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FEBURARY 9TH MEETING REPORT
PRESIDENT WEIR IN SUNNY CALIFORNIA.IT IS AMAZING HOW MANY TRAINING VACATIONS THE POCKETBOOK OF THE RANK AND FILE CAN AFFORD WHILE MEMBERS CHILDREN HAVE NO HEALTH CARE.VP BLACKLOCK "AS USUAL KNOWS NOTHING"
I was unable to attend the Feb meeting due to prior commitments and as it turned out avoided a total waste of time. As usual when the questions are expected to be tough and the membership is anticipated to be riled Mr. Weir takes little trips to never land. Old Dougy Blacklock is left to play the poor lovable "I don't know Guy" and the membership gets screwed again. It is truly amazing how little Doug Blacklock really knows. Or is it what Blacklock is "ALLOWED TO SAY" as he put it. My question Doug is "Allowed by Whom"? No one could be so uninformed and be the VP of Local 370. After bragging up the so called lawsuit by the Empire Council Blacklock was asked WHO the Empire Council was suing. "Why. Those Madoff people" was Blacklocks answer. How clueless can you be. Perhaps the next time Billy needs a stand in they should dig up that chimp that Reagan used in Bedtime for Bonzo. The concerned membership came looking for answers and left with nothing but empty "I will see if I can get you the answers on that" which Mr. Blacklock NEVER does.
On December 22, 2008 Patrick Morin and his Council cronies sent a letter warning members of possible losses due to bad investments made by the Empire Council Trustees. Of course they are blaming everybody else but with future litigation we hope to show how liable they really are. Since that time the Empire Council and the Local 370 Officers have REFUSED to give members any information on potential losses and have gone out of their way to misrepresent the degree of Local 370 involvement. The Empire Council and Dave Stewart are playing the "poor us" blame game when in fact the information coming out seems to indicate direct investments by the Empire Council with Madoff. The fact is the Empire Council has a fiduciary duty and due diligence and under the same premise which they are suing they will be sued if there are losses. When members ask for answers they are given the same BS story "We dont know yet" This translates into "we are doing damage control and trying to cover our ass" It is amazing that in the last Empire Council Magazine written in the first part of December the Empire Council had detailed knowledge of where all the money was and bragged about the investments. Now when the membership wants answers they do not know. Its amazing how quickly Pat Morin had details to give 747 during his damage control trip but has no details for the rest of the council. Bullshit.
It is a shame that members attend 370 meetings and are denied answers in such extraordinary circumstances. It is a shame that the Local 370 Officers only repeat what "they are allowed to say" and have neither the balls or the desire to tell the Empire Council to drop dead and represent the members who elected them. Its a shame when Local 370 Officers tell members none of the 370 Vacation, Annuity or Health Fund Money paid in their name is in danger by the Empire Councils mismanagement of their funds. This is a flat out lie and intentional deceit on their part. Its a shame we have to be burdened with these council employees
DURING THE MEETING YOU ASKED FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TOLD THE ANNUITY FUND WAS FROZEN BY THE EMPIRE COUNCIL TO PROVIDE THE NAME OF THE PERSON TELLING THEM THAT....
You tried to insinuate that perhaps those repeating the statement were less than truthful because they did not have a name that satisfied your attempt to mislead the membership. Well I am one of those who made the call on numerous occasions. Perhaps you would care to discuss it with me.
Try picking up the phone and calling the Council yourself. Every member who has called, and we have documented at least 11, followed the same procedure and were told the same thing. We dial 1-631-952-9700 EXT 179 and are connected to Kim who identifies herself as the Empire Council Annuity Fund representative. That is the Empire Councils procedure not ours. We do not care what her last name is and if you want it call and get it. I believe you will find it to be Kim Sennes but we could care less. And we sure could care less what your opinion is.
We also do not care what BS story you, Weir and your Council cronies care to tell or what spin you put on it for today's agenda. The fund was FROZEN. GOT IT?? When we first called in January your mystery woman Kim used the word "Frozen" and said the "Annuity Fund was Frozen" . She used this statement to at least 5 different UBC members both 370 and downstate. I immediately contacted WEIR who said he had heard it was frozen and it was Temporary. After we challenged the legality of the freeze and reported it to the EBSA the mystery lady Kim changed her terminology and is now calls the freeze a temporary "Slight delay" and says February checks and annuity approvals will not take place until at least March. She has told this to 10 other Carpenters besides myself. Make yourself number 12 before you start something you wont be able to finish. Mr Weir has also developed selective memory syndrome and denies saying it was frozen . I happen to have copies of all my conversations with Mr. Weir so selective memory this Billy Boy. Oh Yes. That includes Kim as well. If you pick up the phone and call the number at the Empire Council Kim will tell you the same thing today. Maybe you can ask her name. Of course no matter what she says to you I am sure you will call Dave Stewart and ask him what you are "Allowed to Say" regardless of what Kim tells you.
You and the Empire Council and call it what you want. Frozen. Slight Delay. It is irrelevant. If the scheduled payouts from the annuity fund have been stopped then it is frozen. If the scheduled fund withdrawal applications have been put on hold and delayed the fund is frozen. If checks due in February are not coming out until March or later the fund is Frozen. If you want to run bullshit for the Council so be it but that makes you the liar and not anyone else. Morin told the press that Local 747s Annuity Fund was frozen. I suppose he meant slight delay as well. In his attempt to BS the press he failed to mention that the 747 was merged with the Empire Fund years ago and part of the Empire Annuity Fund. So which fund was and is frozen??
more to come...