VIDEO OF THE UTU CONVENTION – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

On March 18th, 2008, I received the DVDs of the UTU Convention from former General Chairperson, Barry Henry. I would like to personally thank everyone who was involved in editing the DVDs to only the Canadian content. I would especially like to thank Greg Gordon of Kamloops (Local 691).

I would also like to thank Barry Henry (former Gen. Ch.), Larry Olson (former President and VP), Mike Hone (former VP) and Guy Scarrow (former VP) for their continued support of the deposed General Chairpersons, Vice-General Chairpersons and to the Canadian membership.

THANK YOU!!!!

In addition to receiving the DVDs from Barry I also received a cover letter. With permission from Barry I have quoted, below, a portion of his letter which I think is relevant and of interest to the Canadian UTU membership.

Finally, if there is any Local Chairperson from my former GCA that wishes to have a copy of the DVDs (Canadian content) please contact Guy Ethier and we will attempt to provide a copy to each of you.

Rex Beatty

Barry Henry’s Cover Letter, in part;

“The UTU provided Delegates with a 5 disk set of the entire convention. Not many of us wanted to watch a very prolonged and expensive night of praise for paul thompson. For that reason we watched the entire convention and laid out the times that were relevant regarding our Sister and Brother’s appeals before the Delegates as well as the motion regarding Canadian autonomy and elections of our Officers by the People for the People.

Brother Greg Gordon, a Member of Local 691 in Kamloops, British Columbia volunteered his time and expertise to put this video together…

…There were several occasions where our Leaders were mocked, shouted down and treated in a most shabby manner. And, that was from the floor. It is our understanding that secord had security remove our Leaders from the foyer outside the Convention Hall.

When the Delegate from Kamloops, he being one of the 16 wearing a silly hat during Silly Hat Week, started naming all of the Delegates he, and the other silly hatters wanted removed from the convention, that little guy, who was never really elected to any position at any convention, namely paul thompson, should have immediately ruled him out of order and silenced his microphone. But no thompson relied on some guy who was his Parliamentarian, and who obviously does not have a grasp of proper procedure and allowed the crap to continue.

This writer served this Union long enough to recall how we, as Canadians, lobbied and fought at several UTU Conventions in order to gain Canadian autonomy. In other words, we, as Proud Canadians, would vote for our own International Leaders. But, the Delegate from Jasper who sat on the Constitution Committee, urged all delegates to remove that right from the Canadians. He did this at the behest of secord….

…There is but on word that would properly describe this un-Canadian action by these self-serving servants of secord and, that word is SHAME!...

…To the many Delegates who stood up for Justice, including both Canadians and Americans, we salute you! It is just unfortunate that there are not more like them.

May we suggest that, if you have the expertise at the Local level, that you arrange to make more copies available and distribute them to the Membership that you represent.

Better yet, why not call a Special Meeting and share the experience together…”

END