Uninvited to the Board Meeting, But I Couldn't Be Kept Out!

I have been effectively removed from elected office by Local 308 president Pennie McCoach. 

For the entire months of July and August, President Pennie replaced me with her loyalists (Her Assistant Brother Lamont Johnson (who was never nominated as per Bylaws Section 5a) and Steward Sharon Green (who was never approved by the membership as per Bylaws Section 23a). 

This was in spite of repeated requests in-writing for me to be present.

You may recall that in the July Executive Board Meeting, I was removed by police for refusing to give her my cell phone—which she claims I use to post "recordings of the Board Meeting and put on social media." I never did such a thing, she never charged me for it nor provided any proof. 

The last time I was removed by police was when she and Brother Mark Weems orchestrated the most expensive effort to unelect an elected union leader in our known history. That was just a few weeks before I was even sworn in! 

The reason: I told a member who they helped the CTA fire how many of us voted to side with the CTA in terminating her. Also, our president's lying warden, Brother Stanley Gaines, falsely accused me of saying I would help this member file an ULP charge against our own union.

Even her lying Steward Sharon Green couldn't prove this latest allegation. But she kept on justifying it at the Chicago Transit Justice Coalition Facebook Group.

For the August 29th Executive Board Meeting, she replaced me with her loyalists and put Steward Sharon Green on union payroll. Fortunately, I did not need to report to work until the afternoon, so I sacrificed sleep and showed up on my own time.

That made our president and her loyalists furious! She ordered me to leave and kept insisting that she had no feet to stand on for replacing me with her loyalists in the bylaws. When I asked for the charges to do so, she said that she didn't need to have charges because she is the president and can do what she wants. 

Yeah, right.  

I also cited Bylaws Section 16, which states that I can only be replaced if I am no longer an official or I am absent. She confirmed I am still elected and that I was present.

So Brother James Battle led a secret meeting without me present to debate and vote to have me removed by police again (he has been a big disappointment). Rep. Corey Carr was the loudest voice, insisting on my arrest. I waited awhile to make them sweat before they arrived. Then I ducked out to initiate stage two of my plan: Grab the bullhorn and livestream a loud protest from the sidewalk about her illegal actions.  

It wasn't more than two minutes that passed before she gave in to the Truth and told me I could return. She also conceded to stop blocking me from voting during the meeting. So her steward just sat there, unable to be the rubber stamp that Pennie hoped she would have to get away with supporting CTA mismanagement.

I consider this moment a victory for union democracy. It proves that if we enforce the bylaws, we can get a hold to ridding our union from corruption. 

This also shows that our presidents' obsession with silencing, erasing and punishing me is evidence that they are inept leaders. Good leadership embraces diversity of thought and seeks common ground with dissenters—not vanquishing them. 

Even after this incident, they didn't stop with their mission to destroy my message: After a fellow Shop Worker took initiative to help me promote a the NO LAYOFFS! protest and campaign for president, they have worked with a General Manager to intimidate him. 

A full report about the meeting will be shared on my Virtual Union Hall (it's not public). So make sure you are registered!