Life In The Box.

It seems that the membership of CCPOA has been placed in a box from which there is no escape.

CCPOA is a proud and noble organization . . .

I'll say it again!!

CCPOA is a proud and noble organization!!

I say this twice because there are those that live in the EC box and view any criticism of the CCPOA leadership as union busting. Thereby any argument or evidence in support of one's criticism can be dismissed without discussion. The EC and their minions have made the California Corporation, CCPOA, and the Executive Council inseperable. Any criticism against one of the Executive Council, Mike Jimenez in particular, is portrayed by the EC as being an attack on the corpus of the organization and, if lodged by CCPOA's steering committee - the State Board of Directors, is not tolerated. The offending Chapter President is attacked, berated and belittled, from the podium, at the next State Board.

Constructive and valid Criticism has become the new bogey man that is being blamed for the union's ills instead of blaming the root causation for the criticism. The feeding frenzies on the State Board of Directors, conducted from the podium, have become the new Dog-And-Pony show that deflects attention from the root causes which give rise to the complaints.

Essentially, The Executive Council and their leader have wrapped themselves in the flag of the CCPOA membership and have convinced a sufficient number of members that any criticism of the policies of individual leaders of CCPOA is a direct attack on the organization itself. By cultivating and perpetuating the "seige mentality" within the membership, West Sacramento has silenced it's dues paying opposition. By the elimination of viable, credible candidates for the office of the State President, either immediately before or at the convention itself, Mike Jimenez will always win the election for a lack of a popular selection.

Don't bother to complain about this treatment though, your shouts cannot be heard outside of the box that Mike has placed you in. Just pick up your sword and follow Mike to the next windmill, although you may only get a T-Shirt for your efforts.

The Worth Of Volunteering Job Stewards.

The duties of a Job Steward are analogous to those of a paralegal or legal assistant.

The chart reflects the annual salaries that these occupations command (Find out more by clicking here). This should give the Job Steward volunteer a rough idea of, just how much, he is contributing to the opulent comfort of the EC and the discretionary income of CCPOA. If CCPOA had to pay for the services of the Job Stewards, maybe they would be forced into a positon in which the EC would have to make better financial decisions. The West Sacramento crowd seems to view the CCPOA Job Steward as an expendable asset whose sole purpose in life is to free-up money for the Executive Council so that they and their UPL paid homies can live large on the union dime. As volunteers for CCPOA, you are expected to do your work and keep your mouth shut (remember what the T-Shirt said).

Keep in mind that this figure is representative of only one Job Steward in a union with many more, statewide.

The Storm Before The Calm.

Here are some of the recent, behind the scenes, things that are going on concerning our crew in West Sacramento.

These court documents are in PDF format so make sure you have the most recent version of Acrobat Reader by clicking HERE.

Brian Dawe (Flat Iron Mountain Associates) V.S. Corrections USA, California Correctional Association. James Baiardi, Donald Joseph Baumann (File 1.)

Brian Dawe (Flat Iron Mountain Associates) V.S. Corrections USA, California Correctional Association. James Baiardi, Donald Joseph Baumann (File 2.)

Judge Order's Pertaining to This Case (File 3.)

I appreciate Ronald Raygun's allowance of the posting of this material from his server at Unit6members4change.tk

The Message.

The Pod People Have Taken Over!

What happens in Vegas may not stay in Vegas.

Compensated Volunteerism!

"I didn't get a big enough Christmas bonus last year and I need a bigger salary! You Job Stewards and Chapter Boards just don't know how tough it is here in West Sacramento trying to make ends meet.

You volunteers are just gonna have to work longer and harder so I can get more for me and my Union Paid Leave Homies! By the way, me and the boyz are paying way too much for our houses!

IT'S TIME FOR A DUES INCREASE!!!"

The changing face of unionism is changing the way that CCPOA volunteers need to start thinking. Considering all that the current Executive Council has done to the rank and file membership, perhaps the philosophy of compensated volunteerism has arrived.

"In service to our membership", that's the motto of the CCPOA volunteer. Whether they be a Job Steward, Board Member or serving on one of the numerous CCPOA committees, they make sacrifices in their personal lives to set aside time to be of service to the membership. Unlike the Executive Committee in West Sacramento, these volunteers don't get paid for their efforts even though these unpaid efforts save CCPOA tremendous sums of money because they don't have to hire professionals to do the work that the CCPOA volunteer does, FREE OF CHARGE.

In times past, volunteerism and the money that CCPOA saved in utilizing them was not an issue, why should it be an issue now?

For the first time in CCPOA's history, Board of Director's meetings have become a blood bath for any chapter President who dares to take an alternate viewpoint from Mr. Jimenez. The tactics of Mike Jimenez to get his way at the BOD meetings are intimidating the Chapter Presidents into silence, allowing Mr. Jimenez to get his way on all of HIS issues. It got him reelected didn't it?

CCPOA is spending money like a drunken sailor on projects which are, seemingly, unrelated to "Wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment", so, clearly, the EC has WAY too much Monopoly money to play with. If they run out, they just have a dues increase. Under this philosophy of opulence in office and virtual unaccountability for dues expenditures, the CCPOA volunteers have every right to demand payment for their personal sacrifices. Sacrifices which free up large sums of money for the EC to lavish upon themselves, friends (UPL) and their self-promoting pet projects.

Conditional/Continuous Post and Bid for October.

For October's Continuous/Conditional Post and bid . . .

Click Here!

Vote Returns, Jimenez Wins Again!.

These are the votes, taken from PacoVilla.

Votes were as follows-
Mike Jimenez | Bobby Weber | Dan Rafferty
ASP 8 | 1 ONE MEMBER ABSTAINED
BLYTHE 9 | 1
CALIPAT 10
CAMPS 6
CCC 9
CENT 10
PAROLE 2 | 7
CIM 10 (ALL 10 FOR MJ)
CMF 3 | 7
CMC 10
COR 1 | 9
CRC 10
CSP-S 9
LAC 10
YA PAROLE 5 | 3
DW NELSON 3 | 3 ONE MEMBER ABSENT
DVI 4 | 6
FOL 10
HDSP 9
IRONWOOD 10
KVSP 7 | 3
MADERA 9 | 1 CHAPTER PRESIDENT CALLED FOR A POLL OF HIS DELEGATE
MTA 10
MCSP 2 | 8
CHAD 4 | 1 | 5
NKSP 10
OH CLOSE 10
PASO ROBLES 8
PATTON 9
PBSP 5 | 4
PVSP 4 | 6
PRESTON 3 | 7
RET. 6 | 1 | 3
ROCK MT. 10
SVSP 10
SQ 9 | 1
SATF 7 | 3
SCWF 10
SCC 5 | 2
SOLANO 9
SOLEDAD 2 | 8
SRCC 9 | 1
TEHACHIPI 10
VSPW 6 | 4
VENTURA 9
WASCO 9 | 1
YTS 10

A Blogmaster's Swan Song.

As of the close of business on October 3, 2008, I, the Blogmaster, will no longer be maintaining this Blog.

I would urge someone to step up to the plate and offer to volunteer to take the reigns of this blog. If you are interested, please contact Dean Drake the Chapter Secretary.

My decision does not come lightly and, after having been of service to CCPOA since 1972, it is now time to call it quits. . . More.

Apology, Notice of September Meeting and August Minutes.

Please forgive the delay in posting the comments to the blog, just a retiree on vacation (is that possible???).

NOTICE!

Please be advised that the September Chapter meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at the Convention in Las Vegas, at the CIM Chapter President's hotel room at 1730.

For the August minutes, CLICK HERE.