To Roy Gilleo on "the Soul of MCEA?"

Roy,
I agonized and agonized before sending that email.
Finally, I concluded that someone had to tell the Emperor that he was wearing no clothes.
MCEA's employee payroll deduction privileges make it a juicy plum for any other union to covet.
My greatest fear is that our MCEA leaders will be swayed by silken promises...
Even if another union suitor offers a seemingly wonderful proposal, that's only part of the conundrum and a potential train wreck in the making.
In any contract, the contract language is important, but even more important is the integrity and sincere good will of all of the contractual parties.
Mark my words: I predict that other union suitors will wine and dine MCEA's leaders; promising many things, including MCEA's continued independence and even a temporary waiver of the other union's additional dues.
After any merger, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to act upon buyers' remorse.
By the way, I have not copied any of my thoughts on this issue to any actual employees of MCEA, simply because MCEA staffers don't have a vote on policy issues and, even more importantly, I don't want to put them between a rock and a hard place.
Larry

cc: MCEA Leaders
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Larry
AMEN!
Roy
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry D. Kump [mailto:kumpster@mymailstation.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 7:18 PM
Subject: For Sale - the Soul of MCEA?
The Maryland Classified Employees Association (MCEA) was organized in 1936, as a staunchly independent and nonpartisan grassroots employee advocate organization; ordained to speak up and out on behalf of good governance, workplace justice, and liberty for Maryland's state employees (MCEA Bylaws, Article II, Objects and Methods, Section 1).
Now, street whisperers tell me that there are some within MCEA who want to make a Faustian pact with Mephistopheles and merge with a statewide and national union.
If this is true, my great worry is that doing so will trample upon the very soul and self-governing independence of MCEA (MCEA Bylaws, Article II, Objects & Methods, Section 4-Association Status).
Further and much worse: To trample the independent workplace justice advocacy of MCEA would run roughshod, on little dirty feet, over the best and last champion of the individual rights and liberties for all of Maryland's state employees and retirees.
And so it goes.

Sans peur et sans reproche.
Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are, and do not go gentle into that good night.
Larry D. Kump