Dear President Pennie: What Really Makes a "Good" Union Rep?

Dear President Pennie: You said something that really struck a nerve in me at the July 2024 Executive Bored meeting.

Is someone truly a “good union rep” because they got a Last-Chance Agreement instead of termination in a secret meeting even if the member did nothing so egregious to deserve termination in the first place? Does that even make us a strong union?

I know you, Mark, Maurice and Corey like to jab at me—and Martin—for our deep sympathy towards members that get written up, but at what point are we as a union going to be proactive in dealing with these over-emotional, insecure and cruel scumbag terrorists that scrutinize and punish us?

I have engaged in at least a couple dozen public protests about CTA mismanagement on the streets and on video in my short six months as an elected union leader. You all have done zero.

The only public video I have seen from you was when you were calling on members to support Section 22 charges against me for telling a member how many fellow officers sided with the CTA in firing her!

Why is that?

When you remain silent about our suffering, the public and other coworkers are misinformed. You, Mark, Lamont and other loyalists constantly accuse me of misinforming members. I am merely trying to learn and share what I learn. When I am wrong, I confess. You deliberately hide the facts about the human rights abuses committed against the members and seem to never apologize when called to account for it!

Effectively, your silence is a sign of sympathy for our tormentors (or fear of them).

At what point are we going to look at the hazardous, inhumane and immoral circumstances that give birth to unjust punishment and a poisonous workplace?

It’s always great when you all bring unjustly coworkers back. But they were unjustly fired. Wouldn’t it be better for them—and our union—to direct resources towards preventing unjust firings?

You all are constantly worried about spending our money on “unnecessary” and “unwinnable” grievances. Yet you seem totally uninterested accepting your responsibility in fostering the circumstances that create these kinds of grievances!

At what point will you stop blaming the worker and start condemning the hazards? At what point will you accept that your rigid bias towards “maintaining good relationships with management” has done more harm than good?

Your “approach” to member suffering is the sole motivation behind my insistence on voting to arbitrate every single grievance you don’t want to arbitrate!

Efficiency is never really convenient. It actually requires huge upfront cost through organizing and collaboration with members.

But it is always better for the survival of our union. An ounce of prevention is more valuable than a pound of cure!

I have been trying to help you all be efficient since 2019. But you reject my efforts. So instead of wallowing in despair, I just organized with coworkers to do what you refuse to do and created a caucus called the Chicago Transit Justice Coalition. It is obvious that this offends you greatly.

And here we are—back where we started—in a Local 308 civil war.

I recommend that you open your minds to an alternative philosophy, codified in a free PDF book called Democracy Is Power. You can also purchase it (recommended). It will enlighten you to my agenda. There will be no wondering or hypothesizing needed. It's all in that book.

Still, I doubt you will ever change your principles and reject business unionism. Your reliance on management and politicians is just too hard to break. I certainly will not change when it comes to business unionism.

I have experienced first hand the full breadth of your violent opposition towards independent thought and direct union democracy. It was the same with Dixon and Franklin. It’s worse with Keith Hill.

Regardless, I am always open to being wrong. Maybe you will realize that the only relationships that matter is the one you have with the members.

But not an elected-boss relationship. Rather a servant-coach relationship.

That’s how I operate and it works great. Members are empowered. Members are respected. I do very little thinking. I offer some advice. I just follow their lead and coach them along the way.

When I work with members, they not only feel like the union is their organization. But they KNOW IT. 

I may not be a "good union rep" to you or the CTA mismanagers, but I am certainly trying to be one for the members.