WHAT’S TAKING THE NATIONAL SO LONG…
TO ACT IF WHAT WE ARE SAYING HERE IS TRUE? The Union For Democracy asked the same question in
“In Communications Workers Local 1034,
the 16,000-member local of public employees in New Jersey, the international finally removed its president, Carla Katz. She had achieved celebrity-notoriety status in 2005 when it was revealed that the wealthy Governor Jon Corzine had paid off her $400,000 mortgage and favored her with other gifts, type, number, and value unreported. Before his election, but no longer, they had been a loving pair when Corzine was a Senator. But the charges against Katz were not affair-related. The international accuses her of spending over $700,000 of the local’s money without authorization and of suppressing members’ rights. She denies the charges, claiming that the international has retaliated against her for opposing ratification of the local’s recent collective bargaining contract.
A question remains: What took the international so long to act? Katz had been local head for nine years. A local opposition caucus had accused her of similar derelictions. They were intimidated, maneuvered out of their rights, and barred from the ballot. After their appeals to the international and to the Department of Labor went nowhere, the dissident group fell apart, demoralized.
In late October 2007, Jonathan Berg and Linda Kukor, two local vice presidents; and Dan Antonellis, a shop steward, filed charges against Katz with the international; eight months later, it acted, but too late to help the old opposition.”
Roeder’s acts are more egregious than Katz’s and rubber stamped by the National. Though the National has exonerated all of her actions, MFC will not be demoralized and tuck our tails in and go away, because we will make a change in this UNION
Local 1033 E-Board Has Failed the Membership
MFC IS FULLY AWARE THAT ROEDER SUPPRESSES THE E-BOARD WITH RANTS AND RAVES OF THREATS AND INTIMIDATION TO KEEP BOARD MEMBERS SILENT AND CATERING TO HER WHIMS.
MFC APPEALS TO THIS E-BOARD TO JOIN US IN STANDING AGAINST ROEDER’S REPRESSIVE CENSORIAL CONTROL AND DEMANDING THIS LOCAL BE BROUGHT INTO COMPLIANCE WITH THE CWA CONSTITUTION AND LOCAL BYLAWS FOR THE GOOD OF THE MEMBERSHIP AND CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF THIS LOCAL.
WE MUST GET OUR HOUSE IN ORDER BEFORE WE CAN LEGITIMATELY DEMAND ANYTHING FROM THE GOVERNOR AND ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER.
AN INFLATABLE RAT IS NOT THE ANSWER. WE MUST BE MUCH MORE PROGRESSIVE TO DEFEND OUR MEMBERS. IF ANY BOARD MEMBER BELIEVES OTHERWISE, THAT BOARD MEMBER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
CHARGES BY THE ROEDER TEAM
I am in receipt of your letter Mr. Miskowski, dated September 11, 2008, advising of charges for making “false material statements and mischaracterizations of the financial status of CWA Local 1033 through the Internet as well as for making potentially libelous statements impugning the integrity of a professional corporation.”
Well now, I guess it won’t matter if I take this opportunity to incriminate myself further.
This Administration has failed, upon request, to provide to the membership:
A detailed accounting of the duties, and; salaries, overtime, stipends and lost time wages paid
out to employees and members of this Local in the last 3 years. To date that amount is estimated to be close to four million dollars ($4,000,000.00).
President Roeder has claimed during her entire 12 year tenure that she has spent members’ dues on organizing, when in fact she has not organized one single member. To date this alleged expenditure is estimated to be about six million dollars ($6,000,000.00).
There was $617,162.00 of members’ dues in a contingency fund. This fund has been depleted. Where? When? Why? What? How?
I asked a simple and fair question on behalf of the membership and gave this administration ample time to respond. The request was ignored.
Left with no other plausible explanation, it was reasonable to deduce the funds were misappropriated by the administration.
In response, the Administration hid behind a general audit report that was not specific to my inquiry. Yes, you have uninformed members fooled into believing that the audit report reveals all. However, I know it is merely a superficial document for you to hide behind in an attempt to evade my specific inquiry.
Your reactions, meant to derail our opposition, reveal your fear. If the facts be known, I am of the opinion that they would be so egregious and incriminating, that this entire administration would be forced to step down.
I ask this administration again, and PLEASE LISTEN CAREFULLY: I am not asking for an audit report. I am asking that the membership be provided a breakdown of how $10.6 million of their dues money was spent. CLICK HERE Scroll down to disbursement to employees.
By the way, I settled the matter with the auditor’s attorney, not because I was afraid. It was the prudent thing to do. You don’t engage in an expensive legal fight when you can control the outcome. Didn’t you watch the movie Civil Action? You settle, as a matter of legal competence.
Speaking of competence, I believe that the members should witness the competence of their new Administration. We get to show our stuff. Thus, I say again:
THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS MISAPPROPRIATED, STOLEN, ROBBED, LOOTED, PLUNDERED AND PILLAGED $10.6 MILLION DOLLARS OF MEMBERS DUES.
There, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Please provide these incriminating statements to the appointed prosecutor, Mr. Jurisprudence/Clarence Darrow.
Ahhhh….Rae, did you tell Mr. Jurisprudence that if the scary attorneys didn’t intimidate us, his amateur charges obviously could not? You should have warned him Rae, about our MILITANCY, to fight for fundamental principles.
Jesse J. Averhart, President
CWA Local 1033 Members for Change
Demand Roeder Tell Us How She Spent $4.1 million dollars
Members have a right and privilege to know how their dues money is being spent, based on basic democratic principles. But Roeder refuses to share this information, ignoring request for this information. Incredibly, Roeder goes into her two bit politician mode, avoiding the issue and downplaying the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Audit Reports:
Roeder lied that she spent $526,650.00 in three years building this local membership by organizing unorganized workers. She didn’t.
In three years Roeder spent $ 612,1623.00 of the contingency fund, money that was to be used for emergencies. $5000 is left in the fund. What did she spend it on? Fighting for your Pension? What about all the other issues facing this Local?
$3 Million Dollars was spent on salaries in three years. Roeder refuse to say who was paid what. She pays Sandy Coia, a former state employed charged with stealing, over $70,0000. Almost twice what she was willing to pay the second highest officer, The Executive V.P., Diane Spence-Brown. She’s paid more than the staff representatives. Why the disparate pay? What does Coia do?
The members have a right to know! Test the democratic principles of the Roeder Administration. CALL THE LOCAL AT 394-7725. ASK ROEDER WHERE’S THE MONEY? And if she hangs up on you or doesn’t get back to you, post it here.
