2 thoughts on “Don’t Be Fooled! Keep Maintenance Strong!

  1. Union and NAME of Local/Branch
    APWU - Reno Nevada local 936
    Office held, if any
    Maintenance Craft Director, Shop Steward

    RIGHT ON!

  2. Union and NAME of Local/Branch
    Atlanta Metro Area Local 32
    Office held, if any
    Workroom Floor Steward
    I said this before and I will say it again Brother Balogun, YOU should have run against Director Steve Raymer.

    As it is, we must disagree on supporting Brothers Raymer and Martinez. I don’t need to argue about Raymer because you either understand as a Unionist that Career Union Jobs are more important than Line-H cash awards or you are a greedy selfish individual who would sell out your Sisters and Brothers futures for a dollar.

    But I will argue that Brother Martinez is NOT the kind of fighter that we need in that position:

    As a Maintenance Craft Steward, I have no experience with Brother Martinez other than him always telling my fellow Stewards that we could not win the grievances they were calling him for guidance on. As an NBA he was simply never an aggressive grievance fighter, at least not for my Atlanta Local.

    Michael “Big Mike” Burris however was. Big Mike came to Atlanta to advocate some very toxic grievances that NOBODY else, including NBA Martinez, would touch. Big Mike took on those toxic grievances that I personally filed and he won every single one of them.

    I can’t expect any advocate to win every grievance, but I DEMAND that they have enough fight in them to at least try because that is what we pay our representatives to do. NOT make excuses, sell us short, withdraw grievances and make crappy deals with management that cost us jobs and harm our Craft.

    I’m sorry if I sound like an angry jerk, I don’t wear a suit or nice dress clothes to work because I don’t have an office. I wear work clothes because I work on the workroom floor every day, dealing not only with my own USPS work assignments, but also with the daily struggle with management and the problems of my coworkers because I am a workroom floor Steward. Life on the workroom floor is hard, and you have to be even harder to survive it. That is why I have no tolerance for soft Union Reps who are living a much less stressful life that pays a lot more money who won’t stand up and fight for me, my Craft and our Members.

    But I warn any of you, don’t make the mistake of calling my gripes “petty” to my face. I work for a living.

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