124 replies to this topic

[Sue Woods]

To clarify what may be a misunderstanding - since this campaign began all candidates received 20 in-depth surveys to complete for various organizations regarding environmental/cultural/ economic/ and social matters of importance to the voters of Victoria. All organizations stated that completed answers would be reviewed for possible endorsements, posted on their websites, and forwarded to their members to help them decide who they may wish to vote for.

Based on this scenario, those amongst us who are running for the first time, or after a long hiatus, were surprised to see that the VLC did not do what we had come to understand as "protocol".

We were caught off-guard because we had worked so hard (3 hours per survey for a total of approx 57 hours) researching issues, compiling our positions, and focussing on communicating them in a fashion that represented what we were prepared to be judged on, held accountable for, if we we were to be elected. It felt like we were making promises - and our integrity was in the balance.

Being "unsought" for our positions on public water and worker's rights by the VLC - but then having it be portrayed as if we were canvased/vetted but failed to make the grade felt like quiet a sting to those of us working hard to be taken seriously as candidates.

I have no issue with your right to endorse whomever you wish - its that you failed to disclose that you had not given all candidates your scrutiny.

I wonder if you would consider posting all the candidates web addresses on your website in the next two days to help your members have easy access with which to exercise their freedom to chose - as you often refer to on your posts.
Look forward to your reply.
Sue

[Tim Van Alstine]

Letter sent to the media today based on article in Nov 6 issue of Monday called 'Labour of Love' re VLC endoresments:

This Saturday 23,000 union affiliated workers will be entering polling stations with, as quoted in a local newspaper, “cheat sheets” provided by the Victoria Labour Council (VLC) to guide their vote based on which candidates favour the plight of the working man and woman, and favour keeping water and sewage in the public domain.

On behalf of a transparent electoral process, and in keeping with the spirit of the BC Elections Act that all candidates be provided fair and equal treatment in the public domain, we wish to inform that VLC President Mike Eso’s statements made while announcing VLC’s endorsed candidates are false, misleading and detrimental to voters in the City of Victoria.

Eso’s stated “The council executive actively interviewed candidates before giving them the thumbs-up and not all candidates interviewed made the cut. Not all candidates were interested in garnering an endorsement from organized labour.”

As a group of independent candidates endeavouring to offer non-partisan representation at City Hall, we wish to clarify that none of us were approached by the VLC about our positions on worker’s rights or keeping vital infrastructure in public hands. We were not interviewed for an opportunity to be included on the “cheat sheets”. And after the endorsed list was made known our calls to the VLC to request an interview went unanswered.

We are not in favour of privatizing water and sewage - and have as much, if not more, accumulated experience working within unions, and in some cases as shop stewards, as those endorsed. I have also, as host of a history radio show in Victoria, spent the last five years heralding the unsung workers who built our city, province and nation since Confederation.

Eso further states, “They’re not just all the NDP candidates. We’re endorsing Greens and we’re endorsing people who are non-aligned in terms of partisan politics.” The truth of the matter is that all of the VLC’s endorsed candidates are known to be aligned with the NDP and Green parties.

Since the union vote comprises one of the largest voter blocks, we hope members will review their cheat sheets with a curious and independent eye since they have been misled to believe that all candidates were equally and fairly vetted on their behalf.

Sincerely yours,
Susan Woods on behalf of Rob Reid, Rob Randall, Pieta Van Dyke, Tim Van Estine, Simon Nattrass, Richard Park, Joseph Boutillier.

By the way my last name is not spelled correctly It should be Van Alstine. I am aware this was not an intentional error on Susan's part. I just wanted to set the record straight.
Cheers Tim

[Sue Woods]

Tim, I am so sorry. I'll call the TC first thing in the morning to make that correction before print. I'm so exhausted I'd not be surprised if I started mispelling my own last name.

[Sue Woods]

PS - I doubt the letter will ever get printed anyway. Which is probaably a good thing as I am coming to understand that I (inadvertently) burned some bridges - when my intent was simply to clarify for voters that we were not in favour of privitizing water or anti-union.

But enough said. I guess I am learning a lot these days. Thx Sue

[Sue Woods]

Wrong meaning that I did not think our 'concerns about the vetting process' was ever going to make it into print. But this was in Monday Mag today. . .

VLC endorsements raise hackles
A group of independent candidates is taking the Victoria Labour Council to task, claiming the VLC executive is misleading its own members about the process used to arrive at a recommended list of candidates to vote for on Saturday.

In light of comments VLC president Mike Eso made in this publication last week, the group issued a release to the press that reads in part, “None of us were approached by the VLC about our positions on workers rights’ or keeping vital infrastructure in public hands. We were not interviewed for an opportunity to be included on the cheat sheets. And after the endorsed list was made known, our calls to the VLC to request and interview went unanswered.”

The group of dissenting candidates consists of Susan Woods, Rob Reid, Robert Randall, Pieta Van Dyke, Tim Van Alstine, Simon Nattrass, Richard Park and Joseph Boutilier.

Van Dyke says its important for VLC members headed to the polls on Saturday to know that the endorsements from the union umbrella organization may not be an accurate reflection of candidates who will look out for their interests.

She adds the backroom endorsements lack transparency.

‘With this endorsement process we don’t know what is asked or not asked of the candidates that receive the endorsement,” says van Dyke.

(By Jason Youmans and Andrew Macleod)

[Coreyburger]

I am going to add my name to the list of people annoyed by the VLC not contacting people beforehand (neither did Guy Dauncey). Despite Michelle Kirby and I sharing much of the same ideas and essentially the same platform, the VLC endorsed only Michelle and never contacted me.

Full Disclosure: My brother, Brian Burger, used to shop steward for 410 but no longer works at the library.
Funny Disclosure: My girl-friends imm. ex is the nephew of Ed.

[Mike K.]

A "Dean 08" pamphlet was dropped off at my home this evening.

Dean is endorsing every candidate that the VLC/CUPE 410 endorsed, i.e. the NDP and Green candidates. Should we be surprised?

[Caramia]

It is funny how everything is turned on its head - the establishment has become the NDP/Green coalition and the party machine, the Goliath to these independent Davids.

What a strange election.

[mat]

It is funny how everything is turned on its head - the establishment has become the NDP/Green coalition and the party machine, the Goliath to these independent Davids.

What a strange election.

There was a story on CFAX today -

THE PRESIDENT OF THE VICTORIA LABOUR COUNCIL WROTE A LETTER TO THE UNITED WAY, UPSET THAT THE CHARITY'S NAME WAS USED IN THE ENDORSEMENT. BUT, BOTH THE UNITED WAY AND REID SAY THE INCLUSION OF THE UNITED WAY IN THE AD WAS A MISTAKE.

"WE UNDERSTAND THE UNITED WAY SPECIFICALLY DOES NOT ENDORSE POLITICAL CANDIDATES," SAYS REID. "I KNOW FROM BEING ON THE UNITED WAY CABINET, AS SOON AS I DECIDED TO RUN IN THIS ELECTION I HAD TO STEP BACK FROM MY DUTIES. UNITED WAY DOES NOT ENDORSE CANDIDATES AND THERE DEFINITELY WAS AN OVERSIGHT BY LISTING THE UNITED WAY ANYWHERE IN THAT AD."

Seems it goes both ways - the VLC gets its endorsement process wrong, then highlights others who make similar mistakes. Looks like simple misjudgment for both cases, but perceptions in elections matter.

[Caramia]

The difference is the United Way is willing to cop to their error.

The VLC mislead 23,000 voters into thinking they had done their homework, and refuses to even admit they could have done better.

[eseedhouse]

In a democratic election there are no losers except those who fail to vote.
In the November fifteenth municipal elections every candidate is a big winner whether or not they were voted into office. And our society as a whole is equally a winner, because we know that those who hold these responsible offices do so with the authority of the People.



CUPE Local 410 therefore congratulates all the candidates, and all those who exercised their franchise on Saturday the fifteenth of November, 2008. You make democracy work.



Public library workers are especially pleased that sixteen of the twenty six candidates they endorsed for office were approved by the voters, including the entire set of recommendations in Victoria, and both endorsements for Saanich Council.



Now the races are over and the decisions have been made. All the new Mayors, Counselors and Trustees bear the authority of the People, whether or not they were endorsed by us. We hope to work with all of them to provide excellent Library service during the next three years, as we believe the people of the Capital area deserve.

[Sue Woods]

In a democratic election there are no losers except those who fail to vote.
In the November fifteenth municipal elections every candidate is a big winner whether or not they were voted into office. And our society as a whole is equally a winner, because we know that those who hold these responsible offices do so with the authority of the People.
CUPE Local 410 therefore congratulates all the candidates, and all those who exercised their franchise on Saturday the fifteenth of November, 2008. You make democracy work.
Public library workers are especially pleased that sixteen of the twenty six candidates they endorsed for office were approved by the voters, including the entire set of recommendations in Victoria, and both endorsements for Saanich Council.
Now the races are over and the decisions have been made. All the new Mayors, Counselors and Trustees bear the authority of the People, whether or not they were endorsed by us. We hope to work with all of them to provide excellent Library service during the next three years, as we believe the people of the Capital area deserve.

You know my request a few entries back that you post all candidates web addresses on your website - well, never mind. The election is over so it would just be silly to do it now.

[eseedhouse]

You know my request a few entries back that you post all candidates web addresses on your website - well, never mind. The election is over so it would just be silly to do it now.

I read your message but didn't see in it any compelling rational reason why we should do what you suggested, considering the time and effort involved, and the fact that we are a small, voluntary operation.

You might want to suggest to the Library management or board that, in future, this might be a useful bit of information to put up on their web site at http://www.gvpl.ca/

[Caramia]

Quite a few of your members are my friends. When I told them what you did they were shocked and felt betrayed. As one said "I just assumed they had looked at everyone, I just voted off their sheet." I guess they have learned a lesson about blindly trusting their union.

[Chris J]

"In a democratic election there are no losers except those who fail to vote.
In the November fifteenth municipal elections every candidate is a big winner whether or not they were voted into office. And our society as a whole is equally a winner, because we know that those who hold these responsible offices do so with the authority of the People."
Sorry about the blindside attack on your here mr. seedhouse, but this is the kind of drivel that gets a seventh grader a C-. It's classic, truly. Thanks.

[Ms. B. Havin]

I read your message but didn't see in it any compelling rational reason why we should do what you suggested, considering the time and effort involved, and the fact that we are a small, voluntary operation.

You might want to suggest to the Library management or board that, in future, this might be a useful bit of information to put up on their web site at http://www.gvpl.ca/

LOL, paternalism is alive and well at CUPE410, it seems. Zero spirit of DIY, instead, "put a note in the suggestion box" (and hope the higher-ups eventually let your idea, dead by now, work its way through the process, etc etc blah blah blah).

Yep, long live the status quo.

[Sue Woods]

You might want to suggest to the Library management or board that, in future, this might be a useful bit of information to put up on their web site at http://www.gvpl.ca/

Might be a useful BIT of information? The names and positions of official candidates in a democratic election process?

Enough said.

[Holden West]

Small volunteer operation my foot.

What a sleazy scheme. Any group can endorse whoever the hell they want.

But being evasive about how those endorsements came about...well,

Let's just say we all got a glimpse inside the sausage machine, eh folks?

[eseedhouse]

Quite a few of your members are my friends. When I told them what you did they were shocked and felt betrayed. As one said "I just assumed they had looked at everyone, I just voted off their sheet." I guess they have learned a lesson about blindly trusting their union.

I read my work email and everyone who works there knows what it is. Yet no one has sent me a complaint or said anything to me at all.

Our annual general meeting is next Monday so any of them may come out and speak up - we do not supress dissent, we respect it. They can't vote against me for President because I am not running again, but they can certainly run for that post if they wish.

We went through a six week lockout earlier this year and our members supported us all the way. There are always those who disagree of course, as they have every right to do.

[eseedhouse]

Small volunteer operation my foot.

What a sleazy scheme. Any group can endorse whoever the hell they want.

But being evasive about how those endorsements came about...well,

Let's just say we all got a glimpse inside the sausage machine, eh folks?

There was no misleading or evading involved. A more litiguous person might issue vague threats about suing you if you continue to use language like that, but I won't.

However just as a matter of your own respect for yourself you might want to quote here the words that were "misleading and evasive".

As to small, in Local 410 we have about 300 members in total, the great majority of whom work part time. The Executive has six members each of whom is paid an honorarium, of which mine at $80.00 per month is the highest. You decide if that's "small".