Special Membership Meeting THIS THURSDAY (and more!)

Good evening and happy Monday, Rabble Rousers!

The News:

• Special General Membership Meeting THIS THURDSAY
• The Rabble Rousers want to hear from YOU!
• I spoke with Tony Dinkins today

You hopefully saw this in your mail already- yep, you guessed it! It’s about us. The Election Committee will convene with the membership this coming Thursday at 6:00pm to ratify their decision regarding the protests we submitted on 29 July.

The Election Committee has not yet told us what their decision is, but given the conversations we’ve had in the past, we find it unlikely that they will agree with us that the election must be overturned (again) and handled by AFSCME International. We are arranging rides for folks, and are asking members to attend. As the decision is presented, you will be offered a chance to accept or to deny the findings of the Election Committee with a “Yea” or “Nay” vote. We are not advising anyone to vote in any particular way, but rather to pay attention to the meeting and choose for yourself how to vote. We believe our protests and documentation will speak for themselves.

Reply to this email if you need a ride, and we’ll figure something out for you!

At 6:30pm this Wednesday, we’ll have a Zoom meeting to talk about what to expect on Thursday. I’ll send the link tomorrow or Wednesday morning!

The Rabble Rousers want to hear from YOU!

Periodically, it’s wise to take a step back and make sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing. We want to know from you: What about current Local 696 leadership do you like? What do you dislike? What about the Rabble Rousers’ campaign do you think we could have improved on?

Out of 1153 members, 290 voted in this latest run of the election- up from 263 in March of this year. That’s a good improvement, but it means that most members are not voting. This is an issue the Rabble Rousers want to see resolved.

Maybe you didn’t vote. Maybe you did, but you have a coworker (or three) who did not. If you didn’t, I would love to know why- and what would motivate you to vote going forward.

Democracy can only survive as long as people participate in the process. We want you to vote, and we want to know how to motivate you to vote. You may reply to this email, or you may submit an anonymous form here if you are feeling anxious. It’s okay- we’re anxious, too!

I spoke with Tony Dinkins today

“Matt,” you may be thinking, “Why did you save this incredible juicy gossip for the end?” Well reader, I wanted you to read those first two parts! But more importantly, this conversation was not particularly productive. It went as follows:

4:13pm, 14 August 2023

Tony: Mr. Matt Kuh-trone*!

Me: Hey, Tony, how are ya?

Tony: You been talkin’ a lotta smack about me.

Me: Yes, that is accurate.

Tony: And some of it ain’t cool. You know, this meeting was supposed to be about SBU vs. Rabble Rousers, but you went and made it personal. Remember that. Remember that.

Me: Oh, that happened a long, long time ago.

Tony: Well. Remember that.

Why is my union president issuing vague threats in the middle of a public library? Remember, every accusation is a confession. Tony Dinkins made this way more personal than I ever could have dreamed. Remember this blog post from a month ago? Tony and the SBU dedicated their entire front page of their website to smearing my name.

It’s true that I’m not fond of Tony Dinkins, but it’s not because he called me a name or something petty and personal. No, I don’t like Tony because he’s unprofessional, threatens his own members, negotiates bad contracts, and breaks at the first sign of criticism.

If I were in Tony’s position, I would call these aggressive young Rabble Rousers and set a meeting. I’d ask what the disconnect is, and make a good-faith effort to bridge that divide. Several Rabble Rouser candidates have tried to initiate these conversations with Tony and his predecessor Bobby Davis, and they have all been met with excuses, insults, and assurances that we have the bestest mostest competent union in the history of organized labor.

To be clear, I’m fine. I made it home safe and nobody tossed me off the Spring Garden bridge. But if I suddenly vanish- y’all know what happened to me!