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UGSOA is Financially BROKE !
Many of the Local Unions within the UGSOA, are very upset with the leadership of Jim Viser and James Carney
A Letter from the President
December 13, 2002
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This letter is to address the urgency of membership of this Union. Many of the Local Unions within the UGSOA, are very upset with the leadership of Jim Viser and James Carney . This Union is in jeopardy of being shut down, as we do not have adequate membership or financial backing from the International Union.
Presently the UGSOA is Financially BROKE and unable to represent its membership !
As President of UGSOA Local 50 I am committed to the mission of a Real Union who is financially stable and can represent the needs of its membership.
Each Security Officer need and deserve quality, family-supporting jobs. Anyone who puts in a fair day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay, with adequate benefits, a safe work environment, and a voice on the job. As Officers, we support and defend democracy in all its forms, including workplace democracy. Every Security Officer deserves a voice on the job, free from fear and intimidation. This basic human and civil right, central to our democratic principles, shall be upheld as free speech and all fundamental freedoms are upheld. The right to free speech and freedom of assembly should not be checked at the door of the workplace.
We have approximately 120 security officers on this contract. We have 8% as members. Local #50 is moving forward in leadership and its commitment to achieving the goals in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. All for the betterment of the Security Officers, only to see the possibility of a shut down because lack of membership and the financial status of the UGSOA International Union. How tragic.
Fraternally,
Ryszard S Zurek
UGSOA
President, Local #50
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by UGSOA Front line project • Wednesday December 11, 2002 at 12:13 AM
Foundation Attorneys Stop Union’s Lawsuits Against Courthouse Bailiffs Union bosses leave town after Foundation attorneys file NLRB charges
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- When Bailiff Steve Eiermann and his fellow security guards at the Federal Courthouse in Indianapolis were ordered to pay dues to local bosses of the United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA), they said "no way."
"You couldn’t trust them" he told Foundation Action. "They would tell you one thing and then do the exact opposite. They refused to tell us the truth and play on the level."
Not long after Eiermann refused to pay dues, Local 55 officials sent him a letter threatening that if he did not pay $453 in back dues, the union would sue him. "Mr. Eiermann had the courage to stand up to the union bosses who wanted a piece of his paycheck," said Reed Larson, President of the Foundation. "In retaliation, the union bosses came after him."
Union power relies on shakedowns and extortion
Soon after Eiermann received his threatening letter, he learned about similar actions by a UGSOA local in Rockford, Illinois against four other AKAL Security, Inc. employees who refused to bow to the union’s demands.
However, lawsuits by the UGSOA local officials against the Rockford bailiffs were quashed by National Right to Work attorneys (as reported in the May/June edition of Foundation Action).
After hearing of the victory for bailiffs in the Land of Lincoln, Eiermann contacted the Foundation and requested free legal aid. Right to Work attorneys quickly filed charges against UGSOA Local 55 officials for violating the Foundation-won rights of Eiermann and his co-workers.
Smelling defeat, union bosses skip town
Just two weeks after Foundation attorneys filed charges against union officials, a union steward approached Eiermann and said, "You guys win." You see, UGSOA International President James Vissar informed Local 55 officials that the international union was disaffiliating itself from Local 55 and yanked the local union’s charter due to "low participation of the membership."
"Since few of the rank-and-file workers voluntarily support a union, the union bosses resort to shakedowns and threats," said Larson. "This shows how central compulsory unionism abuse is to union power."
Today, the dark cloud of compulsory unionism no longer hangs over the bailiffs at the Indianapolis Federal Courthouse. "There are more than 20 officers here at the courthouse who are really impressed and appreciative of everything the Foundation and its supporters have done for us," said Eiermann.