June 26, 2012

I'm pretty sure most of you know by now that we were unsuccessful in our bid to make some changes at 10th and Harrison.I'm sure that many of you are as disappointed as our team is, and I'm sure that there are (obviously, in light of the results) many who are  happy as well, that we will not be taking office. Whatever your feelings are, it is now time to accept the results and move forward.

I want to thank everyone on our team for their hard work and for their commitment to the good of our local. Jimbo Riley, Jimmy Carroll, Nick Schroder, Greg Arduser, Travis Pemberton, Mark Porter, Mike Bullock, John Calarosa, Dave Robertson, Tony Delich and Manny Lopez. Each and every one of them contributed to the cause. We lifted one another up and encouraged each other to always be better. It was a fantastic experience to go through the election with those guys, and I would do it again in a second. I'm proud of them and proud to have been a part of a team with them.

I know I speak for all of them when I say thanks to everyone who supported us. We couldn't have done it without that support. We talked to a lot of people about their concerns and their hopes for what they want for Local #10. Those concerns and hopes are still there and I encourage all of you to communicate them to your elected officers. When I wrote before that I wanted everyone to become more involved with what goes on, I meant it. I hope that more people will go to the union meetings and that we all take pride in our local.

No matter who won the election, the problems we are facing as a local and as union members would have been the same when we woke up Sunday morning. And those are problems that cannot be solved by our officers alone. It is going to take all of us to educate ourselves about what the issues are and to educate all of those that we know, and to take action to eliminate those problems. Declining union membership, the attack on our jurisdiction by the Carpenters, economic challenges and healthcare challenges. It is going to take activism on all of our parts to ensure a viable future for us and our families. Please think about that, take it to heart and decide what you can contribute to our cause.

If people keep reading, I'll keep posting. Thanks!