play an important role
supporting the struggle for union democracy in the entire labor
movement. One place to start is to join AUD and support our work.
There are several ways your union can help. Find out more.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/uniondonation.htm


(An RSS feed is available on the AUD homepage. These updates are also
posted on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330)

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Best Rank-and-File Websites
2. New Articles: IBEW's and the Internet; ATU 1181 refuses to act
3. Links: NYC Transit, Airline Workers, Tramps, Uncharted and more.
4. "You gotta do it for yourself…"
-----------------------------------------

1. Pipe Trades for a Democratic Union, Members for Democracy, and
Pilots Defending the Profession win AUD's Best Rank-and-File Website
Contest 2005.

Collaboration, free speech, "we are the media," online communities,
the internet's long tail, self-organization... if you want to see the
new internet being built, the websites and blogs of rank-and-file
unionists are a great place to start. The large informal network of
rank-and-file and reform websites is a workshop for union democracy,
social software, and union regeneration.
AUD's annual Best Rank-and-File Website Contest offers a tour of the
work in progress. This year's contestants reflect the richness and
diversity of the rank-and-file web, the current best practices, and
some trends in its evolution…

Read more:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/112-2005%20AUD%20Website%20Contest%20Results.h\
tm


2. New Articles: IBEW and the Internet; ATU refuses to oust officers
accused of mob domination.

Whose IBEW is it? An Electrician on the Internet.
Ed Hill, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers, has a problem. IBEW members have been taking their union's
name in vain on the internet, putting its name, initials, logos, and
even its constitution online without the union's permission....

ATU international refuses to oust Local 1181 officers accused of mob
domination.
When members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 in New York City
learned that their top officers had been indicted in federal court…,
they appealed to their international president, Warren S. George,
asking him to remove the accused officers, put the local under
trusteeship, and prepare for a fair election… They were jolted to read
his reply: "We are, of course, well aware of the recent indictments…
Notwithstanding those actions, the officers and executive board
members and stewards are continuing to effectively carry out their
obligations and responsibilities on behalf of the membership they
represent..."

Read more at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

3. New links: Transit Workers for a Just Contract; Airline Workers
United; SacLightRail.com (IBEW); Tramp Tools (IBEW); Uncharted.ca and
Members for Democracy Archive (formerly UFCW.net); Coalition for
Membership Empowerment (PEF); Sunlight Science (IATSE); Vote Down the
Contract (IATSE).

http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/AUDLinks.htm

4. "You gotta go down and join the AUD..."
Give AUD $10 a month and you will help keep us on the job, reporting
on union democracy struggles, providing free advice and support,
running our informative website. As a member of our $100 plus club,
you'll get our newsletter for core supporters. But, as the old song
says (sort of), "Ain't nobody else can do it for you, you gotta go
down and join AUD by yourself!"
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/Monthlygift.htm

(An RSS feed is available on the AUD homepage. These updates are also
posted on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330)

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. New Articles: Battling corruption in the UTU; Schoolbus drivers
demand action; Contrasting views on corruption; Debating union
democracy and Change to Win; Kill the Internet.
2. New Bound Volumes of Union Democracy Review, only $10 each.
3. New Links: Teamsters Convention, Ross and the Union Boss,
Theatrical and Stage Employees; Musicians; United Transportation Union.
4. New on Benson's Blog: Assessing a half century of union reform
5. Thanks
-----------------------------------------

1. New Articles from Union Democracy Review:

Battling corruption in the UTU. "Roger Griffeth, an announced
candidate for UTU international president in the 2007 election, has
charged that Paul C. Thompson, the incumbent UTU president..., tried
fraudulently to make former president Boyd eligible for disability
benefits under the union pension plan..."

NYC Schools bus drivers demand action against indicted officers.
"...So far, not only has the international shrugged off all these
demands; it has given a PR boost to the suspect officers..."

Two contrasting views on union corruption, by William Kornblum. "Two
new books take a hard look at the causes and consequences of union
corruption. Unfortunately, only one... offers a detailed and critical
analysis of what strategies work best to rid the house of labor of its
pernicious pests..."

Exchange on union democracy and Change to Win, with Don Taylor and
Herman Benson. "[Taylor:]...for some reason, many in the labor
movement accept today's atomized status quo. Some even applaud it-like
the folks at Union Democracy Review, who seem to think workers'
ability to change between unions like trading in an old car for a new
one is more important than building power."

Danger of democracy on the Internet? Kill it!  "Web sites run by
unionists independent of any established officialdom are mushrooming
all over the country...Too many union leaders are nervous, those who
are accustomed to a monopoly of access to their membership. Seeing a
threat, their instinctive reaction is to look for ways to curb the new
weapon..."

Read more at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

2. Two New Bound Volumes of Union Democracy Review: Volume Six covers
the years 1997-2000; Volume Seven covers 2001-2005. Special Sale: $10
each ($35.00 for all seven bound volumes dating back to the late
1960's). Offers a unique insight into the history of the struggle for
union democracy and reform.

See http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Resources/resourcehome.htm

3. New links: Teamster 2006 Convention Proceedings (unofficial site);
Ross and the Union Boss; A.J. Muste Memorial Institute; 600 In Focus
for IATSE members; and Remove the Corruption Campaign (UTU). NOTE: our
recent article on Local 802 has provoked a lot of feedback. We will
soon publish some of the letters to the editor; in the meantime, visit
Concerned Musicians and MEMBERS Newsletter to see some of the
democracy in action in Local 802.

Find these links and others at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/RNFLinks.htm

4.  New on Benson's Union Democracy Blog: Assessing a half century of
union reform, A discussion piece by Herman Benson. "After decades of
union reform effort, aimed at combating corruption, ousting organized
crime, and strengthening internal union democracy, where are we?"

Read more at http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/

5. Thank you. Thomas S. Holman who died several years ago, left $499
to AUD in his will. He was a construction worker. We are grateful for
his longtime support. To make a bequest to AUD:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/memorybequest.htm

(An RSS feed is available on the AUD homepage. These updates are also
posted on our Yahoo Groups page
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/audupdates/?yguid=182316330)

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

Confronting Corruption in Labor Unions:
Rank and file insurgency? Government intervention? Internal reform?
Assessing a half-century of effort.

Union activists at all levels and government agencies have worked for
decades to drive out the mob and rid unions of corruption. Where are
we? What have been the results, the successes and failures over the
last 50 years? The Association for Union Democracy will address these
questions at an all-day conference in New York City on Saturday,
October 14, 2006. (Pre-Register Online at www.uniondemocracy.org.)

For the first time, rank-and-file reformers, union officers, workers
rights attorneys, court-appointed trustees, labor journalists, and
former law-enforcement authorities will share experiences and examine
the issues. Speakers include:

James Jacobs: NYU law professor and author of Mobsters, Unions, and
Feds, The Mafia and the American Labor Movement.

Herman Benson: Editor of Union Democracy Review and author of Rebels,
Reformers, and Racketeers, How Insurgents Transformed the Labor Movement.

Edwin Stier: Court-appointed trustee for Teamsters Local 560 and
sponsor of RISE, an internal union program to root out corruption in
the Teamsters union.

Edward Sadlowski: Former Steelworker District Director. Served as
trustee over Chicago Laborers locals once in the hands of organized crime.

Barbara Harvey: Attorney representing Teamsters for a Democratic Union
in elections under government supervision.

Susan Jennik: Former AUD Executive Director, attorney, assigned by Ron
Carey to help reform Teamster Local 966.

Mike Sullivan: Former reform leader in Roofers Local 30, once under a
disastrous federal trusteeship.

Robert Fitch: Author of Solidarity for Sale, How Corruption Destroyed
the Labor Movement and Undermined America's Promise.

Carl Biers: Former AUD Executive Director, currently working for the
administrator appointed by the court to oust the mob and institute
democratic practices in International Longshoremen's Association Local
1588.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Center for Urban Research,
Graduate Center, CUNY, and by WBAI's "Building Bridges: Your Community
& Labor Report."

Location: CUNY Graduate Center, 5th Avenue (at 34th Street), 9th Floor
Time: 10:30 a.m.-- 5:30 p.m.
Registration: $15 donation. Space is limited. Pre-registration is
strongly urged to ensure a seat. Registration on the day of the
conference begins at 10 a.m.

Pre-Register Online at www.uniondemocracy.org.

Friends, Please post and circulate. -- Matt Noyes

Program for 10/14 AUD Conference on Confronting Corruption in Labor
Unions www.uniondemocracy.org

Confronting Corruption in Labor Unions Rank and file insurgency?
Government intervention? Internal reform? Assessing a half-century of
effort.

Saturday 10/14 10:30 a.m.-- 5:30 p.m. CUNY Graduate Center, 5th Avenue
(at 34th Street), 9th Floor $15 donation. Register online or at the
door at 10 a.m.

Conference Schedule:

10-10:30 Registration

10:30 Greetings-Overview

Part One

10:35-11:55 Confronting corruption in labor unions Herman Benson,
James Jacobs, Edwin Stier

12- 12:15 Questions

12:15-1:30 Lunch (Not provided)

Part Two

1:30- 3:15 Lessons from Experience
Carl Biers, Barbara Harvey, Robert Fitch, Eddie Kay, Susan Jennik,
Mike Sullivan, Eileen Sullivan, and Ed Sadlowski

3:15- 3:30 Break

3:30-5:30 Questions/ Discussion

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Benson's Blog asks "Where are those missing AFL-CIO Ethical
Practices Codes?"
2. Articles from Union Democracy Review: New DOL Rules; Teamster
Election Rules Flawed; A Round in the Internet Battle; Longshore
Action and Legal Victory.
3. New Links: Teachers, Carpenters, State Employees
4. Renew your AUD membership online.
5. AUD has office space for rent.
-----------------------------------------

1. New on Benson's Union Democracy Blog: "Where are those missing
AFL-CIO Ethical Practices Codes?" "Brian McLaughlin has been arrested
on federal charges of stealing a few million dollars from the New York
City Central Labor Council, from his IBEW Local 3, and from assorted
political committees. These are familiar sources of illicit take. But
from the Queens Little League! That's going too far... As for the
solutions proposed by Denis Hughes and Ed Ott…"

Read more at http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/

2. Articles from Union Democracy Review:

New Dept. of Labor rule requiring Federal Unions to inform members of
their democratic rights. "the U.S. Labor Department issued a
regulation that requires all unions of federal employees to inform
their members of the provision of federal law that protests their
rights in their unions… The DoL action came in response to a petition
submitted by our Association for Union Democracy."

Teamster Convention reveals fatal flaw in election rules. "The
Teamster election rules are not only fatally flawed from the standards
of democracy. They are inconsistent and self-contradictory."

In AFSCME DC37: A round in the internet battle. "union members who
want to say something independent of the presiding administration---
turn with delight to e-mail and websites, the free expression avenues
available on the internet. But conflict is inevitable, sometimes
bitter; because all those freewheeling opportunities for critics make
most union incumbent administrations nervous; they want limits. But
what limits are legitimate?"

In the ILA: rank-and-file action and a major legal victory.
"Represented in federal court by AUD board member Michael Goldberg,
four members of the Longshore Workers Coalition, the ILA reform group,
have won a major victory in the federal appeals court for the Third
District…."

Read more at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

3. New links: Alliance of Concerned Teachers (AFT); Carpenters Local
370 Voice; CSEUnited.

Find these and other links at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/RNFLinks.htm

4. Renew your AUD membership: You can renew your membership online at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/joinaud.htm#renew. Consider
switching to an automatic monthly donation of $10 a month --
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/Monthlygift.htm.

5. AUD has a small office space for rent: Ideal for writer, small
business or non-profit organization; available for 1 year or longer;
approx 100 sq feet; internet access (DSL), conference room, and shared
kitchen all possible and negotiable. Landlord lives in building.
Contact Kurt Richwerger at 718-564-1114.

Thanks to all who helped make the AUD Conference a success. We hope to
have audio recordings from the conference online soon.

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

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. Articles from Union Democracy Review: Internet, Carpenters,
Musicians and more.
2. New Audio: Herman Benson interview on corruption in the NYC Central
Labor Council.
3. New Links: UFCW, IATSE, AFT, UAW.
4. Federal Employee Union Members – enforce your rights and help AUD.

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

1. Articles from Union Democracy Review:

Round 2 in the internet battle in AFSCME DC37
On September 12th, the AFSCME Judicial Panel issued its decision in a
case involving rank-and-file use of the internet. Cody Childs,
secretary of AFSCME Local 2627, was the only member of his opposition
slate to win … several months later, the local executive board
demanded that he reimburse the local for $2,400 in lawyer's fees that
it claimed were incurred because of his website use around the time of
the election…

On the eve of elections in Musicians Local 802
AUD has been running comments on some of the events in Musicians Local
802 to illustrate how sharp differences of views are sometimes
expressed in a democratic union. The letter, printed below, is the
latest and last before members vote on December 5 for local officers…

Blocking Carpenters move for more bureaucratic power
…After a complaint by Jeff Fearon of Chicago Local 58 and other
members, the U.S. Department of Labor rejected an effort by the union
to make its council structure even more rigid and even less subject to
challenge from the membership. …The key issue in dispute is a
provision in the council's bylaws which requires all aspiring
candidates to have previously served as council delegates for three
successive years to be eligible to run for regional office…

In Detroit: Carpenters corruption is centralized and efficient
International President Douglas McCarron has argued that a
super-centralized system is imperative to end petty corruption in the
union and to make the union more effective in meeting the great
challenges of our epoch…In one odd, limited but not unanticipated way,
McCarron was right...

Hiring Hall Procedures in the Construction Trades
Because so many AUDers confront the hiring hall problem, we are
calling to your attention a Chicago case in which a federal court
Special Master imposed hiring hall requirements on a Pipefitters local
and employers…

Railroad workers on the right track for unity
"We need a union that is built upon democratic control by its members,
not simply one built by amalgamating the respective top-heavy
leadership and bureaucracies of the existing organizations. We need
constitutional provisions that include…direct election of officers at
all levels…the right to recall officers; salary and expenditure
limits; and guarantees of protection for minority and dissenting views."

Federal employees can help enforce members' right to know.
In response to a petition submitted by Arthur Fox for the Association
for Union Democracy, the U. S. Labor Department issued a new
regulation requiring unions to notify members of their rights inside
their unions… A fine regulation, but will it be enforced? Your
initiative as a federal unionist can be decisive in inducing prompt
enforcement. Here's how…

Read more at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/UDRhome.htm

2. NEW AUDIO -- Interview with AUD's Herman Benson on corruption in
the NYC Central Labor Council.
In an interview broadcast on Building Bridges, Herman Benson discusses
the charges against CLC President Brian McLaughlin, and issues a
challenge to the Council's leaders: if you are serious about fighting
union corruption, why not conduct hearings into two prominent cases of
union corruption? http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=20496

3. New links: UFCW Reform (see the "UFCW Open Source Manifesto");
Broadway Local 1 (IATSE); Teachers Unite; UAW Rank-N-File E-mail &
Discussion Lists. Find these and other links at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/RNFLinks.htm

4. Federal Employee Union members: It's now time for federal unionists
to select the organization(s) that they would like to donate a portion
of their paycheck to in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). If this
includes you, of course, you should absolutely check off the
Association for Union Democracy, CFC Code 2205. Why AUD? We just won a
major victory for federal employees, as the Dept of Labor has
published a new rule requiring federal to inform their members of
their democratic rights. Continue to support us and we'll be able to
continue our battle to make all unions more democratic and therefore,
stronger.
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/cfc.htm

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

Friends, please post and circulate. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. New Audio --Confronting Corruption in Labor Unions

2. What's AUD worth? Letter from Kurt Richwerger

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

1. New Audio -- Confronting Corruption in Labor Unions:

• What can be done to fight corruption in labor unions?
• What is the role of the government and law enforcement?
• What is the role of union members?
• What has been tried? What has worked and what hasn't?
  

On October 14th, 2006, AUD held a conference in New York City to address these questions. Eleven speakers with an extraordinary range and depth of experience assessed fifty years of efforts to rid unions of mob influence and corruption.

AUD has begun posting the audio from this conference, starting with presentations from Judith Schneider, Herman Benson, and James Jacobs.  Next up: Edwin Steir.

We welcome you to listen to the presentations and discussion and encourage you to blog, discuss, and debate them. Got a discussion list, forum, or blog and want people to talk about the conference on your site? Let us know.  We will post a link. (Thanks to Ken Nash for recording the conference.)

Listen at http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Education/audconffightingcorruption.htm

2. What's AUD worth? Letter from Kurt Richwerger

We are pleased to have you on the AUD updates list, we hope the website is useful to you. Please do listen to the conference audio – we think it offers a rare chance to think about a problem too many unionists face. If you value the AUD website and the other work we do, please remember AUD is here and available for you only because we are supported by unionists and others who understand how important democracy is in our unions and in our nation. We depend almost exclusively upon contributions from individuals.

We want you to know that every week at AUD we field emails, phone calls, faxes and letters from union members who do not know where else to turn, perhaps you or someone you know has emailed us. Unionists who contact us may have already talked to their shop steward, their local's business agent, their union president, the Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, private lawyers, or even contacted their Congressperson about problems in their union.

But rarely have these persistent union members been given real practical information about their legal rights within their unions and support for their confidence in the power of union democracy to make a real change.

For more than 40 years we have helped workers campaign for their rights for fair union elections, non-discriminatory job referrals, equal rights for minority members, and against mob control and sexual harassment. By intervening in crucial court cases with the weight of our experience, AUD has been able to strengthen and implement union democracy law. By telling reformers' stories in our two publications, we provide a voice, and an audience, for those who mayhave found their own union officials unwilling to listen. In short, the service we perform at AUD is irreplaceable, and essential to a strong labor movement. We wish we could do more, but our resources are limited.

That's why we are asking for your support, and encourage you to join us in our mission by becoming an AUD Associate for just $30 per year.* 

Or, by giving just $10 a month, you can join our $100Plus Club and get our publications every month.

If you are reading this, you know our website and we hope that it has been helpful to you. (In fact, we encourage you to email us and let us about your situation, perhaps we will even write it up, with your permission. That is what we are here for.) Even if you wish we could do more for you, this is no reason not tojoin us -- our limited resources prevent us from undertaking projects that we know we could do -- but simply lack the time and money for. With a total budget of just over $140,000, we have to make every penny count, and invest every moment wisely.

So please contribute now. The labor movement is going through enormous challenges and changes. Help us make sure that union democracy isn't overlooked and forgotten.

--KurtRichwerger, Program and Development Director

*IRS regulations prohibit deduction of the first $30 of your total yearly contribution due to the publications received.

http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Home/joinaud.htm

Friends, please post and circulate widely. Thanks, Matt Noyes

1. In Memoriam: Henry Zeiger
2. New Audio -- Ed Stier on confronting corruption in the Teamsters
3. AUD offers petition to end the "right to reject"
4. Former AUD staffer chronicles the "Best Team in Football"
-----------------------------------------


1. In Memoriam -- Henry Zeiger: former AUD staffer, Ex-NYC taxi driver,staunch
workers advocate

We regret to inform our subscribers that Henry Zeiger, former AUD staff person
and coordinator of our Workers Rights Project for several years, passed away
late last year. The following observations and remembrances are a testimonial to
his dedication to AUD and to workers rights in general... See the full article:
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/137-In_Memoriam_Henry_Zeiger.htm
<http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/137-In_Memoriam_Henry_Zeiger.htm>

2. New Audio -- Confronting Corruption In Labor Unions: Ed Stier

On October 14th, 2006, AUD held a conference in New York City to address these
questions. One of the featured speakers was Edwin Stier, the Court-appointed
trustee for Teamsters Local 560 and director of Project RISE, an internal union
program to root out corruption in the Teamsters union. The audio of his talk is
now posted on the AUD site. In it, Stier describes his efforts to confront
corruption and bring about lasting change. Deep cultural change is needed to
remove corruption in a union, says Stier, but what does it take to bring it
about?

You can also hear the question and answer session with Stier, James
Jacobs, and Herman Benson.

http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Education/audconffightingcorruption.htm
<http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Education/audconffightingcorruption.htm>

3. AUD offers petition to end the "right to reject" -- electricians press IBEW
to defend union hiring halls.

In response to calls from IBEW members, AUD offers four proposals for
action that some IBEW members feel might get the international union
moving on the campaign to end the "right to reject":

1.  Circulate a mass membership petition throughout the IBEW directed to the
international office asking it to:
a. Remind all members and locals of the two convention decisions on
right to reject and informing them that the international intends to
comply with those decisions.
b. Remove from the list of mandated contractual provisions the section
granting employers the unrestricted right to reject
c. Report periodically to the membership on what steps it has taken to
carry out the convention mandate.
d. Inform construction locals that the international stands ready to
provide advice and assistance to locals which want to negotiate and end to the
offending provision.

2.  Request all regional vice presidents to support the petition and
raise the issue at the international executive board.

3.  At local meetings, propose a motion to endorse and circulate the
petition.

4.  If your local is strong enough, as part of a campaign to eliminate
the provision, ask for the backing of the international when your
contract comes up for renewal.

If you or your local takes any kind of action to press for the change,
inform AUD so that we can pass on the encouraging news to others.

See the full article at
http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/136-Electricians_press_IBEW_to_defend_\
union_hiring_halls.htm
<http://www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/136-Electricians_press_IBEW_to_defend\
_union_hiring_halls.htm>

4. Former AUD staffer chronicles Cleveland Browns.

Andy Piascik's new book The Best Show in Football. The 1946-1955
Cleveland Browns: Pro Football's Greatest Dynasty asserts that the
Browns of 1946-55 were the greatest dynasty in pro football. Piascik
examines the correlation between their success and their being the first
integrated pro sports team of the modern era. With a foreword by Ara Parseghian.

http://nflhistory.net/thebestshowinfootball/
<http://nflhistory.net/thebestshowinfootball/>

(AUD's RSS feed -- http://www.uniondemocracy.org/rss/rss.xml
<http://www.uniondemocracy.org/rss/rss.xml> )

1. New Articles from Union Democracy Review: Ironworkers and Pipefitters rig trusteeships; UFCW pressures witnesses; IBEW local fights "right to reject"; Operating Engineers confront corruption; and reflections on the Teamster elections.
2. Internet Exclusive: Union officials "condone and endorse" attacks on members' internet free speech.
3. New on Benson's Blog:  "An injury to one? Not my problem!"
4. New Links: Team 150 Operating Engineers; Concerned Operators Unity Party; Sisters in the Building Trades.
-----------------------------------------

1. New articles from Union Democracy Review:

How the Ironworkers and Pipefitters rig trusteeships

Before the LMRDA, union-imposed trusteeships over recalcitrant locals could be forever...The federal law adopted in 1959 gave locals some protection against retaliation. Trusteeships lost any presumption of validity after 18 months. Legislators may have imagined that the law corrected most abuses, but they did not count upon the ingenious ability of top leaders to invent devices to circumvent the law. Here come the Ironworkers and the Plumbers-Pipefitters unions...

In September 2005, the U.S. Department of Labor filed suit to overturn August-September 2004 mail ballot results and order new elections for president and three regional vice-presidents of Local 951, United Food and Commercial Workers. With some 33,000 members throughout Michigan, the local is one of the largest in the UFCW. The union's next regular election is scheduled for Summer - Fall 2007 and the lawsuit is still pending...

IBEW Local fights employers' "right to reject"

Sentiment in favor of dumping this "right to reject" is growing throughout the international, mainly because it arms employers with a powerful device for blacklisting the most vocal, loyal, union members, those likely to police jobs to ensure that union standards are defended at the job...

Members of Operating Engineers Local 3 on the West Coast did not wait upon law enforcement authorities after they discovered that their business manager had misdirected the local's money. ... They organized an insurgent slate which defeated the business manager and ended his control over the local. Then the local sued to try to get the money back. It was not an easy undertaking. This is a construction local with over 40,000 members scattered over four states, including Hawaii. Here, according to informed local members, is how they did it...

The outcome warrants reflection on the process by those who believe robust political opposition within unions to be in the best long-term interests of organized labor. The supervised Teamsters elections represent this country's most significant continuing experiment with the direct election of officers...

2. Internet Exclusive: Union Officials "condone and endorse" attacks on members' internet free speech

Perry Speranza a 32 year electrician and active member of IBEW Local 353 in Toronto, Canada, who operates an "open forum" called OurLocal353 was found guilty of "supplying confidential information... about IBEW business" to the public. He was fined $1,000, with an additional $5,000 fine again"held in abeyance of non-reoccurrence," and ordered to "cease and desist operating the OurLocal353.ca website for 5 years. [Note: Speranza won his case on appeal to IBEW president Ed Hill. A forthcoming article will analyze the decision.]

3. New on Benson's Blog: "An Injury to One? Not my problem!"

Are unionists' grievances against their employers an obstacle to organizing? That odd question is brought to mind by Andy Stern, SEIU president, in an interview with Kris Maher of the Wall Street Journal...Stern's talk with writer Maher helps us understand the philosophy that already shapes the evolving organizational structure of the SEIU and that underlies Stern's image of the kind of labor movement that he hopes to create... See Benson's Union Democracy Blog: http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/ 

4. New Links: Team 150 Operating Engineers. Concerned Operators Unity Party. Sisters in the Building Trades.

See our Rank-and-File links page: http://www.uniondemocracy.org/AUDLinks/RNFLinks.htm

1. New Articles from Union Democracy Review: Hiring hall breakthrough; one woman's journey from fieldhand to "wireman."

2. New Audio: from the AUD conference on Confronting Corruption in Labor Unions.

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.