The word of the day for June 24, 2008 is "electioneer" — intransitive verb — : to take an active part in an election; specifically : to work for the election of a candidate or party.
Krissy wants to know if we've been approached by campaign workers for the presidential campaign. (She was in her jammies when they came to her door.) Here we are more concerned about the union decertification attempt. The General Office personnel, which includes drafters—excuse me, design technicians—as well as office assistants, have been organized for about ten years now. Every time the contract comes up for renegotiation, some of the represented group petition to decertify our union. They have even tried to get the Teamsters and the International Association of Machinists into the arena to dilute votes for the IFTPE affiliate to which we belong. I don't really understand why. Kansas is a right-to-work state, which means they can get most of the benefits of union representation without actually joining. If they have any complaint about how the contract is negotiated, they can always join and get on the committee (in fact, we wish they would so they can complain to the right people).
Anyway, the Union reps have been at our door this past month. They've also been handing out lapel pins, flags and flyers at the entry gates at work. The anti-unionist have mostly confined themselves to inflammatory e-mails. Not that the Union has ignored electronic media. I cleaned out my Outlook mailbox at work this morning (election day) and found that fully half the deletions were pro- or anti-union. I'm glad they don't have my AOL e-ddress.
Our quote for the day is from Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893), U.S. president. Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Nineteenth President of the United States, vol. II, p. 497, ed. Charles Richard Williams, The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, 5 vols. (1922-1926), Hayes to William Henry Smith (August 24, 1864):
Any officer fit for duty who at this crisis would abandon his post to electioneer for a seat in Congress ought to be scalped.
;^) Jan
2 comments:
... grr ... your quote used the word of the day ..!
... my Dad is a Union guy ... I think there is a purpose for Union's ... just this isn't the forum for it ... still, I do think they help more than hurt ...
Oh my goodness! Half of your emailbox! I would be livid! That's horrible! Especially the ones that the unionists send you, LOL. I wouldn't mind the right to work ones as much, LOL. Oops, I am being political now. Seriously though, I wouldn't want my mailbox filled up. Sorry that happened to you.
Krissy :)
http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink
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