On May 5, 2009 Steve ''Rank and File' Downs wrote an E-mail which went out widely. In the e-mail he called the rally on April 24, 2009 with 2,500 Local 100 members a sign of weakness. He called for a Joint-Executive Board Meeting to deal with the critical situation facing the local. Steve called for enforcing all Safety and operating rules to put pressure on Management. Like any self-respecting T.B.O.U. member he had a lot to say last spring and also like any self-respecting T.B.O.U. member he had nothing to do with mobilizing the membership or participating in last spring’s successful fight against layoffs.
Now this spring he's pretty quiet. The local has had only one rally so far with just 500 members; he doesn't call this a sign of weakness. Steve doesn't call for a joint Executive Board meeting. The Local comes out with virtually no information to the members, the' Working Class Hero' sees nothing wrong with this. He doesn't call for enforcing all Safety and Operating rules; on the Safety rules he must know that Tony Utano, the defacto Number Two Officer in the local has told officers not to stop unsafe jobs. What gives? Is the Rank and File persona just phony shtick to discard when you're in with the Top Officers?
- A Member from Track-
