Hey Phil,
Haven't seen ya in a while. Good to have you back.
Since you've reverted to cutting/pasting your "questions", I'll start cutting/pasting my responses. Is that good for you?? And you should really update your copy of questions. The IBT election is over and there are no more ballots to sign.
1. Can I see your Bylaws and Constitution?
APWA has nothing to hide, as opposed to IBT who has to be forced by lawsuits and federal judges to produce documents. The bylaws and constitution were submitted during the incorporation process. In addition, Danny or Van would be happy to personally go over these documents with you
in person at a meeting. Feel free to contact them for further questions. However, a point of interest here. I asked Eason once how often people want to see these documents, and his answer was that in the two years they have been traveling and talking to people, these documents were requested once. And when you do read these documents, you'll see how member oversight, transparency and integrity influenced every article and bylaw.
2. I see that you are registered as a non-profit. Can you show us your IRS tax filing, specifically the Form-990 which is required by 501 © (5) organizations that have over $25,000 income.
The answer is pretty simple. After review by the CPA’s, a tax return was not necessary. But if you don’t believe that, feel free to file a Form 4506-A with the IRS and see what their reply is. As for fiscal year 2006, the filing deadline is forthcoming. So we shall seen then if there is a return that is required.
3. Why are you incorporated in Deleware. rather than North Carolina, where your mailing address is listed?
According to the state of Delaware's incorporation website.....
www.corp.delaware.gov said:
More than half a million business entities have their legal home in Delaware including more than 50% of all U.S. publicly-traded companies and 60% of the Fortune 500. Businesses choose Delaware because we provide a complete package of incorporation services including modern and flexible corporate laws, our highly-respected Court of Chancery, a business-friendly State Government, and the customer service oriented Staff of the Delaware Division of Corporations.
Now, why is this a problem again? If Delaware is good for 60% of the Fortune 500 companies, then its good enough for the APWA and the UPS employees they intend to represent.
4. Does the APWA operate out of any offices in North Carolina where its mailing address is listed on its website and its two officers live?
I guess the answer to that is yes. APWA operates in every state, home, and workplace in the 50 states where its members, lawyers, and officers are telling people the good news that there is a better option to union representation. Part of being a wise steward of the memberships contributions includes recognizing when expenses are not justified. Renting office space at this juncture is not wise use of the memberships money. When was the last time the IBT cut off some fat from its operating expenses??
5. Why does the IRS record your address at 1666 K Street in Washington DC? (Coleman's Law Firm)
The legal firm that completes the application supplies their address.
6. How many members does APWA have?
Supplying specifics on the membership gives Teamsters (you) information to target and intimidate/threaten the people who are either interested in hearing about the APWA or are actively supporting the effort as members. Just sit tight until the election and then you will have the exact number of people supporting us
7. According to the US Department of Labor, APWA is NOT a registered labor union. As of August 1st 2006, the Department of Labor has not received any application, paperwork from the APWA, Tom Colman Esq., Danny Eason, or Van Skillman. Why hasn't APWA filed any registration forms as a labor organization with the departmrnt of labor?
Unions are required to file with the Department of Labor within ninety (90) days of being recognized as the collective bargaining agent by the NLRB. This occurs only after winning the secret ballot election conducted by the NLRB. So, 90 days after APWA wins the NLRB election and IBT is decertified as the collective bargaining agent at UPS, check back with the Department of Labor. They will have the forms you’re looking for then. In addition, I called up and talked to a nice guy named Andrew in the DOL office. He reinforced the above statement by saying that the DOL oversees internal operations of unions
after the NLRB certifies them as the CBA. Just because a group of employees are not registered with the DOL, does not mean they are not a union.
8. Who are other officers / staff of APWA?
Almost half of the regional managers and vice presidents have been selected. Should these individuals be officially named into these positions, their ability to discuss issues with their co-workers would be limited by the NLRB. Now I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you.
9. Have any of the officers of APWA ever negotiated a union contract?
Before Hoffa was president, his experience was working for employers. He was a pro-employer lawyer who had only negotiated contracts for employers. And once in office, he surrounded himself with lawyers who had previously negotiated union contracts. APWA will use this time-proven method of hiring experienced labor lawyers to negotiate contracts based on what the members want in their contract. The Parcel Workers union will employ only the best pro-labor lawyers arguing their demands before UPS.
10. Have any of the officers of APWA ever represented union members (i.e., as shop stewards etc.?)
In excess of 80% of the APWA officers have represented union members in the positions described above. The experience and ability to connect with the members is there.
11. Does APWA employ any staffers who are experienced in representing union members, as opposed to its attorney, who has expertise in union busting?
See number 10. The Parcel Worker’s legal team and their expertise reaches far beyond the services of Tom Coleman. I can tell that you really like Tom…..
BigUnionGuy said:
Van Skillman and Danny Eason are the self-declared officers of the APWA. Tom Coleman, Esq., is APWA's lawyer... But Coleman is much more than that. Here are a few things you should know about Francis "Tom" Coleman. Coleman is a partner in the Labor and Employment Law Section of Williams Mullen law firm in their Washington DC office. According to its web site, (Williams Mullen) the firm helps employers:
- Defeat union organizing attempts for clients in major manufacturing sectors such as steel, paper, health care, printing, construction, and mining.
- Decertify unions (geeze, that's a familiar one)
- Train all levels of management in union avoidance (union busting)
Coleman is a member of the labor Lawyer's Advisory Committee and was the past chairman of a group called Cuncil for a Union-Free Environment (CUE). is this who you want advising the officers of an association that claims to be "SOLELY and EXCLUSIVELY for the benefit of any UPS employee? Francis T. Coleman has written two anti-union books that threaten the future of any and all unions. They are:The De-Unionizing Handbook & Becoming Union Free
Tom Coleman is all the things you described him as above. His career as a union busting lawyer been a successful one which is what scares and pisses you guys off at the IBT. However, Coleman’s sole purpose in the APWA campaign is to replace the IBT with the Parcel Workers union as the UPS CBA. Once APWA is successful, Coleman's relationship with the APWA
will be over. With Tom Coleman no longer working for the APWA, the other seven or so lawyers spread from the East coast to the West coast in six different states and with long careers as pro-union legal counsel will take full responsibility for representing the APWA in legal matters. Tom Coleman is just the guy that gets to make the IBT’s life hell during the decert process.
And let me help clarify what you were trying to say there at the end, Phil.
BigUnionGuy said:
Think about it folks.... The Teamsters is 1.4 million strong(sucking the teet of UPS members dry), let's send the message that we care bout "our" union(aka…we IBT bosses care about our double pensions and exceedingly, gluttonous salaries) and its future. Let's dump these bozos(Eason and Skillman are really friggin scaring the sh** out of us so we need to call them clown names so we can sleep at night) and become more involved with our Teamster Locals(where you will promptly be told you are out of order if you disagree) and don't forget to vote for IBT officers(Hoffa’s gluttonous yes men at the trough), you should all have your ballots by now
