Questions for General Chairmen Candidates,
Pat Kelley's Response

Why do you want to continue to be a general chairman?..and what do you see

as the most significant accomplishment you have made in representing your

locals..

I feel that many of the GCs have lost touch with the members on the shop

floor. Paternalism from our union reps is not better that paternalism from our

employers.

We need to open up to the members, Locals and Local Chairmen. Arbitration

rulings, past practices and precedents need to be made available to the local

level. Calling and trying to reach GCs up to two time zones away and/or

waiting an interminable amount time for a response in the "Information age" is

wasteful. I feel that we should make use of every method of communication

available to maintain a strong union.

How long have you been a general chairman?

I am running for a first term. I am currently Local Chairman (Jan '98) and

Editor of "Boomer News" (June '96) and at my last Local Lodge (1338) I was VP

for a year and one half, and Legislative Chairman for two and a half years.

What will you be doing differently this time to obtain an acceptable

contract for us and what should we all be doing to get an acceptable contract this

time?

We need strong coalitions with the other shopcrafts and with community and

labor coalitions to help garner public and media support. The membership needs

to be kept updated. We have to tell them what the carriers are stalling on.

Then we need to tell the American people that companies earning billions in

profits each year are holding up negotiations for security, health care,

vacations, and shift/weekend work differentials. That they want to increase

their profits by taking work from trained, carded craftspeople and giving it

to SCAB shops.

What issues do you think are most important in these negotiations?

SCABBING, absolutely. It's also the hardest nut to crack. We must fight it

with everything we have. Then, protection of work through stronger

"Classification of work" rules that don't allow "new technology" to be an

excuse to give our work to others, and through narrower, clearer "incidental

work" rules. Also improved health and welfare benefits and vacation/holidays.

Do you support the Ron Friend Early Retirement Proposal?

As a starting point, yes. It brings to the point that we are moving backwards

on retirement and that we should not have to work until we are about dead

before we can retire. I would like to know, for instance, if it means full

benefits or reduced? If it is reduced, by how much. Also, what about health

insurance while you wait for Medicare to kick in. I like the idea and say lets

pursue it.

Would you support abolishing the Railway Labor Act, or at least eliminating its denial of our right to strike?

I would not abolish the Act. That would be like throwing out the baby with the

bathwater. I would certainly support amending it to codify our rights as

workers, including a) the right to strike, b) relief against government

interference in the collective bargaining process, ie, injunctions, troops etc.

and c) protection against permanent replacements (SCABS)

Would you be willing to defy a back to work order?

I am a strong believer in NON-VIOLENT civil disobedience. We should use what

ever means necessary to receive decent work conditions, compensation and

retirement. Violence is not a needed method and will always back fire on the

working man. We must never appear to the rest of the public as a mob or

thugs. Leave the thug and goons to the companies. That way, we'll have the

public.

What can we do to improve the internal functioning of the union?

Communications, communications, communications.

Do you support regional elections for the general chairman position?

Absolutely! I originated the drive before the last DL 19 Convention to amend

the bylaws to that system and I will continue to work to that end. I think

that it takes some of the unfair advantage of "at large" elections away from

the incumbents.

Should General Chairmen make regular shop-floor appearances, three times a year per shop?

At least once or twice a year. More when conditions merit, such as mergers,

shop closures etc. But allowances must be made to allow him to go home

occasionally and say hello to his family. Every effort must be made to get out

and visit with the members.

Should full-time officials of the union earn more than the average member

that they represent?

I think that the type of job that calls for separation from your home and

family should provide some additional compensation. But, I think that 67% is

probably a bit much. 25 to 30% ought to be plenty. Remember, there is no OT

when you're on salary, so a little more is all right.

What are your views on our union's political strategy?

We need to actively support and then hold accountable, candidates and

politicians that truly support our interests, not the interests of the highest

bidder. We must support efforts to take the political process back to the

people. The concept is supposed to be one man - one vote, not one buck - one

vote!

What should be done about the growing problem of sub-contracting our

work?

We need to get back to the pre-Taft-Hartly conditions of secondary strikes and

boycotts, and also organize every vendor (scab) that does business with the

railroads. We also need to get legislation to bring railroad sub-contractors

under the RLA, RRB and FELA. That, along with union contracts would take the

financial incentive away from the carriers to scab the work out, in addition to

strengthening RRB and making injuries not quite so economically devastating for

our new brothers and sister. That would be great all around.

Do you support profit-sharing?

If properly structured. I would not accept it in lieu of wage increases to

decent levels, but if it were fairly distributed across the board, with the

CEO's indexed to mine and yours, sure, I go for that.

How can we stop the loss of creditable time towards retirement when a member is out injured?

To tell the truth, I don't know. I would have to study the regulations, but I

think that the intent of FELA is to have you "made whole in every repeat." I

would think that time towards retirement ought to be part of that equation.

That's a good issue and one that needs taken up, but no promises right now.

I hope that you find these answers agreeable and as complete as you needed. If

they aren't agreeable, I'm sorry but, these are my views and beliefs. I hope

that we share some of them.

Pat Kelley