Questions & Answers email your questions they will be answered

Answer:  Yes but it takes vision and creativity to be able to cover the spread and train more folks with limited training dollars.  It takes money and that money is allotted annually and the joint-training committee comes together and maps out how to train so many longshoremen with so few dollars.  CDL, prior skill sets from outside and other short cuts allows us to reach that group that wants to train versus the others that feel like they have graduated beyond particular equipment.  We will need to allot more money for more training...

Answer:  No they can't even if they pay the full dues rate they can't Vote for a delegate, Ratify contracts or count in Convention strength. 

In in recent case can't Run for contract Delegates

Answer:  yes, this is the contract negotiation time at the national level and is the window when we address the concerns of Language contained in the master agreement which includes the teir wages.  I believe we can reduce the tiers and make some other positive changes to the contract...When we get to the District level the Vacation & Holiday pay will need to be addressed for increases as well.

Answer:  We have met and discussed the challenges in the seniority.  we made port seniority the staple.  Their still seems to be issues about maintenance seniority and to get our hands around it we will have to convene more maintenance meetings and discuss the facts and move the needle on the facts and not on the fiction 

Answer:  It took a lot of work and strategy to set the stage for the 401k to be created.  I know that everyone sees how this 401k versus the MPP doesn't impact us the same and that the 401k was the better play.  I can get our 401k re-established.  we had the best of both worlds and the Spencer's initiated ending it because of politics and that wasn't cool. 

Answer:  While you don't have to operate raggedy equipment, I get that telling you to refuse to work it isn't an answer.  we now have to raise the bar on getting the employer to make better equipment a priority.  To move this along we have to start keeping a damage file on the equipment for the Local's files.  This takes the complaints out of your hands and puts it squarely in the hands of your representatives!  I am a big advocate of a safety officer.  I understand that the Business Agent is one but for the Business agent it one of many jobs and makes it less of a daily priority when dealing with all the other Business Agent challenges.  All I ask of you is to bring your damages to the Local and we will take up the charge and get things changed, parked or replaced!

Answer:  No, Benny Holland came to Jacksonville and clarified to everyone that the Union and Management must operate a jointly administered seniority plan.  

Years later the IRC and council comprised of the ILA and the USMX handed down the directive that mandated Accident Review Committees in every port.  In fact, George Spencer signed for the creation of the ARC in 2003. Currently, the Local now has the ability to handle seniority by itself.  This happened recently as a result of the pandemic. Seniority is a very personal issue and needs to be handled with caution.

Answer: I recently had a conversation with the TICO Representative in Charleston in the month of October 2022.  I made the same inquiry given that its been 2019 that my resolution for AC's in the Trucks and other equipment went before the International for adoption and passed.  the Rep told me that the new tariffs have the math for the Ac's and that Charleston, Houston  are done and there are 50 more to be done in Savannah and next stop Jacksonville. By summer we should have yard trucks with AC!

Answer:  The port of Savannah has soo much tonnage that they could afford to distribute below the line: in fact they also include the port of Brunswick in their distribution and Brunswick doesn't handle any containers there.  As for George Spencer, he was a trustee on the Pension, Welfare & Royalty fund when the port of Jacksonville raised the criteria for Royalty under then President Charles Spencer.  They raised it to 1000 hours a year over a 3 year period from 700 to the present 1000. As for Savannah they raised the house for royalty in 2020 to 1300.

Answer:  It is possible to do it but the membership has had to approve the changes to be forwarded to the JMA to signoff on.  The current 2 year "comeback" provision was voted down by the membership in September of 2008.  The membership wouldn't agree to a "comback" provision under any math that took you back to your original seniority.  The current "comeback" program that takes you back in a stair-stepped manner to your original category at a rate of two years qualified for every one year that you lost was put in place during the "Trusteeship" which didn't require the input from the membership.  Management originally in 2008 was not in favor of any "comeback" provision being added to the seniority plan but agreed  to a minor "comeback" from October 1, 2008 and then accepted the major change during the "trusteeship".  It is a risky proposition to reopen the "comeback" provision.  Now that the Local is solely in charge of seniority classifications we will have to make transparency the cornerstone for any seniority changes but we are close to considering year-for-year with the blessings of the membership.

Answer:  It is sad what this administration attempted to do in the name of politics.  They in effect did what they were claiming I did in the underhanded way they executed.  

This administration came in day 1 in 2020 with the creation of a "Special Committee" to do a deep dive into the expenditures made by me as President of Local 1408.  the Special committee was comprised of the same individuals that were charge with reviewing the expenditures of the Local daily and monthly for the period they claimed there was a problem with.  One of the two "Special Committee" members was the former Financial Secretary and the other one was the Local's auditing committee member.  

The "Special committee" wasn't formed properly, per the bylaws, and when the dust settled they spent over 40 thousand in salaries to the "Special committee" and 50 thousand in expenses related to the collection of reproduction of documents to fake a false premise.  

They then let Charles Spencer direct them to submit an insurance claim for 217k that the insurance company dismissed after I responded and clarified the particulars misleading information they submitted.  

Once they failed with the insurance/bonding company,  they took the matter to the Department of Labor,  the governmental agency that governs all unions and after a year-long investigation the DOL found that no malfeasance existed.  The "Special Committee" and Spencer freaked.  

Once they failed with the DOL, they did a report for submission to the Executive Board in January 2022(that's right 2 years later still sucking up salary on a political mission) and they filed charges on March 8th 2022 on me for a hearing dated 2 days later on march 10th 2022 with the Executive Board.  The Executive Board shot it down as no merit.  

Once they failed with the Executive board, the "Special Committee" appealed the decision to the South Atlantic District and it was again shot down.  

Once they failed at the South Atlantic District appeal,  the "Special Committee" then the appealed it to the International where in a 20 page response the international shot it down in October of 2022 and informed them that they had no business forming a "Special Committee".  

All of this cost you and me 100k of the Local's money for the Spencer's to do what they do for political gain.  They came for former local 1408 President Troy Canady with the same play card, they took the Local from 1408 President Luis "Chip" Johnson by filling the charges to put the Local in Trusteeship and they came for me( no surprise ).  It just was too ridiculous.  

They started with a submission to the insurance/bonding company of 217k and by the end of it all was trying to make the case for 600 dollars they said I spent at Payless shoe store! youu heard me, Payless shoe store.  you can't spend 600 dollars in Payless shoe store. I helped them understand that it was a van rental from Payless rental car.  I rented the van to ferry Local 1408's delegates from Austin, Texas to San Antonio, Texas for a Blue Ribbon Safety workshop.  Hell, the auditor was on the trip and it didn't click.  The incompetence was over the top.  

I always kept records and the auditors knew where the travel books and the receipts were stored in the binders in the office and would never come and review them.  It served them better to throw falsities out in the air than to validate the falsities.  

They should reimburse the Local for what they did...SMH 1408 

Answer: I don't know what happened with port engagement in these last 3 years but I can imagine that this administration deteriorated the relationship by letting the wrong brother act as President.  Jaxport should have a relationship with the ILA just like other ports have with the ILA.  It takes the temperament to work with organizations to make the hand-to-hand connections.  I have done that not only as the main cheerleader for dredging which benefitted everyone on the port of Jacksonville, but by also participating on the bi-monthly port board meetings and other port conferences.  I can get the port back on a better page.  I guarantee!!!