Reform Movement Wins!
To all 333 members: by now most of you have heard the news that Bill Harrigan's reform slate has scored a major victory in the 2008 election by taking the top two posts and five out of the seven seats on the executive board. The margin of victory for the presidency was pretty narrow, and we knew all along that this was going to be a difficult, uphill battle. We also knew that entrusting a new and so-called "unproven" president would be a leap of faith that many members, no matter how much they knew the union needed change, would be unwilling to make when contracts were on the line. Nevertheless, enough of you were able to overcome that fear and do the right thing for the sake of the greater good. Namely, saving Local 333 from itself. We sincerely thank you for that trust and over the coming months you will see that it was a very wise decision. For those that didn't support us, we will be making every effort to show you that your fears were misplaced and that everyone is welcome at 552 Bay St., no matter who they supported. We will be rapidly leaving the bad old days in our wake.
There is much work to be done, and the K-Sea contract is front and center on the leadership's agenda. In the coming months there will also be a "constitutional convention" amongst the Executive Board members to begin fixing the damage done to our Constitution and By-laws. When they have a finished product, you the members will vote on it. All of you. Not just those that can make it to Staten Island for the Annual Meeting. If you aren't happy with it, they'll go back to work on it until you are. That's the way a real democracy is supposed to work. Out in the open, for everyone to see.
Information, information, information!!! Soon there will be a new and greatly improved Local 333 website. On it you will be able to find out, for the first time ever, what is really going on within your union and all over the Eastern and Gulf Seaboards where our members are working. You will also be able to keep a weather eye on the activities and voting records of your Executive Board members, because that's the only way you can keep the system honest over the long term. There will also be a first-rate quarterly newsletter mailed to your homes. You will be startled by the level of openness, transparency and accountability that will exist. Once this is accomplished, it will be your responsibility to guard it jealously. It will only belong to us for as long as we all decide it's worth defending. We must never again allow things to sink to the sorry level they had.
Finally, your new leaders will be getting active on the regulatory scene down in Washington, D.C. There are many things going on down there that we need to have a voice in, like new medical standards for mariners and the upcoming towing vessel inspection program, amongst others. We will be looking for members to participate in these very important projects as they unfold.
In the meantime, we want to thank each and every one of you who voted our way. As you can see, every vote counted and every vote was needed, and we were taking none of them for granted. We also want to thank John Healy for consciously deciding to break away from the past and allow the election to be held properly and on time. Our previous elections have been nothing to be proud of. This one was, relatively speaking, as different as night and day. Now it's time to move on.
Joel Milton
Editor - The Harbor Herald
For President:
William Harrigan - 321
John Healy - 305 ***incumbent***
Jack Sanford - 63
For Secretary-Treasurer:
Michael Brandon - 389
Chris Larsen - 300 ***incumbent***
For Delegate:
Ron Tucker - unopposed ***incumbent***
Mike Riordan - unopposed ***incumbent***
For Executive Board:
Larry Conroy - 417 ***incumbent***
Donna Manoli - 359
John Creevy - 343
Dave Wood - 343 ***incumbent***
Chris Dady - 328
Larry Mennella - 321
Chris Regan - 320
Ed Keegan - 305 ***incumbent***
Charlie Soodoo - 305
Perry Smith - 289 ***incumbent***
Ken Corcoran - 286 ***incumbent***
Dominic Rizzo - 281
Mike Forsyth - 274
Mike DeVita - 194
William Thatcher - 176
