DISPATCH COMMITTEE REPORT
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
[1]  Emergency Dispatch Continue current policy regarding so-called "Emergency Dispatch." There is no such thing as an "Emergency Dispatch." In an emergency Joe will dispatch.
[2]  Dispatch while on the clock  Use the steward on the floor wherever possible (if there is no steward, an individual may call in or crews of 3 or 4 people.
[3]  Dispatch at any time for any reason?  Recommend NO.
[4]  Dispatch exclusively and unconditionally by seniority?  Recommend NO.
[5]   Company seniority to be separated from Hiring Hall seniority? Recommend NO.
[6]  .Extend dispatch beyond 5 P.M. or ? Recommend NO
[7]  Can B's be dispatched before A's and if so under what circumstances?  NO. But there are times when B's may be working when A's are out of work. Agreed to by all present.
[8]  Do we have an obligation to take down the shows that we put up even if the employers do not honor their obligations to us?  Recommend YES, whenever possible, until contract expiration.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS:
Put on agenda for Installer Meeting.
(1) $500 to Chuck Mignosa to study computerizing the dispatch system.
(2) The committee recommends and requests that the dispatcher create a "User's Guide to the Dispatch" instead of compiling all of the rules of the dispatch. The "Users Guide" will include rules of the dispatch.
(3) Recommend that the Union as whole acknowledge that the Trade Show Business is a "SERVICE INDUSTRY."
(4) Should A's be able to bump B's and under what circumstances?
(5) Should the Employer bear a penalty for "late" dispatch?

I don't know what to report. The meeting was confusing. Its objectives unclear and changing. Were we voting?   debating?   merely listening? Questions from the floor alternately attempted to clarify the meeting then the report. At one point there was a vote (no I I yes 9) and before I could find out the exact wording of the motion the meeting moved on and voting was removed from the agenda. So it progressed from one unresolved subject to another, each garnished with many points of view and spiced with many personalities.
I should leave the reader right here where the meeting left me. In reality the committee covered a lot of territory and accumulated data but it all disappeared down the system. It is the height of absurdity to have come that distance and to have nothing to show for it and then to start over again.
Subscribers to member supported journalism, this is your lucky day. A close friend of mine who attended many meetings has offered to regenerate the background information and add some cohesion to the committee's report. Here are condensed minutes of the committee meetings.

DSPCHRPRT
A translation from early installer by Earl E Instahler

EMERGENCY DISPATCH [#I]
Article III HIRING AND DISPATCHING Sec E
Exhibit and Trade Show Agreement Installer half
"When members of the bargaining unit are required to fulfill the needs of any Employer, the Employer agrees to contact the Union office 30 hours in advance of any given 9 AM or 5 PM Monday through Friday. This notification will satisfy th'e approximate number of members of the bargaining unit needed to fulfill the Employer's need; it is understood that the Employer may later call for additional 33% more installers than the advance call."
That is the only rule or regulation that governs employer procedure in requesting workers from the Union. It is antiquated and never worked when it was first agreed upon. It certainly does not work like that today. The Union's initial position was 'adequate notification for accurate and efficient dispatching of members to work'. It started out at 72 hours, then 48, then 36 and now 30. Each reduction was an attempt to get employers to get their shit together and accurately estimate how many workers will be needed when and where and for how long. But it evolved in reverse. Today there are constant 'emergency dispatches'. I HR SERVICE! Get there as soon as you can! Under these conditions it is impossible to follow strict seniority dispatch and still satisfy the emergency time requirements.
Senior installers who make their living off the dispatch system feel threatened by this situation and some believe it is a deliberate attempt by employers to circumvent seniority. Often in collusion with members. The procedures for filling emergency requests has evolved through the decisions of the officers in charge at different times and was being examine for the first time by the committee The deciding principle seems to have been, 'for the good of the union and the members and the industry it is important to have union workers doing the work and earning union wages'. No one objected to the spirit of this principle. Joe tries to follow strict seniority rules. It becomes impossible when there is only one hour to get 10 installers to Moscone or 2 workers to San Jose. He then opens the dispatch to any 'A'. Installers who stay on line get work in this manner are affectionately known as the Demon Dialers.
The causes of the problem are always given as little or no information and poor communications. All the way down the line. The union does not get clear or firm or accurate information from forepersons who in turn blame company executives who blame show management and exhibitors and other companies and to some extent it is all true. Secrecy is often job security and self protection. If people freely surrender information then others can do their job. It takes both desire and ability to gather and distribute accurate information. When the Union's increased presence on the show floor [stewards maintaining union jurisdiction by busting exhibitors] is stirred into to the poor flow of information, the labor needs of an event can be so badly estimated as to constitute a dispatching disaster.
One view suggested that the desire and the demonstrated ability to service emergency dispatches contributed to its own increased occurance by discouraging employers from spending time and energy on estimating manpower and encouraging them to pick up the phone and call the union at the last possible moment.
Joe said that he has kept records on emergency dispatches but presented no hard data so it is not possible to analyse frequency of occurrence, or frequency by employer, or number of installers, or percentage of the dispatch or crew.
Finally 'emergency dispatch' was judged to be a service of value to the industry and employers. 'Something that we have given away when we should be selling it. A negotiable item to be traded for something that members and the Union are buying like kryptonite shackles between installation and dismantle. Feignt with an Emergency Dispatch Taboo and compromise on something like, 'The Union shall dispatch twice daily Monday through Friday. At 10am for work to begin on the same day and at 3pm for work to begin on the following day. The installation and dismantle of a given event shall constitute a single job for both employer and employee.'
Joe attempts to discourage emergency dispatches. Then he dispatches as best he can. Hense the ambiguous #1. 'There is no such thing as an Emergency Dispatch. In an emergency Joe will dispatch as best he can. The dispatch committee passed it on to the installers in this condition and the installer meeting passed it on to the contract proposal committee in the same condition.
At one committee meeting some interesting points were made concerning the definition of a dispatch. The question being, 'Are installers dispatched to a company or to a job? B and C list workers are clearly dispatched to the job and can not be transferred. A list workers may be rolled over to other jobs and sites. During busy times the rollover replaces union dispatches and a single employer can control not 25 [excuse me that's 30 now] but 55 or 75 and sometimes 105 installers for weeks and sometimes months filling job after job. If 65% of all installers on all levels of seniority get work by contacting employers directly and 'rollover' is viewed as another employer dispatching procedure then the union's destiny is the installer breadline dispatching crumbs that are left and the conflict between seniority dispatch and rotational dispatch is over breadcrumbs.

DISPATCH WHILE ON THE CLOCK [#2]
At different times there have been different policies regarding the dispatching of workers while they are on the clock and working for an employer. When local 510 Installers first achieved exclusive jurisdiction over the work and established a hiring hall and dispatching procedure, the number of industry manhours had begun to escalating behind increases in events, employers and facilities. Members establish the practice of working several jobs to get a week's wages and often calling the union while on the clock for dispatches to other companies on the following day. As each installer attempted to maximize their income in the rapidly expanding industry, problems grew into conflicts and conflicts into dilemmas. Most were never solved. Official policy waffled and gray areas still remain.
As a result of recent membership directives Joe uses the following procedures. He will dispatch workers on the clock either directly or through the job steward whenever possible or "as often as possible" because it is a complicated procedure. First each foreperson must supply before 2 or 3 pm a list of workers being laid off that day. Then the job steward must be free and able to relay information between the dispatcher and working installers. And finally Joe must integrate this information with regular dispatching procedure. If there is no steward then a single individual may represent several and call the union for possible dispatch. He discourages individuals from calling in. He recognizes the imperative of dispatching senior installers who are out of work to the next available job but he has trouble with individuals who take dispatches and then show because they have maneuvered a better deal thru rollover or call by name.
Jumping is another example of unresolved contention. Can an installer leave a job voluntarily to take another job which offers greater gain or convenience? Opinion is divided. Many installers who use the union's dispatch and never make the rollover feel it their right to get work at any time through seniority dispatch. Many new installers who use the union's dispatch don't think it fair that one installer gets two dispatches before they get one. Installers who solicit work directly from employers are the most successful financially and immune to all dispatching regulations. At one time installers affirmed by vote at a meeting the right to jump to new jobs and be replaced. Today the Union's policy is no jumping and Joe tries to keep the installation and dismantle of an event as a single job for installers even though the employer is only obligated to a 4 hr mini.

DISPATCH BEYOND 5 [#6]
This was an attempt to design dispatching around the layoff procedure. If workers did not know they were being laid off until the exact moment of layoff, then the union should dispatch after 5PM (for work the next day]. This solution is entirely negated by the procedure of dispatching workers on the clock.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN DISPATCHING [#3 #4 #7]
One of the committee's objectives was to clarify the rules and regulations of dispatching for both installers and dispatchers. A goal of efficient friction free dispatching.
But overlapping complexities make it occasionally impossible for the dispatcher to follow designated procedure. Sometimes the problem is conflicting schedules and sometimes rotten information and sometimes installer avarice. The committee judged each occurrence presented a 'special circumstance' and generally agreed that Joe had acted 'to the best of his ability' and 'in the best interests of the union'. At one point it was agreed that Joe was doing an excellent job. Truly a miracle, given the distance between opinions. It was also suggested that a record of dispatching problems be kept for the protection of all concerned.

COMPANY SENIORITY [#5]
Article XI WAGES Sec A7 page 8 "SHOP EMPLOYEES:
Shop employee wages and conditions shall be governed as per Article I Sec B2."
Article 1 JURISDICTION Sec B2 page I
"The employer agrees that by entering this agreement, it will be bound by and abide by the terms and conditions of employment for employees in the c-lassifications set forth in the agreement between the Union and the Convention services."
Convention Services is the title of the' first half of the contract, the builder's half.
Essentially employers signatory to the installer half of the contract can have as many employees as they want under the builder's half of the contract. I don't know how many if any installers are currently employed under these conditions. Not only are shop wages and benefits higher but there are strong seniority provisions. Employers have shown extreme resistance to any form of company seniorityfor installers. That translates into no job security and is the major reason for strong Union seniority. In reality, employers have full time installer employees and the relationship appears beneficial to both parties. There must be some way to contractualize this arrangement. Another item for the proposal committee's agenda.

SETUP AND TEARDOWN [#8]
Article III HIRING and DISPATCHING Sec G page 3
"The Union shall attempt to dispatch the same installers as were dispatched for set-up back to the job site for any subsequent work on the same event, including but not limited to, the tear-down and take-out of the event. At the layoff after installation, the Employer shall make its best efforts to notify the installers of the date and time of dismantle. Employers may move journeyperson installers from . one job or job site to another so long as no lay-off of 48 hours occurs and shall give priority call back when reasonably possible as the job dictates. A rollover from Friday afternoon till Monday morning will be allowed as the sole exception to this provision. Employers may .not move B or C list installers from one job or job site to another."
This is the language of the contract that attempts to constrain employers into using the same workers for installation and dismantle. In reality the only obligation that employers have is a 4 hr mini on any dispatch. During the last installer contract negotiation the Union sought to bind the in and out together but all that came of it was, "employers shalI give priority call back when reasonable possible when the job dictates."
Joe wants to enter negotiations with the position that employers have failed to honor the commitment. Have in fact deliberately destroyed the integrity between in and out by careful discriminatory rollover. He wants to establish that the union and members have honored the commitment.
Some members feel that maintaining the integrity between the installation and dismantle is good for the industry and the union. As well as the dignity of the installer. Others feel that if 4 hrs is all employers are obligated to, then 4 hrs is all installers should be obligated to. Once it stated in the contract that anyone laid off early during installation, without notice of time and place of return, is free to take another dispatch by name or seniority. Today installers are not supposed to leave jobs voluntarily. When an employer replaces someone by rollover then the union dispatches them again. Many installers make their fortunes on the rollover even believe that the Union is an obstacle in their path.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
#1   This relates to an attempt to get the union to re-examine upgrading office proceedures with modern technology. There is always resistance to technological innovation especially if workers fear replacement yet resistance to change is selfdefeating and change itself inevitable.
#2   Joe was asked (by the executive board? by a general meeting?) to write a history of installer dispatching with an eye towards clarifying proceedures and regulations. He found that he could not construct a clear picture of its complex evolution. When proceedures were evolving they were never committed to writting and most were assimilated as past practice. The Hiring Hall Procedure attached to the contract has not changed one word since the year installers achieved it. Part of the problem is poor communication between officers and members. When a problem arises and a decision is made it could take months or years before everyone knows or understands. Anyway Joe couldn't write a history. Instead he found his own approach which he called, "The User's Guide to the Dispatch". The committee acceeded to his request for rewording his asignment.
#3    This point I just never understood. I dont know who introduced this idea or why.
#4   Opinions oscillated once again and history danced. Some feel that B's do not pay dues to the Union (see PERCAPITAX last ish) and A's who are full dues paying members should always get the work before them. Others feel that the integrity of a dispatch is the foundatiion of the Union's committment to workers and that B's are people also. At one time A's could replace B's scheduled to work a dismantle. Today the Union will not bump a B.
#5   A spin-off idea from emergency dispatch. How to collect the money and where it would go were problems that were never solved.

THE MONTHLY MEETING
MARCH 20, 1991
The meeting was called to order around 7 o'clock. Once again neither president nor vice president were present to chair the meeting. According to union procedure and following the recommendation of secretary David A, the members selected brother David G [installer and trustee] to chair the meeting. Only 1 of 5 new members were present to be initiated.
A question was raised concerning an individual present at the meeting that was not a member of the local. The person in question was the son of a member present and a C list installer. After discussion and a quickly tailored motion by the presiding officer the individual was allowed to stay. (5) The correspondence was passed around and the regular monthly bills were paid without reading. No new reports of accidents, sickness or deaths. Several members are currently recovering on schedule.

Mike's report.
Negotiations for the Commercial Sign Contract and the Carders and Posters are under way.
He helped decorate Laguna Honda for St. Patrick's day.
Dick White the IBPAT representative has come and gone.
Mike attended a meeting of the Theatrical Federation of which we are members and also attended a meeting of the Trade Show and Convention Roundtable. This was held at Moscone and hosted by Dick Shaft who is the organization's secretary. Mike thought the food was really good for convention hall catering and would like to continue meeting there.
He and other labor leaders attended a meeting with Louise Renne the city's attorney and they were instructed in that office's operation.
He reminded members to look for the Sunday April 7th Union ad in IMAGE Magazine. "We saved $400 because they did not charge us for set-up".
He attended a Trust Fund meeting of OPE 3 for which he is a trustee.
He went to a public employees breakfast where the speaker was Kevin Shelley and to an American-Israeli public relations meeting.
He attended the State Democratic Convention. He would like to go the AFL-CIO conference in May and will ask for funds in new business.
He went to a retirement party for Kim [i didn't get the last name] rug cleaner at Greyhound.
He went to a dinner for the American-Irish Fund that both he and his wife liked very much.
He then said that Dick Blum and Diane Feinstein are really very nice people and its a shame for labor that they did not make it.
He attended a retirement dinner for an officer of the Brick Layers Union.
Then he gave the financial report listing the current balance in each account.
After his report a question was asked about interest income on Union funds and the answer was 'the union is a non-profit labor organization and does not pay taxes on interest income'. PAC funds are different in that they can not earn income.

Bob's report.
He said it was a very busy month in the office. There have been many layoffs and he blames the recession. For the first time in their history Gumps has laid off 12 positions plus an early retirement. At Action Sign half the shop was laid off last week including the foreperson.
He is handling a lot of grievances. Two disciplinary suspensions at Gannett and three separate complaints against Carders Posters (lay-offs due to increases in insurance rates of employees, failure to pay into the IRA, withholding dues and initiation fees from employees and not forwarding them to the union).
And to top it all off contract negotiations have just begun.
Work is still slow in the exhibit building shops. Three non-union shops are competing against our union shops. Exhibit Emporium, Loren Barr and Color and Design. He estimates the cost of picketing any one of them at $900 a week due to the increased compensation granted pickets in the new bylaws and estimates a sustained 6 month effort at costing over 2 grand.
He still laments the loss of the $1 hr. organizing fee which the members recently discontinued. [6]
He did not like the UNION WATCHDoG and called it an irresponsible cheap shot that moved onto the agenda items of little importance.
In fact Bob's dislike was so deep I feel compelled to quote from his written report.
"It is my opinion that we are being propelled into meaningless pursuits by irresponsible members who have their own hidden agenda's. We need a newsletter. We have a committee that has been seriously considering how to properly set one up with a clear purpose and a responsible editorial policy that seeks out and publishes communications from the Union as a whole. The newsletter is going to cost about a $1000 per issue or $10,000 to $12,000 per year. The question we need to address is how to pay for what we want and how to keep our communications in the hands of responsible people sensitive to the interests of the Union. Instead we have Sam trying to focus the membership attention on the non-issue of the leadership's willingness or unwillingness to communicate with them. All of his polemics rise out of a vote which he lost 43-3 and which he has rather deceitfully never mentioned in his many pages of print on this subject." [7]
He said that there was a favorable article on his Installer Handbook in the recent issue of Trade Show Week and that he has received requests from Florida for copies.
And lastly that negotiations for the Commercial Sign contract are under way.

Joe's report.He reported that there were less shows and less manhours recently and he also blames the recession. This is already the largest C list sign-up that he has ever seen. Far too many. He thinks even Semicon will not use workers that are at the end of the new sign-up list.
That many trade workers are experiencing lay-offs is evidenced by the parking lot which is full every day with workers checking in with their unions. The Electric Sign show coming in April may present some problems in the area of 'product as display'. An attempt at clarifying the unions jurisdiction is now in progress.
Relationships with the stage hands in S F continues to be good and there was a simple resolution of a jurisdictional question at the Curriculum Development show. But stage hands in the south bay still present a major problem especially when Sacramento Lighting goes there to do a show.
The Sunoco show turned out to have more manhours than anticipated. There was good stewarding by Michael Tsongas. It was great stewarding. At the Sunoco show electricians and stagehands debated jurisdiction over the installation of ceiling trusses with the use of motorized winches. Electricians won. Whoever gains that jurisdiction splits the work 50/50 with installers.
The first rigging class is scheduled for early April and will train 15 people [5 GESCO and 5 WESCO and 5 JATC]
The communications seminars are set for May 8th.
The Giltspur grievance [dinner vs 15] was settled for about 2 grand and union members and steward will receive compensation for lost wages due to disciplinary lay-off. In fact there were 2 more occurrences just this week. One more time! Meal breaks are 1/2 or 1 hour long and occur after 4 hours of work. A 15 minute break instead of the specified meal break is a violation of the contract [except under special circumstances].

COMMITTEE REPORTS
The first committee report was the Wingnut Committee. It had not met since the last general meeting but chairperson Stan Stillman [installer] presented the following motion. It is a restatement of his opinion as expressed in his editorial in the last edition of the union's Wingnut and he had just moments before presented it to the executive board.
Resolved "That Local 510 sponsor a skillfully prepared newsletter for its members with the objectives of providing a forum for its membership and distribution of announcements related to the local. Content may include a variety of subjects and form [text, art, poetry, cartoons, etc.] Responsibility for publication will be that of a publisher appointed by the president based on qualifications. A newsletter committee shall establish specifications as to qualifications of the publisher, measurement of objectives, extent of edit, frequency and size of issue. If the newsletter committee finds that the publisher is not meeting objectives it shall recommend what changes should be implemented."
The motion was discussed and passed by a vote of 15 to 1.
Then a second motion was presented.
RESOLVED "That the initial frequency of the newsletter be monthly for ten issues a year and that the publisher be paid a stipend of $500 a month in lieu of salary and expenses [excluding printing and mailing.] That the promotional fund be used for half of the cost and the general fund for the other half."
This motion was discussed and voting was tabled until next meeting with notification to the members. (8)

Mike Tsongas, chairperson of the Proposal Committee announced the following date has be set for installers to meet and start discussing objectives.
TUESDAY APRIL 2 at 6 PM at the UNION HALL
A small organizational meeting was held just prior to the general meeting.
No one was there from Dispatch Committee, so Joe reported that the meeting had gone well. He presented his User's Guide and referred to the Dispatch report.
One item was carried over to the general meeting. "$500 to Chuck Mignosa to study computerizing the dispatch system." The money to be paid out of installer checkoff dues. Motion passed 10-1.

Fund expenditures
Request for $25O to pay the fines assessed against a previous trustee for failure to file documents which no one told him about on time. The original amount was $1850 and was reduced to $250 after appeal by the union. The motion passed. The current trustee promises for his own protection to remain current in the filing of financial papers.
Mike Thompson State Senator  fundraiser 2 tickets $100.00
Trixie Johnson Santa Clara   campaign contribution $250.00
Central Labor Council Cope Dinner 4 tickets $260.00 Promotional fund expenditures
SF Organizing Project Local #2 4 tickets $200.00 Women of Achievement Awards Santa
Clara patronage $100.00 United Farm Workers fundraiser $200.00
           Organized Labor
Lunch-o-ree Boy Scouts '2 table $375.00
Carpenters Union Retirement Dinner 4 tickets $200.00
District Council #6 East Golf Tournament 2 tickets $170.00
Celebrity Waiter Luncheon Benefit school sports I ticket $125.00
Aids Bikathon $100 contribution and I registration $112.00
Xmas in April Project banners $297.00
California Labor Federation video for schools contribution $100.00
Total expendituresPROMO $1779POLO $860

The SF Labor Council delegate reported that there had been a significant amount of discussion on the problem of school funding and how the lack thereof is causing the loss of jobs and the elimination of essential programs and an increase in class size. Then the meeting discussed the 'free trade pacts' which the government and the dangers it presents for union workers. Many of the council's member unions entercontract negotiations this spring.
This report was followed by a motion to ask our public officers to support Proposition 98 which is the focus of the school funding issue.
Opinion was divided and 2 officers recommended not taking sides until 'labor' establishes a position. No action was taken.
Then old business went by like wind in the Kansas.
New business opened with a complaint by an installer about treatment by a foreperson and then a question was asked about the availability of steward training. Mike introduced a request for $380 [from the general fund] for expenses to attend the State Federation of Labor Meeting in Sacramento. This passed 12 to I [a favorite number that night].
Mike then made a motion to purchase a postage bailing machine and meter on a 51 month least arrangement. The motion past. No amount was mentioned.
Then the question was asked as to whether it was possible to change the focus of monthly meetings away from voting expenditures from different funds. [9]
The meeting ended at 10:15
34 members signed in
Bill F won the raffle

TRACKING GROWTH
INSTALLERS and HOURS WORKED IN THE INDUSTRY

YEAR	A's	all HRS	A hrs	B hrs	C hrs	A avg
1975	90	60,000	60,000	0	0	666
1979	125	100,00	89,000	10,000	1,000	712
1983	177	140,000	124,000	14,000	1,400	700
1985	273	210,000	186,000	21,000	2,1000	684
1987	331	240,000	213,000	24,000	2,400	645
1988	363	270,000	240,000	27,000	2,700	669
1989	386	290,000	258,100	29,00	2,900	669
1990	448	360,000	320,400	36,000	3,600	715

I hear the word recession used a lot. It is used by different people to describe different phenomenon. It can refer to the trough of a normal fluctuation in an industry's employment cycle, or the loss of jobs through technological innovation, or the relocation of labor intensive industry to non-union environments or even the reflection of orchestrated manipulation of borrowing and lending money.
Today the DOW squats on 3,000 and America's economic system is healthy and on track. More and more 'wealth' is being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Human poverty and illness and illiteracy and violence and bigotry and substance abuse are also winners as they follow the DOW with dogged devotion.

STATE OF WORKING AMERICA
Mishel and Frankel [Economic Policy Institute] The Average American CEO earned
1979pretax income $308,200
1989 pretax income $612,800
1979 post tax income $153,900
1989 post tax income $429,100
Between 1979 and 1989
Capital Income rose by 66% [rents, dividends, interest]
Income from Labor fell 9% [hourly wages]
Between 1977 and 1990
Income of richest 20% up by 33%
Income of richest 1% up by 95%

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INSTALLER IRA One brother suggested I not treat the officers as enemies. Valid criticism. I apologize. I'll change that classification to 'not friendly'. I offer this episode of Union history in support of that position.
At one time installers belonged to the union pension plan but the rules and the rulers governing the plan discriminated against part-time workers. Each installer had to work a full year in order to receive pension credit. There was no partial credit.
Out of 60 installers only 8 or 9 had any credit at all. The rest of the installers paid into the fund with no chance of benefiting from it. The trustees of the pension plan would neither recognize our dilemma nor admit that the plan benefited from it.
Meanwhile other union workers were having similar problems with their pension plans and legal battles ensued across the nation. As a result of judicial decisions favorable to workers our pension plan bent a little. It offered installers a year, divided into thirds, with a third of a credit for each.
But it would not lower the ten year vesting requirement. An installer would have had to work 30 continuous years in the trade to be eligible to collect any benefits at all.
So Installers organized and decided to pull out of the pension plan. They fought tooth and nail with their own officers in order to accomplish it. Officers who would not even admit a conflict of interest between their sworn duty to represent the interests of members and their obligations as trustees of the plan.
Finally agreement was reached on a plan that would allow those installers who had pension credit and hopes of receiving a pension to remain in the plan. Their names used to be specified in the collective bargaining agreement until they each passed away. The rest of the installers relinquished any claim to benefits from moneys previously contributed and all subsequent deductions were allocated to an individual's IRA.
Now here's the rub. After the decision was officially made at a monthly meeting (motion made, seconded and passed unanimously] the Union took so long in implementing that decision (following procedures and filing papers] that the installer's petition for withdrawal was denied and had to be re-submitted 3 years later with the result that installers lost the contributions of those years. It reached a point where the only alternative was installers suing their own union and officers and none of us had the heart for that.
That's how Installers got IRA. They organized fought long and hard against their own union and officers. Check the records. Ask people who were there.
When brother Mike Hardeman smilingly reports to a general meeting that the pension plan is so very successful and has just increased its disbursement, he is really rubbing installer noses in the dirt. Of the thirty of forty members present at the meeting [aside from officers] only one belongs to the pension plan. Jerry Jensen, treasurer.
Also ironic is the fact that all full time officers receive TWO PENSIONS; essentially half of each is paid for by installers who have none. Even now I wonder about the propriety of the entire membership voting for and compensating pension trustees when only half the union is in the plan.
Recently Bob Owen proposed that installers switch back to pensions, but they must join as a class or group. That favors the pension plan.
Traditionally installers exhibit extreme variation in life styles while working in a radically fluctuating and highly competitive job market. The plan which favors installers would allow each individual installer to choose between pension and IRA.
Modern technology offers powerful high speed compact personal computers with libraries of programmed software. We already separate promo and polo fund contributors, checkoff dues, and choice of medical plans.
Progress is made by constant vigilance and active pursuit of objectives. Join the struggle. Participate in your Union.

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EDITORIAL and STOCKHOLDERS REPORT I presented a preview of the first issue of the WATCHDOG to the officers via the president hoping to become the official newsletter of the month. No such luck. So I distributed it myself on the job. About 160 copies. The response has been positive with many offers of money and help. Thanks.
The Union has begun moving faster towards some form of newsletter. Even Mike's sheet looks like it got a little help. Probably just one or 2 more exciting issues of the WATCHDOG. Think of them as collector's editions.
It took much much longer to write the information than it took to go to the meetings and that includes commuting. Especially dispatching because it occurred over a year.
I have herein probably alienated every individual and splinter group of installers that exists and fermented enough unrest to bottle and sell. Not the first time. Hopefully not the last.
I spent time calculating my chances of being appointed publisher of the union's newsletter and then invested in disgarded scratchers.
In order to recover some of the costs of this issue and the next the price will be $1.50 by mail and $1 on the job if I haven't run out.
Tell your friends. Tell my friends. If you can find any.

The address is
UNION WATCHDOG
CAZADERO, CALIFORNIA 95421-0035.

The rest of you remember to redeem your pledges.

I asked my dog what he thought after the first night's watch under the burning flag of communications. "Twas brillig", he said. I concur. It wasn't easy getting it all down in black and white and putting it in perspective.
It only takes a little light to see that installers are seriously divided. Some favor a free for all and the right to solicit work directly from employers including continued employment on the job and 'rollover' dispatches to other jobs. Others believe the majority of the work should be controlled and distributed by the Union but they disagree on the method of distribution.
Installers should take the time and invest the energy to carefully examine all the arguments which surround this issue. It is extremely important to resolve now not only because it is fundamental to everyone's livelihood but because of the numbers. If patterns hold true and I am guessing correctly, then 2 or 3 years after the opening of Moscone expansion ['95 or '96] the installer A list will hit 700+ and 8O% of the hours worked will be obtained through direct employer solicitation.
At that point reverting to strong union control even if so desired would be an impossible task.. Too many vested interests. Now is the time to resolve our differences.

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