Executive Board Overturns General Membership Vote

March 28, 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

At the Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, March 22, there was significant discussion about a motion that was made and subsequently passed by majority vote during the March 2 General Membership Meeting (GMM). The motion directed me, as Local 2068 President, to mention, in the Local 2068 budget testimony on March 31, a request to the Board of Supervisors to “shift” bond referendum money that was earmarked for the construction of Fire Station 442 to the reconstruction of Fire Station 410.

Since the March GMM, several emails and pieces of factual information have come to light that were not present, nor mentioned, at that meeting by the maker of the motion, Brother Mike Mohler. These omissions misled the majority of the membership present at the meeting that voted in favor of the motion. Copies of the emails and information that I am referring to were presented to the Executive Board members during the last Executive Board meeting and contained information dated as early as Tuesday, February 15, 2011, where Brother Mohler could have brought discussion relative to the bond referendum money to the February 24 Executive Board Meeting. A courtesy “heads-up” through an email, a hand-scrawled note on a napkin or a telephone call about this proposed “shifting” of money would have not only been appropriate, but very appreciated. Unfortunately for the membership, none of this happened.

Additionally, what I find extremely disquieting is the fact that Sister Leigh Boswell knew that Brother Mohler, in his role as VPFF President, had researched the legality of the proposed “shifting” of bond referendum money and had that information prior to the February 24 Executive Board Meeting where she elected not to inform the Executive Board. Furthermore, Sister Boswell sent emails after the March GMM to both the Fire Chief and members of the Board of Supervisors that “a grass roots lobbying effort” will be occurring in the Mason District to shift funds from the designated referendum bond to expedite the rebuilding of Fire Station 410. Needless to say, the Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, one of the best friends that Local 2068 has on the Board of Supervisors, knew nothing about “this shifting of money” and expressed both her dismay and frustration with what was being back-doored in her district.

For the record, during last week’s Executive Board Meeting, Sister Boswell provided copies to the entire Executive Board of the email transaction trails between Brother Mohler, the Fire Chief, lawyers, and members of the Board of Supervisors. Additionally, Sister Boswell stated to the Executive Board at our last meeting that she doesn’t have to run things through the leadership of Local 2068 and basically stated, that I’ll do what I want to do – there is no chain of command.


With all that being said, yes it is true that the Executive Board took a position against the motion that was approved during the March GMM directing me to include the shifting of bond referendum funding in the Local 2068 budget testimony. A motion was made and subsequently approved at the March 22 Executive Board Meeting that the president not include the request to shift bond money in the budget testimony. The reason for taking such an action is that a majority of the Executive Board believed, with the factual evidence and information that was presented at the Executive Board meeting, moving forward with the motion that was made at the GMM would have discredited not only our union but, more importantly, the membership. That motion was approved by a 5 to 3 majority vote.
Soon after that motion was approved, a motion was made in attempt to hold a “special” GMM prior to the March 31st budget testimony to reveal to the membership the newly discovered facts and information to dispute the motion that was made at the GMM. The motion to hold a special GMM failed 3 to 5.
On March 26, Sister Boswell sent out a mass e-mail to members across the county in an attempt to rile them up that the Executive Board is taking away the voice of the membership and also warning them about how this power could be abused in the future. In my 3 years as President of Local 2068, this is the only time that this unprecedented move has even been considered. The power to override an approved membership motion is something afforded to political bodies and is a decision that is never taken lightly. To ensure that I was not overstepping my bounds, I brought it up for discussion with your elected Battalion Representatives and, by their vote, a majority agreed with the overruling. Something else that came up in Sister Boswell’s e-mail is the fact that, by her own research, the money to rebuild Fire Station 410 is not the issue; therefore risking political capital with Supervisor Gross in pushing this “shift of money” would be foolish.
In summary, the membership has the right to know all the facts and information gathered since the last GMM. Copies of the emails that were forwarded by Sister Boswell to the Executive Board relative to this issue will be made available to the membership at the April 6 General Membership Meeting. I hope to see you there. In the mean time, if you would like additional information prior to the next General Membership Meeting, please contact your respective battalion representative.

The right thing could have been done – but again individual members chose not to. The undermining of the leadership of Local 2068 and personal agendas has got to stop!

We can, and will, still be united!

Fraternally,

John R. Niemiec
President