Letters to the Editor: '372' Members' Lost Chance
To the Editor:

Once again the "comatose giant" known as the members of Local 372 let Veronica Montgomery-Costa steal another three years of life from this union. What a disgraceful showing, further proving Costa's failure as a union leader.

The thought of Costa winning a fourth term with 877 votes - just a little over 3 percent of her members - is ludicrous.

Our higher-ups like District Council 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts and AFSCME President Gerry McEntee are pleased that the largest local in the largest labor market has only 5 percent of the members participating in a major election. How many other unions in this country with over 25,000 members have only 5 percent voting? The answer is none! AFSCME and DC 37 are a joke and look foolish for promoting apathy in the largest local in the union.

Jesse Teitler, who fought a good fight campaigning on issues and the concerns of the members, lost by running and playing the game under Costa's rules. Costa, who denies members their rights, stacked the deck in her own favor by first having a general membership meeting during the election and giving her voters a grand buffet for their efforts. It is criminal that elections for union officials are conducted in such a manner to deny 95 percent of the membership their right to vote at their convenience. Issues, contracts and representing members take a back seat to servicing Costa and her administration.

The plain and simple fact is that over 70 percent of the voters on June 11 were brought in by Costa and Teitler hiring buses and vans to transport Local 372 members to Manhattan. This is wrong, unfair and against our union's constitution. All members must be given an equal opportunity of placing their votes.

Members who work within one mile of the voting site at 125 Barclay St. have an unfair advantage over the members in Queens and Staten Island. Members whose work day ends before 1 or 2 o'clock have more opportunity to vote than members ending their day at 5 or 6. Working mothers who are needed at home cannot vote. All the bread-winners belonging to Local 372 working a second job to survive cannot vote. Some members are on a fixed budget and can't afford the $4 to take public transportation to vote.

The most fundamental right every union member has in this country is the right to vote for their union officials. Back in 1999, when Local 372 was under receivership, AFSCME set up several voting sites in each borough to accommodate the membership. Why under President Costa has this changed?

When were the members [who are supposed to be served] presented with this change to vote at one site? Why haven't any issues concerning the membership been presented to the rank and file for a vote? How can Costa take pay raises without the members approving them or even being told about the increases? Why can't members see the local's books and the accounting for our dues? Why is Costa allowed to publish only the entries to the general ledger without breakdowns? Why was 2004's financial statement the last statement released in the past two years? What happened to the 2005 and 2006 statements?

All of the above questions that Costa will never answer are more than enough reason for members to vote her out of office. The members missed a great opportunity and decided to throw their vote away by not taking action. By staying home and playing under Costa's rules, the membership's future and union stayed in the hands of the officials who are self-serving. We are not advancing under this present leadership.

Clearly a lesson should be learned by all 372 members and all future Costa opponents. In order to bring democracy to Local 372, members must have a mail-in ballot for all elections. The stranglehold Costa has on DC 37 will never be broken until the will of the majority of Local 372 members is expressed by mail-in ballot voting.

For myself, I promise the members of Local 372 that I will go forward with the class-action lawsuit on behalf of the members against Costa and the executive board of 372. I will bring the mail-ballot issue in front of a civil court to seek the justice we deserve. The right to vote at home like the majority of the members in DC 37 enjoy is a must for our local.

Local 372's next election in 2011 will no longer be run under Costa's rules. We will no longer play on her field. We will exercise our right that we will win in court to have a mail-in ballot. I will never again take part in another election or spend money transporting members to exercise their right to vote unless we all have the mail-in ballot. Only then with the mail-in ballot will I, Tony Ferina, participate and promote a better union for all to enjoy.

TONY FERINA, Proud member of Local 372