Remember that old song by The Who......Wont get fooled again......

 

Did I miss something?  Has an announcement been made that Mr. Mueller is leaving? The article you posted was from 2007.  Lots of what these two have inherited, what we live with came from Joe and Phil, and Sol before them and they depend upon those minions between us and them to tell them how it is, what it's going to be, what it should be.  Like everyone else on this board, I'm tired and disgusted with how the business is ran, how the micro-management of the 'processes' we use is of greater concern than the quality of our plant, our 'tone of service', greater than our customers' wants and needs.  And that we, as union members/worker bees get so focused on showing 'them' we won't be treated that way that we forget that without 'them' there wouldn't be an us, and the most important 'them' is our customers.  We need a company to work for, we need a successful, solvent company with customers who are able to buy our services that in turn pay our wages.  Times are tough.  Many customers, big and small, are struggling each day to stay afloat, and that impacts each and everyone of us. 

 

I agree that employees should be able to discuss what's working and what's not on the job.  Be able to cry 'foul' when we or our customers have been harmed.  However, we all signed 'conditions of employment' and are bound by federal and state laws around 'the secrecy of communications'.  So when, where and how we express ourselves is just as important as the content of our message.  Our view of the 'big picture' is from our vantage point, the big picture and the small potatoes look different when you're on the outside looking in, deciding where to spend your money or invest those precious and few dollars anymore.  If this board could be password protected, that the administrators could 'vet' the members somehow so we could achieve our goals of sharing our concerns, our problems, our successes and fact checking the things we've been told, it would go a long way in protecting any and all of us from any future problems with the company. 

 

I would hope that the views and concerns expressed here as well as the questions asked are also being expressed at local union meetings, and when at all possible with 1st and 2nd level mgrs.  Unless we're willing to use those venues, those tools the change we want, the changes we, our customers and the business need will be a long time in coming, if ever.  And if I see one more person write that it's CWA's job to do that, they are we.  Our local presidents, stewards, district officers can't do a damn thing unless we, you and me, let them know at a meeting, sometimes many meetings with many other members; or in a letter or phone call, lots of letters and phone calls to the appropriate folks.  2009 is full of potential for many things... good, bad, great and ugly... but we are the ones who will make the difference if and when we decide to get up and just do it.

sorry gang...I'm new at this...I'll delete it....said it was posted 6 hours ago