The commentary on this website is the opinion of Doug Cornett. The opinions may not be shared by others. The section on this website for “Your Thoughts” is for the opinions of those visiting this website
HEADLINE NEWS – Posted 03/29/2012
I got word that Brother Cabinetmaker Don Brown died on 2/22/12. Perhaps you saw me in Don’s company at a LU#315 meeting, he was one of those men who forgot more than most of us will ever know, a Master Cabinetmaker! Don was the Shop Foreman at Stanley Inner Works, a premier KC cabinet shop who’s owner Con Stanley was a card carrying LU#1635 member too. We lost Con in 2011. Brother Brown had more than 50 years in LU#1635 and was the very example of what Union Craftsmanship, attention to detail, and what member dedication should be. He rarely missed a meeting, never a vote.
There were no services but, our hearts and prayers go out to his family. Members of LU#1635 will meet soon to raise a glass to our Brother Don Brown and all of the others who have went before him. LU#1635 Cabinetmakers was the ONLY LU and TRADE to completely be REMOVED from the KCMO area by the UBC after 107 YEARS of history here! Brother Brown is taking our case to a higher authority.
It was reported at the February LU#315 meeting by Brother Roy Smith that Brother Dwayne Camp was very sick in the hospital needing our support and prayers. Many of our young members (less than 20 years of service) who were not members of former Independence, Missouri Carpenters LU#1329 probably have never heard of him. Please let me introduce to you the last great LU#1329 Presidents and a real Union-Man Dwayne Camp!
When Dwayne and I met for the first time on the District Council floor you might say we didn’t quite hit it off on the right foot, seems we had differing opinions, our own stubborn streak, and both thought we were right! Lucky for us both, we learned to agree to disagree on little matters but, had NO differences when it came to membership, voting rights, and LU-RULE over the District Council!
Dwayne always served the best interests of those who elected him to office in Independence but, he also represented the best interests of ALL the rank and file membership in the KC District Council! We each had been taught by those honored retired leaders who actually built this UNION. The union that every KC Local had, about SERVICE before self; majority rules and that’s how you VOTED. You voted their way, respecting democratic principals, and the importance of one’s HONOR!
Dwayne is a Master Craftsman who was usually employed as a lead man, Foreman, or Steward on most of the major trim jobs in our areas from the late 1980’s until his retirement. This was a time when the MEMBERS ran this union, NOT appointees. The LOCAL UNIONS RULED over the district council that THEY had formed as a figurehead only, by the FOUNDING Local Unions.
Members not only VOTED upon EVERYTHING but, they actually attended meetings and held their representatives ACCOUNTABLE! There were a small number of men within this council area who were Stewards, sent to problem jobs because they knew the rules, the contract, did the right thing, and were unafraid to voice their concerns to the Contractor; Dwayne was one of them.
Back then we had each others back; controlling our own jobsite and EVERY member knew their contract. If a contractor threatened to fire the Steward, he’d better have enough paychecks for the entire crew! BA’s were called out to enforce the contract, support the Steward, and the UBC workers. THEY worked for OUR betterment then because they were ALL DIRECTLY ELECTED every three years by US!! Now THEY represent our contractors first, last they represent the members.
I had the honor of running for BA with Dwayne and LU#61’s Floyd Goodman and will never forget driving with them from local to local campaigning together on our own dime. Dwayne never forgot a name nor did he ever give the same speech twice while campaigning. He has always been a stand-up fellow; knowledgeable, and quick with a joke. As an Officer, he oversaw meetings fairly, ran them by the book, and was a defender of the working or Retired member.
He was and is an honorary member of Cabinetmakers LU#1635 and attended many of our functions as a respected Brother, Union leader, and a man of principal you could count on in a tight place who would do what was right for all! Of course this kind of thinking went against the grain following TD’s rise to self-greatness and the dictatorship rule under UBC-McMoron & Co.
Dougy figured out that some people’s honor could be purchased for a double-pension, a Yukon, a small title, and $118K a year! Brother Camp was NOT one of these so his star began to wane as many others did from so many OTHER HONORABLE LOCALS because they would not join the UBC/CDC team and sell out their brothers.
Now let me tell you all about Brother Camp’s claim to fame. Within all of the KCMO Carpenters District Council history, he is the ONLY rank and file member ever to be ELECTED over a sitting EST. Back before ANYONE was allowed to attend UBC Conventions by virtue of their office, they had to get ELECTED to go; what a concept that was!!
The 1991 UBC Convention held in Atlantic City, New Jersey was the most contiguous in all UBC history! There was scandal; the sitting General President (Sig L.) had lost over $120 million of our UBC General funds in six real estate deals which involved other UBC Presidents and families too. Sig was the VERY FIRST UBC President to EVER DENY ENTRANCE (a seat) of our membership from attending THEIR OWN UBC CONVENTION!
There were roughly about 100 YEARS of proud Carpenter history of membership participation at all LEVELs before Sig and Dougy’s DICTATORSHIP AND CORRUPTION became standard UBC corporate policy! Our Council was divided right down the middle, and LU#1329’s Dwayne Camp was elected to lead our entire KCMO UBC-Convention Delegation by a majority vote of the District Council delegates and lead us he did.
There were many great leaders from within all our former locals here just like Brother Camp who were forgotten after the calculated destruction of real LOCAL UNION leaders by the TEAM, as they were stealing our rights away! Many of these men and women are still attending meetings. I encourage you to go talk to these honored “gray-hairs”. You just might find such a person as Brother Dwayne Camp to learn from. Brother Camp is someone who spent his entire working life serving others, upholding his Local, Craft, Honor, and his Principals first; knowing full well it would be detrimental to his career and reputation!
He made a stand for what was right to do, NOT what was easy to do, by following blindly or remaining silent! Brother Camp and Brother Brown are just a few of my many REAL Union heroes and I am proud and honored to call them my Brothers! Please keep BOTH in your thoughts and prayers!
You young members (under 20 years service) are the future but, you have been MISLEAD AND MISINFORMED about your membership rights and UBC history purposely like a crop of mushrooms; kept in the dark and fed TEAM-UBC-BS!
Douglas M. Cornett
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Well, just as I predicted, 315 President Mikey opened up the special-called by-laws meeting with the UBC LIE of “the first 21 by-laws are already set in STONE!” The TRUTH is that YOU had the right to read, discuss, and VOTE upon EVERY SINGLE proposed by-law listed upon their cheat sheet. The only thing set in stone is the way our rank and file members here continue to NOT show up en mass to TAKE CARE OF THEIR BUSINESS and protect what little money the UBC returned after ROBBING YOU BLIND!
Clueless Mikey and the rest of McCarron’s hand-puppets employed by STL Nelson, continue to run amuck dominating meetings with motions, discussions, and actions draining hundreds of thousands from 315’s treasury for the benefit of the FEW not the majority!
Here are some things the members should know about our last “Special-Called” meeting and reflect upon.
1. WHY was there NO PRIOR REPORT from Mikey’s own appointed by-laws committee before any notice or vote? This is a direct VIOLATION of the UBC constitution as that committee’s are REQUIRED to report back to the LU members!
2. WHY did one of the hand-puppets jump up and make a motion that our PREVIOUS meeting minutes (Oct.) be accepted as read? Because by doing so it PREVENTS members to HEAR what took place last month (or did not) and PREVENTS members from DISCUSSING or CORRECTING the minutes! There was NEVER a motion in Oct. to call for or pay for the special called meeting as required.
3. WHY were these special-called meeting notices sent out at the very last moment and unannounced at the Oct. 315 meeting? The UBC constitutions MINIMUM notice requirement is exactly 15 days from the meeting date; why the rush? Count back members from 11/16/11 to the date YOU received this notice, if it was LESS than 15 days, REPORT it to my website. If YOU DID NOT RECEIVE ANY NOTICE, please report that too. Remember you can comment upon my “your thoughts” without exposing your identity or e-mail address. I believe that this mail-out was NOT received by the majority of 315 members in a timely manner thus making it illegal.
4. WHY were copies of the new by-laws the ONLY ones handed out prior to the meeting for members to read? WHY were there NO OLD by-laws to compare? WHY were there NO current UBC constitutions handed out with ALL of the above too? Answer -- because that would EMPOWER YOU to fully understand the changes, to make a fair intelligent decision upon each one presented and it would have caused discussion or a DEFEAT for the KC Team. Most of the first 21 rules referred you back to a UBC section that you were NOT provided to read. This is the standard UBC/DC team “bum’s rush and DUMB them down plan of attack,” while ramming crap past YOU tactic perfected by and used by TEAM DAVIS! Information is power and only crooks and dictators HIDE facts from unsuspecting members to pull the wool over their eyes. It’s time you people out there WTF-UP that is why America is in deep DOO because Congress uses the same double-talk, dumb-down, hide and confuse tactics too! DEMAND TO BE INFORMED instead of allowing them (especially Mikey) to play you like a bunch of dumb chumps!
5. WHY did THEY move our meeting from the regular (largest) meeting room to the SMALL one for a special called meeting? We had an over-flow crowd with members standing at the back without chairs to sit in. Answer -- to make THEIR crowd of team cheerleaders appear as the biggest group if a standing vote was taken and to INCONVENIENCE overflow attending members to encourage them to get pissed and just go home! This action alone is highly suspect but, in addition to all of the above combined exposes a possible conspiracy to violate both the UBC constitution and the LMRDA election rules!
Mikey and the Team had bigger fish to fry after the SPECIAL above mentioned Dougy + Nelson RAM-FEAST! Beginning with 315 reordering Speedway tickets for the roundy, roundy car races! Retired BA Early jumped up to say we should DOUBLE the number of these tickets from 12 to 24 this year but, that was before someone asked HOW MUCH were the 12 TICKETS? Are you sitting down it was just under $10,000 or about $833.00 each. Motions were made and resented back and forth until finally 315 will BUY ONLY 12 this year but, WAIT it gets better!
The next order of 315 business was ordering 20 or 30 pairs of season tickets for the Royals baseball (WAIT for it), at a COST OF $150,000 to give away at our meetings.
My hat is off to the 55-Year Retired-Member of LU#168 who stood to state his objection to the SELFISHNESS in spending almost $160,000 just prior to Thanksgiving. He asked why we were NOT helping those who not only needed it like our OWN MEMBERS or donate to the Salvation Army. He could remember 168 members being thankful to just have a small LU Christmas party in his day!
THINK about these two actions alone and the COST for 72 TICKETS! While MANY of our brothers and sisters are losing their homes, can’t feed their families, or pay the bills because THEY ARE UNEMPLOYED, this stirred up the MOST discussion of the night! The SECOND biggest discussion was about Nelson’s painters WHITES for God’s sake! Oh it isn’t OVER yet people; lets move on to the biggest RIP-OFF by Mikey & his Teammates of 2011!
This year’s MEMBERS ONLY (no spouses or significant others need attend) and oh, it’s also TOO LATE to properly notify ALL 2500 315 members RAMMED THRU PIGLET CHRISTMAS PARTY! We will pay for catered food at $22.00 per plate (400 PLATES worth), ordered TWO KEGS of beer at $220.00 per keg, and have TWO more on reserve for this Dec. 21st meeting (Hanukkah begins on this date)!
This motion brought to you by BA (the more 315 money we can spend or WASTE, the
LESS St.Louis can TAKE) Simmons! Yes 3-days prior to Christmas Eve when most members are going out of town, gathering with family, or living under a bridge because the non-union is taking our work. These BOZO’S ram through a party that they KNOW will have low attendance and CANNOT even mail-out proper notice to ALL 315’s membership prior!
I’ll bet that ALL the FORMER, CURRENT, and the wanna-be hogs were present at our member-paid “TROUGH” slapping each other on the back for another year of SCREWING US STUPID MEMBERS OVER!
Maybe DAVIS, Nelson and DOUGY celebrated (like Nero did as Rome was burning) at OUR expense. In less than two years they helped destroy the entire KC district council, KILLED 7 metro LU’S without cause, ROBBED ALL of the KCMO LU’S of hundreds of thousands (MILLIONS if combined) of their memberships SAVINGS/PROPERTIES, GUTTED our contract, and got fired and REHIRED!
Life is good if you’re a “made-man” in the UBC-Mob or if you are just a newbie trying to root up into team favor, then this is the party you do not want to miss.
NEWSFLASH: I just got my new Jan. 18, 2012 special called meeting notice, isn’t that SPECIAL; (again VIOLATING proper procedure MIKEY)! This card was mailed out AGAIN WITHOUT a report, discussion, motions made, seconded, or VOTED upon by 315’s MEMBERSHIP! WHAT?? Due to a—“procedural ERROR” we will have another vote on our UBC Corp supported by-laws? WHO discovered this little after-the-fact boo-boo; it sure was NOT Mikey, his E-Board, or ANY of his KCMO TEAM-handlers that were present, making motions, seconding, or just running their chops was it?
Winn must have been getting another picture taken for the Beacon; it’s good to have the top man absent when they RAM-THRU things. WHY did you NOT TELL US WHAT THE “PROCEDUAL-ERROR” WAS? HOW MUCH 315 MONEY was WASTED in printing and postage? Something is going on here that CAUSED the TEAM/NELSON to reject this WIN, because it isn’t about doing the right thing because it isn’t in THEM! WHO is breathing down your necks??
Please allow me to REMIND YOU of McCarron’s EXCUSE as to WHY a free and FAIR ELECTION was NOT NEEDED and that HE would APPOINT (people he didn’t even know) to office for us dumb members. It was his appointees COMBINED EXPERT EXPERIENCE as former LU Officers and his TEAMMATES DIRECT involvement as BA’s and STLDC delegates to ensure CORRECT PROCEDURE! Look at ALL the high ranking EXPERTS we have been paying more than $100K over the last 17 years who did NOT know any better COMBINED! The truth is, THEY were too busy RAMMING through Dougy’s and Terry’s ordered bogus by-law changes to ever worry about fairness or rules. It is ALL about getting their BISKET, a pat on the head from their Master, keeping THEIR jobs another day, at OUR EXPENSE!
Just like the Labor Beacon it was not about informing our members about what REAL AFL-CIO LABOR Unions in KCMO are doing (because UBC McMoron & Co. made us SCABS), it’s about getting the TEAM’S (or their relations) PICTURES in the paper and promoting THEIR PR-SPIN to appear as if THEY are working! WE need to BAR ANY Council propaganda including THEIR pictures from the paper that 315 is paying for, let Nelson pay for his own PR-BS here just like his USELESS news-rag promoting RAT electricians, his corporate buddies, and ignoring KCMO!
Here are some things that should be done (thru motions) by member’s next meeting besides what was mentioned above:
1. 315 should purchase a video camera or tape recorder to be used to RECORD EVERY LU meeting, including ALL E-Board meetings to keep an accurate record. The recording secretary’s minutes should be verbatim, typed, printed, and passed out prior to every meeting for our membership to have and read. These video’s should be preserved for at least 7 years and be available upon request of any member in good standing to view or get copies at the LU’s cost. Minutes of the STLDC meetings (full copies) should be made available prior to EVERY LU meeting at LU cost. NEVER allow the minutes NOT to be read.
2. Both the STLDC and 315’s monthly financial statements/reports should be available (copies of each) at every meeting and upon request of the members at LU/STLDC cost.
3. Copies of the new by-laws, copies of the old by-laws, and a current copy of the UBC constitution should be mailed out to our ENTIRE MEMBERSHIP prior to ANY VOTE taking place. The Jan. 18th vote should be SET-BACK until everybody can READ them! A COMPLETE copy of the LMRDA rules should be posted upon the KC DC website to prior to any vote for members to read about the LAW and membership RIGHTS!
4. ALL by-laws after the first 21 presented should be soundly DEFEATED. Read the first 21 carefully as that ALL UBC LU’s (prior to McCarron) were autonomous, the RIGHT TO SELF-GOVERN itself. NO POWER what so ever should be given to either Nelson’s council or the UBC Corp if it does contain this language members should VOTE AGAINST or REMOVE IT. This is why they DESTROYED the 7 LU’S here and wanted to form THEIR new mega-LU here, this is THEIR attempt to legalize TAKING YOUR RIGHTS AWAY and LU power away AGAIN, by ramming it past you!
5. ALL rank and file 315 members should consider filing DC charges against 315’s clueless APPOINTED President for misappropriation of LU funds, causing dissension, defrauding a subordinate body, and violating the obligation. You will find these procedures under UBC Sec: 51 thru 53. I want to know WHO authorized the move to Finnigans Hall and the purchase of 315 T-shirts? Both were done without prior report, price, and WITHOUT a proper notification, motion, or a VOTE of the entire membership.
I believe that several other actions should be investigated too including the one night improper vote to assess (2500), 315 members $1.00 each for a BA charity, the assessment by the STLDC of $3.00 per 315 member WITHOUT proper notice or a VOTE, as well as the non-notice and improper expense of this 315 Christmas Party. Several of these actions should have REQUIRED a proper/timely mailed out membership notice (special-called) to INFORM ALL members and a VOTE or at the very least laid over until the very next meeting.
I encourage ALL MIDWEST MEMBERS to get the phone numbers and address of the Dept. of Labor or RICO and REPORT ANYTHING of an illegal nature you may have witnessed here presently or over the last 17 years to them. For too long these self-serving appointed reps have run amuck, unchecked like outlaw cowboys, ramming things thru and spending our funds to benefit the chosen few. IF YOU want to change that then get INVOLVED, they cannot blackball what they cannot see and the Feds are there to enforce the law not report upon you! Election violations, threats, blackballing, nepotism, etc, REPORT THEM ASAP; past or present.
These appointed double-dipping Reps are required to properly service and represent YOUR needs under the LAW; this includes assisting you to file charges, provide copies of contracts, pension records, Health & Welfare reports, LM financial reports, and other information. The NEW Terry wants to return to the OLD (has-been) Terry & Co. ways of running our business here using the same OLD TEAMMATES AGAIN! It is time to make a STAND and RECLAIM OUR RIGHTS! I urge you ALL to go read LU#157 NYC’s website there is a VERY IMPORTANT EST ELECTION taking place, the UBC is in deep DOO and it may affect ALL of US!
Ask yourselves WHY only ONE CITY out of 50 STATES gets to have an ELECTION instead of Dougy APPOINTING? He has had NYC under UBC trusteeship for 17 years to clean-out UNION CORRUPTION as he SUPPORTED his LAST 3 FELON EST’S. These CONVICTED NYC-EST SUPPORTERS gave Dougy-BOY and company long-winded, slobbering nominating speeches at prior UBC conventions as some were under Federal indictment during the convention!
MILLIONS of NYC membership funds have been lost under his rule and 17 years later the UBC has FAILED to root out the corruption. THEY have destroyed OUR-UNION (AMERICAN) DEMOCRACY recently like Hitler’s storm-troopers went across Poland.
Just like UBC YEGGY did not know anything about us or even his own area and Nelson didn’t KNOW ANYTHING about what was coming here, neither does Dictator Dougy KNOW NOTHING about CORRUPTION within the NYCDC! IF YOU BELIEVE THAT LINE OF CRAP, I believe the members of NYC have a bridge for sale, CHEAP! Perhaps the reason WHY the UBC cannot get rid of the union corruption is because THEY ARE CORRUPT, they caused it, SUPPORTED IT, took away OUR RIGHTS, our LOCALS, and OUR AMERICAN FREEDOM!
The UBC CORRUPTION begins at the very TOP of THEIR NEW UBC CORPORATION with CEO-McMORON, his Board of Fat-Cats, his “MADE-MEN” EST’S, and his APPOINTED Teams of UBC mob-soldiers! We can only pray that the NYC election and our rank and file brothers and sisters will hand Dougy’s his Waterloo.
It is time the ENTIRE RANK and FILE in the US and Canada JOIN-UP to RECLAIM OUR RIGHTS against CORPORATE TYRANT-RATS!
Douglas M. Cornett
“I like the noise of democracy.” “The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for greatness is already there.” The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among free men.” –Quotes from James Buchanan
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The commentary on this website is the opinion of Doug Cornett. The opinions may not be shared by others. The section on this website for “Your Thoughts” is for the opinions of those visiting this website