Curtis Martin’s Response to President Kollmeyer

President Kollmeyer,

Thank you for taking the time to write to my local with your concerns about my writing. I’d be more than happy to address them, and in the interest of keeping things transparent, I’d be glad to post anything you or any other member has to say on our website as well.

I’m glad you’re grateful that our bargaining committee ‘put their lives on hold’ to bargain for a better contract; I wish they had done just that. You’d have me feel bad for them for their volunteer work. I’m sorry, Mr. Kollmeyer, I don’t feel sorry for the burden of volunteering. I feel honored every time I’m in a position to lend a hand. I’m very sorry that you don’t understand the difference between disagreeing with someone and attacking that person; I haven’t attacked anyone. I have an opinion and I am voicing it.

Mr. Kollmeyer, I’m bewildered and dismayed that you feel our fight will start at some nebulous point in the future. I can’t stand by and just wait for someone else to work to make things better. I’m so deeply regretful that you can.

Mr. Kollmeyer, you make the anti-union argument against unions when you suggest that I ask the unemployed to ‘feel sorry’ for me. Which side are you on, sir? The fact is that this contract is designed to make sure that fewer and fewer future employees ever have the opportunity to make anything approaching $34 per hour. Not that I think you were suggesting that I personally make $34 per hour, but for the record my hourly rate of pay on my last pay stub was $13.4625.

Selling out the future of our communities is a terrible idea. I’m shocked that I’m having to explain this to a union member, but when you stop hiring service reps or service techs and push their work to leveraged reps and premise techs, you’re taking money out of the community. That affects not only the members, but the community at large. Oh, and it affects the amount of dues coming into locals, districts and the international organization – making it even harder for the union to be effective.

Now I’m not suggesting that anyone go on strike; strikes are hard all around. However, if you loudly and continually reassure a company that under no circumstances will you withhold your expertise and your labor, what is that company’s incentive to bargain in good faith? Mr. Kollmeyer, with that attitude you’ve already surrendered.

How do we fight the good fight, you ask me. How about we spend our time and energy on bargaining and mobilizing rather than giving up and slamming the same TA through until it passes? You question why I didn’t say more on the recent mobility contract. You’re right; I should have been far more outspoken then, and I won’t make that mistake again. As any member from my local can tell you, I was disappointed by that contract, and voted against it. Perhaps if I’d talked to more people, we could have gotten better. I’m deeply sorry that I failed. On the other hand, bargaining for Mobility’s contract lasted longer and came with regular reports of progress and calls to action from the membership; things this rushed mimeographed contract lacked. I’m alarmed that you don’t feel your members deserve the effort. Heck, I’m alarmed that you don’t feel your members have deserved an update to your local’s page in the past year. If you need help setting up something easier to update, give me a call and I’ll see what I can do for you.

The problem, Mr. Kollmeyer, seems to be that you would prefer me to be more selfish. You’d like for me to be satisfied with what I have, to keep my head down, to not attract any attention. You’d like me to completely ignore the worsening conditions for those who will come after us. Shame on you. What, exactly, is the change you wish to see in the world, Mr. Kollmeyer? Recently I felt like I couldn’t be any more heartbroken about the apathy and misdirection of some so-called leaders here within my Union. Thanks for reminding me just how rampant the problem is, Mr. Kollmeyer.

You would have me apologize to those who would betray our members futures.

No.

Curtis R. Martin