Eye of the Beholder (and Subject to Timing)

[CouriersPerspective]

Dear Unrepresented, Management Editor Staff of HANK and LMPFLASH,

How interesting; Your HANK, October 2005 issue (http://www.lmpartnership.org/news/hank/media/hank_oct06.pdf) contains an article, "Light Turbulence for Stewards" in which the author, "Henretta" describes some Stewards as renegades and likens them to "snakes on [a] plane" due to undertaking such challenges as "fight[ing] losing battles". Then, within the pages of your LMPFLASH (http://www.lmpartnership.org/news/managing/strong_steward.html), you offer the article, "No Wimpy Stewards Please" where a Manager praises Stewards for their dedication and heavy involvement and purports that she wishes they were even more so involved. I get the distinct impression these articles are addressing the same Steward, only at different times; when a Steward agrees with Management, Management wishes that Steward was more involved within additional decisions, when that same Steward disagrees with Management, Management compares that Steward to a snake. [Also interesting is that Management isn't the sole perpetrator of this act, Union Office Staff sometimes treats their Union Stewards similarly]. What may be learned from this? - Sometimes we as Stewards will be called Saviors, and other times we will be called Snakes, either time we need to continue to do what we know to be right because it is right and even when one may be fighting a losing battle that that does not mean it is without merit and is sometimes all the more reason to fight.

Fraternally,

Dustin Teske
OPEIU, Local 30 Steward
www.OPEIU30.org

[Notross]

Dustin,

 This is my first time looking at your website, and I have to compliment you on having a place for members of Local 30 to review and discuss the issues which take place in our union and in the San Diego Area.

 That said, it's a shame that you use the forum to distort and inflame. Did we read the same articles?

 The article written by Henrietta (not "Henretta") did not describe "some Stewards as renegades and likens them to "snakes on [a] plane" due to undertaking such challenges as "fight[ing] losing battles"."

 Henrietta used a rhetorical question when she asked, "Are renegade stewards the rhetorical snakes on a plane of Partnership?" This was a question asked from the management perspective, and not Henrietta's own opinion of union stewards.  Likewise, "losing battles" is a trait applied to stewards from a management perspective for the same rhetorical purpose. In the very next question, she asks if that could be "idle grousing" on the part of the managers. The rest of the article went on to detail steward and employee reactions to these questions.

 In regards to the article "Why I Want A Strong Steward", written by Gwen Gascie, there was nothing about "agreement" written anywhere in that article. I happen to know this Operations Manager and have worked with her on numerous occaisions in the workplace, in contract negotiations and in Corrective Actions. She comes from a background of being a union member with KP in Oakland and is a fair person to work with. For Gwen, "agreement" does not make her want the steward to be more involved. She wants labor involved because is creates a stronger environment. It's all there in the article.

 If you are going to distort what we can read for ourselves, please just provide the link without your commentary.
 

[CouriersPerspective]

Hi Notross,

Thanks, I appreciate your compliments in regards to the website, particularily the uncensored forums, and correcting me in regards to my spelling of 'Henrietta'.

In regards to your views and question about whether we had read the same articles, obviously we did but we received differing perspective after reading the same information.

Thanks for your suggestion in regards to simply providing links to articles, however, I think I'll continue to provide links to articles, offer my perspectives on them and invite for everyone else to do the same.

I appreciate your comments; please let me know if you think of any additional suggestions.

Fraternally,
Dustin