Practical lessons: Maddie King (left) and Jared Hueholt from Local 5 worked on a mock audit of a hypothetical union local. Participants applied the lessons they learned throughout the week in this group exercise.
A record 83 ILWU members, officers, and staff who oversee local finances attended the Secretary-Treasurers Conference in Seattle on May 19-24. The five-day training used a combination of interactive exercises and presentations from experts to help participants understand their legal and ethical responsibility to protect membership dues dollars. Topics included best practices for record-keeping, transparency, proper oversight, and democratic accountability.
Special guests at the conference included ILWU International President Willie Adams, ILWU International Vice President (Mainland) Bobby Olvera, Jr., ILWU International Vice President (Hawaii) Wesley Furtado, ILWU International Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris, Coast Committeeman Cam Williams, ILWU Canada’s Second Vice President Dan Kask, ILWU Canada’s Secretary-Treasurer Bob Dhaliwal, and ILWU President Emeritus Bob McEllrath.
Welcome from President Adams
Transparency is key: “Our responsibility to the membership is to be transparent,” said ILWU International President Willie Adams in his welcoming remarks.
President Willie Adams and Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris welcomed participants to the event that began on Sunday evening. Adams thanked everyone for coming to the training and for their dedication and commitment to the ILWU.
“This week you have an opportunity to learn, become engaged and take this information back to your locals,” Adams said. “The power of this organization doesn’t sit at the top of this organization – it is right here in this room.”
Adams spoke briefly about the many challenges facing the union with attacks by the employers in the courts and at the bargaining table.
“In our 88 years, we’ve been sued a lot, but always stayed focused on our work to represent members. We cannot live in fear. We have to take these challenges head-on,” he said. Ed Ferris said he attended the last Secretary-Treasurers Conference in 2013. “I sat in this same room, just like you are today. I left that training with a feeling of empowerment, and
that’s what I hope you leave with.
The goal of this conference is to go back to our locals with new skills to better serve them,” he said.
Going paperless
Team work: Local 10 Secretary-Treasurer Farless Dailey (left) with Local 10 staff member Julie Chandler worked together on one of the group exercises.
During the conference, each participant was loaned an electronic tablet that provided access to all documents, presentations and other materials used during the week. The digital format saved time and money by avoiding the expense of shipping heavy documents, renting copiers and purchasing reams of paper
Oversight and transparency are key
Training sessions focused on the importance of open and transparent financial practices, so members can see that their dues money is being fully accounted for and properly spent.
This requires proper bookkeeping practices, documentation of expenditures along with constant oversight by Trustees who are elected by the membership. Locals were also encouraged to conduct periodic, independent audits by outside firms to verify that local finances are in order. The ILWU’s International financial records are audited each quarter – an exceptional level of oversight that is far more frequent than most organizations.
Local 4 member Lamar Stewart
Local 5 Secretary-Treasurer Ryan Takas said it was essential to have a ‘culture of paranoia’ with multiple people overseeing the books and redundant systems of checks and balances.
“It may seem inefficient to some,” he said, “but our goal is not efficiency – it’s the safeguarding of union funds.”
IBU Secretary-Treasurer Terri Mast was a veteran presenter at the conference. “I think the Secretary-Treasurer is the most important position in the union, she said. “Our responsibility is to make sure that we have proper controls in place to protect the members’ money.”
Hard lessons
The ILWU has a strong record in protecting member’s dues money from fraud and abuse. However, a few isolated instances have occurred, like in all organizations, where an individual tried to steal funds from local union members. Those illegal actions were eventually discovered and the individuals responsible were prosecuted, with funds recovered through restitution.
Instead of ignoring such instances or sweeping them under the rug, these rare examples were used as case studies to help guard against future abuse. Group discussions focused on shortcomings that enabled fraud to initially go unchecked until it was exposed.
Presenters reviewed new practices that have been put in place to tighten oversight of union finances. The conference also covered democratic safeguards, including the proper conduct of local union elections, laws regulating the use political action funds, obligations unions face as employers, bonding requirements for staff and officers who handle union funds, and proper management of current and archival union records.
Time out for solidarity
Touch one, touch all: ILWU International Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris spoke at a solidarity rally with UNITE-HERE Local 8 members. Ferris strongly encouraged management to negotiate a fair contract with the workers at the Edgewater Hotel.
On Wednesday afternoon, the conference broke early so participants could march in solidarity with staff at the Edgewater Hotel, where the event was held. The hotel workers belong to UNITE-HERE Local 8 and are facing difficult negotiations to renew their contract. Workers want better wages to keep pace with rising costs in Seattle, lowering the threshold to qualify for healthcare benefits, and winning successor language to protect their contract if the hotel is sold. ILWU members joined a rally and informational picket outside the hotel.
Ed Ferris spoke at the event. “One of the reasons that the ILWU chose to hold our conference at the Edgewater Hotel is because of the excellent service provided by Local 8 members. Management should do the right thing and negotiate a fair contract with you,” he said. “Workers shouldn’t have to work two or three jobs just to survive.”
Willie Adams said that the officers would be expressing their concerns about the contract situation with the hotel management.
Valuable experiences
As the training session concluded, participants had a chance to reflect on what they had learned.
“The experience has been valuable to me,” said Local 51 Dispatcher/Secretary-Treasurer Don Lund. “Our previous Secretary-Treasurer was in the position for over twenty years. Even though I know what and how to do it, the conference has helped me understand why it’s important.”
Lund said his most significant takeaway from the conference was the importance of transparency. “Even though you know the books are right, it’s important that the membership knows that there’s nothing to hide and that their money is being properly spent and accounted for.”
Melanie Watts, Secretary-Treasurer for Local 142, Unit 4202, said she appreciated getting to meet and learn from ILWU members in every region and division with such diverse experiences. “We learned a lot of practical information and best practices to take back home and implement in our locals,” she said.
Commitment to education
President Adams said that the International 0fficers are committed to membership education and plan on having more frequent Secretary-Treasurers conferences. “Once every six years is not enough,” said Adams. “We should be having one of these every 2 to 3 years. Education is a priority for this administration. It’s about empowering the rank-and-file and growing the next generation of ILWU leaders.”
