Hello members of 696, and any other rabble rousers and agitators who find themselves in this space. Today, AFSCME International Judicial Panel Member Denise Gilmore rendered her decision for all 11 Rabble Rouser protests of the Local 696 election.
We did it. We argued our case and exposed the blatant issues with this year’s election, and we proved our case.
The full letter from Judicial Panel Member Gilmore is attached at the end of this post.
We take issue with a few of the items in the letter. For example, the Election Committee’s meeting minutes of the February 22nd nomination meeting claim that Anthony Dinkins was the first to nominate an office. That is false- I, J. Matthew Catron, nominated Sharon Thorpe to the office of President before anyone else in the room spoke.
In spite of this, and a few other factual errors, AFSCME International agrees: This election was inherently unfair and unjust.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
I know you all have questions: Will the election be mail-in only again? What is the date of the new election? What will the ballot look like this time?
At this time, I do not have the answers to those questions, but you have my promise: When I know, I will update the official blog, and I will send out a mass e-mail to our mailing list.
What we DO know is that according to the AFSCME International Constitution 2022, the Election Committee has 10 days to appeal this decision to the full judicial panel. That is the final level of appeals in AFSCME.
We have no reason to believe that they will not appeal the decision. We expect to argue this case once more.
I am so proud to be a part of the team that is reforming Local 696. Regardless of what happens next, you may count on me and the rest of the Rabble Rouser team to fight long and hard to represent you and your interests at work.
Thank you for your time, your energy, and your participation. Your desire for a better union fuels our drive.
We are the Rabble Rousers, and we are here to agitate and disrupt until the members are the ones leading the union. Win or lose, they will hear us.
-J. Matthew Catron
Candidate for Business Agent of AFSCME Local 696