Local 23 refuses to provide JPLRC Minutes to dispatch hall users, unless you are related to or friends with Union Officials.
Once again Local 23 denied JPLRC minutes in violation of past NLRB Settlement Agreements, and asked their secretaries to lie under oath about what happened.
Here are the final briefs submitted by Local 23 and Region 19, related to the trial they had in October 2017.
Looks like I am not the only person who has a problem with the way Deano McGrath and Dave Basher are running Local 23.
Check out the letter Scott Mason sent to the Local 23 Trustees, who have “investigated” and determined no wrong doing.
These are the same assholes that are telling Eric that he can’t work in Tacoma, at the NON-PMA rail ramp.
It would be nice if Scott, the guy behind the “rule” being used to deny Eric dispatch to the SIM, would step up and tell Deano and Dave to allow Eric to work at the SIM.
I knew Scott’s dad. He was a good man and I have nothing but fond memories of him and the kindness he extended to me when I first started working on the waterfront.
Thank you for your letter Scott, your dad is smiling down on both of us.
New NLRB Charges filed against Local 23, Tacoma, and Local 19, Seattle, for working together to bully members and steal money.
Local 23 is continuing to fine members from other Ports, “all monies earned,” for line-up violations, and in some cases they refer the Complaint to Local 19 for further processing.
In one case Local 19 decided that because the member was “guilty” of a line-up violation on the 2nd shift in Tacoma, they would fine him $1000 for the 1st shift job he took in Seattle, which had nothing what-so-ever to do with his Tacoma dispatch “problem.”
Dean and his day Business Agent also decided to threaten and intimidate one of the members who requested the JPLRC Minutes where the alleged “violations” are documented.
It seems that Dean and his LRC Representatives are NOT telling the PMA members at the JPLRC meetings that they are fining some members “all monies earned.” The only penalty the JPLRC discusses and documents, is the $50 fine.
Are you going to write about this in your new Local 23 online newspaper, Deano?
Update.
This morning June 28th, one of the Seattle guys went to Local 23 to request minutes.
Before the Secretary could hand him the request form, a Local 23 member stepped in front of her and told him they did not have any JPLRC Minutes.
He did exactly what he should have done. Walked away.
Do you think this is going to help your case Deano?
Local 23 President, Dean McGrath, opened last Thursday’s emergency roll-meeting by telling his membership that he knows what he says will end up on the internet, on my website, but he does not care because the Local has never lost a case to me.
The “reason” Dean called the roll-call (mandatory) meeting was to tell his membership that they have to cover the skilled work, because PMA is not happy about the fact that Local 23 has not been filling jobs.
As a direct result of members who have been trained to operate equipment choosing to work non-skilled jobs, skilled work is not getting covered.
This is an example of longshore greed in action.
To solve the problem the Union is proposing to stop sign-ups for training, and allow PMA to just select members by seniority and notify them by letter that they are being scheduled for training. (This plan makes me wonder, who is it that they want to train that did not, or forgot to, sign up for the current training programs?) (Nothing is as it seems with these guys!)
PMA is not happy that Local 23 is not filling jobs, but they are afraid to file Section 9.41 complaints against Local 23 members even though they file them by the 100’s in Los Angeles, against Local 13 members.
Dean is begging his members to cover their skill work, and complaining that they can’t figure out a way to hire skilled casuals to cover the jobs.
Yeah that’s right, these guys can’t figure out how to hire people for jobs that pay $38.18/hour. Amazing.
But, why start the meeting by trash talking about me?
Could it have something to do with the NLRB charge I just filed?
Sounds like Dean has been listening to his buddies Scott Mason and Conrad Spell, and is parroting their same old hateful negative personal attacks against me. They think it will stop people from talking to me.
Dean told the membership that I am anti-ILWU and that they have won every case I have ever brought against Local 23.
That is Pirate/Longshore talk for, don’t talk to the bad man who used to work for PMA.
Dean and I go way back. In the 1990’s Dean came to my house, with his dad, to discuss grieving the registration process. I am pretty sure Dean was one of the 58 casuals who sued the Union, using the transcripts I helped them create, and changed the way casuals were dispatched and registered, and the way discrimination grievances were processed in Tacoma.
Does Dean think that the nice NLRB postings, like the one below, that the Local was required to post, are because they won?
Does Dean think that the money the Union had to give back to the B-men, according to the NLRB posting below, is because they won?
Does Dean really think that what he said will stop people from calling me?
Does Dean know that I am from Lakewood, that I went to Clover Park, that I worked at the Weyerhaeuser Log Dock before I worked for PMA, and that I registered 100’s of his members when I worked for PMA?
Come on Dean, lots of Local 23 members talk to me.
Dean and Local 23 are so afraid of “the outside” finding out what they are doing to their rank-and-file, that they forcibly took one members cell phone who was recording the meeting.
Dean asked the member what he was doing. The member explained that he had suffered a head injury and it is hard for him to remember details, so he records things so he can view them later.
Dean and his crew decided that was not a good enough explanation, so in front everyone Dean deleted the video from his phone.
Did Dean think that he was the only member recording what was happening?
Dean is actually a good guy, and I like Dean.
Dean earned my respect when I was told how he was the only Caucus Delegate that stood up to Big Bob, when Big Bob was objecting to the new Publicity Committee that the Caucus agreed to create.
Big Bob was objecting in his normal Big Bob way, telling the Caucus that the International had a publicist, when Dean spoke up and asked if he had heard correctly or not, because he thought he heard the Caucus agree to create a new Publicity Committee.
When Big Bob heard what Dean said, he turned beet red and stormed off.
Dean earned my respect and showed he has potential, and right after Dean spoke up Locals started nominating members to the new Publicity Committee.
All Dean needs to do is get rid of dead beats like Scott Mason and Conrad Spell who are giving him bad advice, and start doing what he thinks is right. Dean has great instincts, he should trust them.
But what would I know, I have never won a case? Eh?
Now that I think of it, I believe I will amend my current NLRB charge to include sending members to 28 day in-patient treatment, arbitrarily and without following proper procedures.
Unless or until PMA decides to step up and deal with the bullies running the ILWU, nothing is going to change.
PMA could start by stopping the Union from fining members “all monies earned” for dispatch violations, and make the Union use the grievance procedure of the Contract.
Big Bob and his heir apparent Frank Ponce de Leon are pathetic bullies that need to be dealt with, if the labor relations climate in the waterfront is going to change.
Time for PMA to stop kissing ass and start kicking it, starting with Local 23.
According to this set of Executive Board Minutes, Local 23 has decided to bully and intimidate Seattle travelers by fining them $50 plus “all monies earned” when they commit a lineup violation during dispatch.
What moron at Local 23 decided to add “all monies earned” to rule 1238 of the Local 23 Work Rules? Conrad?
Local 23 dispatchers and members sit and watch visitors from other Ports lineup wrong, do not say anything (unless they are a friend), then put their Union brother, or sister as in this case, on the spindle for a lineup violation.
What makes them think the can bully travelers like that?
They think they can do anything they want, because PMA sits there, does nothing and lets the Union fuck over their own members.
I am not sure how anyone is supposed to know all the Tacoma Rules, there are 58 pages of rules and the Local does not give them out unless they are asked for a copy, and then they make whoever is asking tell the secretary why they want them. Duh?
Here is a current copy of all the Tacoma Working Rules, which are NOT included in the Local 23 Working and Dispatching Rules that have been agreed to by the JPLRC. Local 23 Work Rules as of 2-11-16
As a result of the E-Board Minutes, the following NLRB charge has been filed against Local 23 for stealing “all monies earned” from travelers who make lineup mistakes.
Time for the PMA to step up and stop the bullies currently running the ILWU from fucking everything up for everyone else.
Check out the Employer Complaint filed against a Local 23 crane driver for allegedly bending the joy sticks in a crane at Ports America’s Pierce County Terminal, in the Port of Tacoma.
This is what it looks like when a couple of steady mechanics are out to get you. They get the Employer, in this case Ports America to file a Complaint like the one filed against Kevin Arneberg.
Mechanics do not go up and check the joy sticks after every crane driver leaves the cab, and there are no cameras in the cabs, so how did the Company decide that Kevin bent them?
The “proof” offered that Kevin “did it” is the allegation that he did the same thing on 2 prior occasions, neither of which were documented and 1 of which is outside the 30 day deadline for filing Complaints.
Looks like “Dr. Pirate” Dean and the rest of the Medical Staff on the Executive Board, think they are Dr. Drew (based on their personal experience or watching way too much reality TV) and they have decided to require Kevin to complete a 28 day inpatient program. For what? Bending joy sticks?
Travel Alert issued for travelers thinking of working in the Port of Tacoma. Double check the Lineup rules, a violation could cost you all the money you earn + $50, if you are a girl; or no fine and no dispatch to Tacoma for 6 months, if you are a guy. Not sure what they do about transgender people, do they get penalized based on their birth gender or how they identify themselves today?
On a positive note, the Anti-Bullying fundraising dinner was a success raising $278.74.
Seems like the money could be put to good use trying to educate the members of the Executive Board so they will stop bullying Travelers and Local 23 members they do not like.
On a financial note, it is interesting to see that last month the Local spent $3,622 on jackets and hats and only $784.39 on legal fees.
At the last Union meeting at Local 23, a couple of the young gun crane operators who think they are all that, with a cherry on top, took the microphone and started talking about how Tacoma needs to keep their production numbers up, and the best way to do that was to promote the home grown pumpers like them ahead of some old slow guys transferring in from other Locals.
Ergo, the new points system giving points for crane hours, only Tacoma crane hours, aka in-port hours, for advancement to the Primary Cane Board.
Problem is, the Points System conflicts d the Union principle of seniority and with Section 1.8 of the rules covering Transfers of Longshoremen and Clerks Between Ports. ILWU:PMA MOU Transfer rules
Today Local 23 got a Section 13.3 complaint filed against them, despite the Local’s secretary telling him he needed a Business Agent or LRC Representative’s signature in order for the grievance to be valid.
Requiring the Business Agent or LRC representative to sign a grievance is just another bullshit hurtle put in the way of anyone trying to file a grievance, designed to allow the Union to bully anyone trying to file a grievance.
Homey don’t play that, and filed his grievance with the JPLRC and gave copies to both Local 23 and PMA.
The handicappers in Local 23 have figured out a way to get around the seniority language in the new man for man transfer procedure contained in the MOU.
In order to keep a more senior crane driver from LA, who is transferring in to Local 23, from getting ahead of any of the good-old-boys from Local 23, they passed a new points system to negate the “travelers” seniority.
Section 1.8 puts the more senior LA crane driver ahead of someone connected in Local 23, and they are willing to pass a rule just to screw their “brother” from LA.
Solidarity Tacoma style.
Right Dean, Conrad, and Scotty?
The last time Conrad and Scotty passed a rule to mess with a member form LA, the Local ended up with a Unfair Labor Practice charge, which was posted on their website from June through September of this year.
Only in-port crane hours count, because the cranes in LA/LB are completely different? Right.
Which of you geniuses decided only in-port hours count?
NLRB Region 19 gave Local 23 until Wednesday to agree to settle 3 charges on which they found merit, if not they plan to issue a consolidated Complaint.
The charges date to June 2013 and involve Local 23’s refusal to dispatch a member of Local 13 (LA/LB) to Pacific Rail Services, a non-PMA rail ramp in the Port of Tacoma.
