The meeting was disorganized and confusing. It was taken up with innuendo from JS about the Union’s finances and the proceeds from the sale of building in particular. Samuelsen couldn’t come out with any wrongdoing or violation of the bylaws whatsoever but he sure tried his best to give life to the slanderous and unfounded suggestions he has peddled for quite some time that money was misused or taken.
He made it a big point that interest from the sale was used to pay certain bills while the principal was left untouched as if something was wrong with that. Never mind the fact that the Local 100 Executive Board on more than one occasion discussed using the interests to pay back monies owed including to our International Union for the monthly per capita which it had temporarily waived to help the local stay on its feet. Members from Samuelsen’s team who were on the last Executive Board just sat there playing dumb and playing along. So what if it means dragging Local 100’s name in the mud – as long as it advances Samuelsen’s personal agenda.
Another significant issue that Samuelsen moved at the Executive Board meeting is the removal of three members of the Local 100 Elections Committee and their replacement by individuals he wanted assigned to these positions. The problem however is that the Elections Committee had been already duly appointed pursuant to the bylaws and there is NO provision for appointing another Elections Committee until three months prior to the next elections in 2012! In addition the last round of elections are still in progress, with undone division and section elections, which Samuelsen had been trying to force the previous Elections Committee to change their rulings on in order to favor the candidates he supports.
Samuelsen’s crew also came prepared to put on some theatre in an attempt to have the Executive Board reverse the suspension of an individual named Joseph Pollard who was suspended by the previous Executive Board for an assault and disruption he carried out two years ago. This individuals action including the barricading of the entrance to the Union hall were caught on camera. The charges and penalty were upheld by the International Union. Samuelsen standards for permissible conduct seems to be that as long as you are on his team, its ok and anything goes.
There was very little Transit business. Samuelsen’s meetings with the heads of the MTA and NYCT were barely mentioned in passing, and there were his usual hypocritical calls for ‘unity’ while he shut down calls for more discussion.
Samuelsen’s double standard was glaring as several members of the Executive Board were announced as members of his staff. He spent years denouncing the previous administration for supposedly trying to control the Executive Board by placing members of the Board on Staff. Samuelsen also denounced the previous administration for giving staff jobs to individuals who had lost their elections. Now, with just a few weeks in office, more Executive Board members and more elections losers THAN EVER are on staff!!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
“Double Standard John”
John Samuelsen is the all time Champion of Double Standards and he is brazen about it. He gets away with it is only because the anti-labor media in NY loves him and various fake leftists cover for him.
But, fair is fair, and John is not by any stretch of the imagination.
A few examples are:
1) When he was running for office, John Samuelsen railed against Executive board members being allowed on staff.
He has placed more Executive Board members (5 or 6) on his staff than the previous administration.
2) He constantly attacked the prior administration for hiring individuals who lost their elections.
He has hired more “losers” than ever, including two and three time losers as his “Special assistant” and Director of Grievance and Discipline.
3) Samuelsen always claimed that firings were politically motivated in retaliation for people’s opinions or association
Then in less than a month after the election he has fired people for exactly that.
4) ) Samuelsen always suggested that the prior administration built a regime of paranoia and spied on Staff.
He not only monitors emails he has special “security” monitoring and following elected officers around.
The fact is Samuelsen has placed on staff individuals who couldn’t run in the elections because they were not in continuous good standing as required.
Samuelsen always suggested that votes and elections were being manipulated by the prior administration.
As soon as he took over, he began to make demands on the elections committee to favor his supporters, and, in Stations department came up with a scheme to get around Section elections and have his candidate coroneted as Section Chair.
John Samuelsen should not be allowed to get away with such glaring trickery of Transit workers. The media has exempted him from the non stop criticism and attacks it reserved for Local 100 because they recognize John Samuelsen as Their Man.
But, fair is fair, and John is not by any stretch of the imagination.
A few examples are:
1) When he was running for office, John Samuelsen railed against Executive board members being allowed on staff.
He has placed more Executive Board members (5 or 6) on his staff than the previous administration.
2) He constantly attacked the prior administration for hiring individuals who lost their elections.
He has hired more “losers” than ever, including two and three time losers as his “Special assistant” and Director of Grievance and Discipline.
3) Samuelsen always claimed that firings were politically motivated in retaliation for people’s opinions or association
Then in less than a month after the election he has fired people for exactly that.
4) ) Samuelsen always suggested that the prior administration built a regime of paranoia and spied on Staff.
He not only monitors emails he has special “security” monitoring and following elected officers around.
The fact is Samuelsen has placed on staff individuals who couldn’t run in the elections because they were not in continuous good standing as required.
Samuelsen always suggested that votes and elections were being manipulated by the prior administration.
As soon as he took over, he began to make demands on the elections committee to favor his supporters, and, in Stations department came up with a scheme to get around Section elections and have his candidate coroneted as Section Chair.
John Samuelsen should not be allowed to get away with such glaring trickery of Transit workers. The media has exempted him from the non stop criticism and attacks it reserved for Local 100 because they recognize John Samuelsen as Their Man.
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