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In anticipation of the questions that many of you will undoubtedly have about us, we have put together an FAQ list to answer some of the more repetitive ones. This list will grow as more questions are asked, so please bear with us as the content of this site expands over the coming months. We thank you in advance for your patience.
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Who the hell are you and why should I listen to a word you say?
Whose side are you on?
Who backs you financially?
Are you anti-union?
If 333 isn't working for us then who are they working for?
Who the hell are you and why should I listen to a word you say?
We are members of Local 333 who are fed up with the way this union has been run and are determined to do something besides just whine helplessly about it. We hope you will find it in yourselves to keep an open mind about what this union could and should be, if it were run by people who cared even a little. We care a lot. If you care too, please join us in our efforts to improve this union. Being cynical to the point of complete apathy is easy, but all the things you dislike about 333 will remain unless you act. The time to act is now.
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Whose side are you on?
We aren't on anyone's "side". Rather, we are a very small group who have started a grass-roots effort to reshape our future. We want a democratic, transparent, professionally run union that puts the collective interests of its members first, and will spare no effort to accomplish that goal. We want leaders who will "Git 'er done", as Larry the Cable Guy would say. What we don't want are the self-serving, unresponsive, undependable, uncaring, unknowledgeable, unprofessional leaders who currently run the show down at 552 Bay St. We think that you deserve better for the $420-480 a year that you, and we, must pay them. The fact is we're just like you. The last thing we want to do in our "spare time" is to have to police these guys. We want to do what everyone else we know wants to do: pay them our dues and let them do their jobs, with occasional input from the membership as needed, in the hopes that they will really look out for and do right by us. But it turns out that trusting them to do this has proven to be a bad idea, and now the time has come to clean house.
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Who backs you financially?
No one backs us, this is a self-funded operation. Which means that the money to pay for this website, and all of the associated hardware and software costs, came directly from our own pockets. A considerable amount of unpaid time has been and will be invested here as well.
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Are you anti-union?
No, we are not anti-union. Not at all. A much better way to put it is that we are, first and foremost, pro-worker or pro-union member. Like everything else in life, unions can be good, bad or anywhere in between. No one should ever have to make excuses for a poorly run union that doesn't serve its members, but that is what we've been reduced to. Any union that has fallen into this state must either be reformed from within or gotten rid of and replaced by a new organization. When it became apparent to us that too many members were fearful of leaving the false security of 333 to either join another union or build our own, we realized we were left with no other choice. Now we must turn to the difficult and serious task of rebuilding the creaking wreck known as United Marine Division - Local 333. The pumps won't keep her afloat much longer.
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If 333 isn't working for us then who are they working for?
Clearly, Local 333 officials are primarily looking after themselves and those they consider to be their political allies. The average, quiet member (the vast majority) is simply ignored. Those who openly dissent are attacked and, if possible, punished. Our officials also strive hard to please the leadership of the International Longshoremen's Association (I.L.A.), the large union with whom we are affiliated. There are very obvious financial-political reasons for this cozy relationship, and the blatant conflict of interest it causes is a serious flaw that needs to be corrected as soon as possible.
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