MMPA Votes To Disassociate With AFT

After a dispute between American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Sharon Palmer and John Milardo, Middletown Managers and Professionals Association (MMPA AFT) President, have voted (40-7) to formally disassociate with AFT.

Milardo explains the reasons for disassociation in the most recent issue of the MMPA newsletter.  Here are excerpts: 

COMMENTARY BY JOHN MILARDO

(Disclaimer #1: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the MMPA membership. They are the express opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the author of the article.)

The Middletown Managers & Professionals Association (MMPA) was established in 1982 and
contained thirteen (13) City Directors and Supervisory employees. Prior to our affiliation with
AFT-CT, the MMPA Executive Board members represented the Association for the first fifteen
(15) years. We joined the American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut (AFT-CT), AFL-CIO in
1997, and became Local #6092. Presently, we have fifty-two (52) supervisory members in our
bargaining unit, with AFT-CT as the current national affiliate Union; led in Connecticut by
chapter President Sharon Palmer.

On October 21, 2010, President Palmer sent out a public letter (attached), stating she had issues
with editorials I wrote as a local Union President in two (2) “MMPA Union News” letters, as
well as an editorial piece in our local news media. I must respond, because not doing so will
leave the impression that her assumptions and allegations are true: in fact, they are not.

A meeting with AFT-CT President Palmer took place on October 28th, with MMPA Executive
Board members to discuss the contents of her letter, and the reasoning she made it public. The
meeting was less than a week before the State of Connecticut elections. Attending for MMPA
was Vice-President Sandra Russo-Driska, Secretary Deborah Gill, Treasurer Wayne Bartolotta
and I. AFT-CT President Palmer was accompanied by State of Connecticut AFL-CIO Treasurer
Lori Pelletier.

President Palmer stated in her letter that she had “concerns” about a guest column I wrote in the
“Middletown Press and Middletown Eye News”. The opinion piece was a response to
Middletown’s Democratic Councilwoman Hope Kasper’s October 23rd commentary article in
the same periodicals. Councilwoman Kasper’s editorial was based on a MMPA news letter
opinion piece, requesting Middletown labor organization employees and voters to change their
party affiliation, due to Middletown’s Democratic Common Councils anti-labor actions,
positions, and tactics, which I’ve commented on in the past. President Palmer was not
concerned with the Councilwoman’s editorial piece attacking one of her affiliate Presidents, nor
did she come to my aide. Her concern was focused on my response to a Democratic Councilor,
and the seven (7) other Democratic Council members it affected. (President Palmer was not
asked by MMPA to intervene or address this situation.)

President Palmer’s letter criticized my local opinions, while attempting to “encourage” me to
“become involved and knowledgeable in AFT-CT and Connecticut AFL-CIO political education
and action programs.” During our face to face meeting, it was apparent that she knew very little
about our local Union and City issues, as well as our local politics. Her main concern was
regarding the upcoming State political election campaigns.

According to President Palmer’s letter, she had seven (7) concerns about my “political work”;
I consider it Union activism. Her concerns revolved around two “MMPA Union News” letters;
October 7th and 12th, 2010 (http://ct.aft.org/local6092/). Both of these letters referenced and
encouraged Middletown Union members and voters to get involved and take a stand in their
town, and change their voter affiliation to get the Common Council Democrats attention that we
do not approve of their anti-labor actions.

President Palmer admitted she had never read any other news letters: just the two (2) mentioned
above, which somehow “came to my [her] attention”. It was evident; her concerns surrounded
my speaking against Democrats; especially Democrats on the Middletown Common Council,
who I consider to be anti-labor.

During our meeting, President Palmer stated her letter contained “recommendations” to me; it
was not a disciplinary notice. She made many assumptions after reading one (1) newspaper
opinion article, and two (2) “MMPA Union News” letters. Her concerns were so great that she
never once picked up the phone to speak to me, any MMPA Executive Board members or
membership, or our assigned AFT-CT Field Representative or any AFT-CT employees contact
me. Instead, President Palmer takes unprecedented action by writing a public letter berating
me, and sends it to my list of individuals, media and groups: which, by the way, she states I am
using illegally. The list must be illegal only for my use?

President Palmer made assumptions in her letter, as well as during our October 28th meeting.
These were here concerns.

• She states: it is not proper to use the “employer’s database” for distribution of political
information. The information she refers to, is not viewed as political information as
defined by state law (no endorsements). Most employers are aware of a Union’s legal
rights to disperse Union communications, and do not interfere with it. The AFL-CIO
(which AFT, and MMPA through AFT, are affiliated with) has fought for and won these
types of cases before the National Labor Relations Board, when challenged. There is
sufficient case history with the NLRB on this matter, which will support the Unions right.
The distribution lists I use belong to MMPA. Much of my Union material is produced on
my personal time, on my personal computer. Other Union material and matters are due
directly to the organized labor Employee/Employer relationship, and is allowed under
labor statutes and federal law.

• The database President Palmer refers to as being “outside the circle” cannot be construed
as “in-kind” reportable contributions for MMPA, as she claims. The news letters did not
endorse a political candidate. No one in Middletown was running for a municipal office,
and the news letters did not have anything to do with State elections. As a matter of fact,
I endorsed no person or party in either of the news letters she referred to. Therefore, no
PAC registration was necessary. There was no violation of Public Act #10-187.
I wonder if AFT-CT/AFL-CIO reported “in-kind contributions” to PAC, as President
Palmer used the MMPA database emails and addresses to send out an all Democratic,
AFT-CT endorsed candidate list, along with my attached public reprimand, I mean letter
of suggestions.

• President Palmer states “it was totally inappropriate and insensitive” to distribute the
Union News letter to members of the “Kleen Energy Fundraiser” and unionist of the
committee. Ms. Palmer had no idea I was co-chair and an originator of the event, and
had at one time or another asked the committee members, or, been asked by them, to
allow their email addresses to be placed on my mailing list. If anyone was offended, I’m
truly sorry. If anyone wants to be removed from the mailing list, they only need to let me
know and I will remove them.

(Disclosure: Over the past 3 years, there has been one (1) request for removal from the
email list, and it was honored.

Update: I have sent subsequent news letters out since our meeting with President Palmer,
requesting notification if anyone wishes to be removed from receiving them. No one has
requested removal.)

President Palmer brought up the next subject during our meeting. She mentioned how
upset she was because AFT-CT was not asked to participate in the “Kleen Energy”
fundraising events. I informed her that AFT-CT was sent a fundraiser participation letter
as well as emails. Her response; “You must not have sent it directly to me.”

As an AFT affiliate, I find AFT-CT’s non-participation in any of the “Kleen Energy
Fundraiser” events to be one of the most disturbing things to happen in my lifetime as a
Union member. It was embarrassing to me, that our own Union was absent from
participation.

Lori Pelletier, the State of Connecticut AFL-CIO Treasurer and a “Kleen Energy Fundraiser”
committee member, whom President Palmer brought to the October 28th meeting, stated during
the meeting that she receives the “MMPA Union News” letter. Asked if she had ever told me to
stop sending them to her, she stated “no”. Why? Because she “likes to know what’s going on
in her town.” Ms. Pelletier is a Middletown resident.

• President Palmer states in her letter, “Labor unions never ask their members to vote for a
party or to join a particular party. We (AFT) ask our members to register to vote and we
(AFT) endorse individual candidates ...” She also states that “Organized labor has been
involved in Middletown government for a long time, and there is no need for labor to
“step forward”.”

First, I never asked anyone to “join a particular party.” She either received bad
information; has poor reading skills; or it was something she just ass-u-me-d?
Labor stepping forward is a remark in one of the news letters I wrote. Past “MMPA
Union News” letter opinions have commented on and supported issues regarding local
Police, Fire, Education, General Government employees, Construction Trade Unions,
Pratt & Whitney, UAW, and so on. Is President Palmer suggesting only she can
determine when there is a “need” for a local AFT affiliate member to speak up or take
action? Is she implying local Unions or their elected officials are not considered to be
part of “labors” voice?

If “there is no need for labor to step forward”, that must mean AFT-CT, and/or the AFLCIO
have been around to speak against Middletown Common Council Democrats when
they ridicule municipal labor, and use us to agitate the taxpayers for their own political
purposes? If President Palmer is so attuned with the goings on in Middletown, tell me:
how many times has she spoken against the Democratic Common Council members
resolutions, which attempt to circumvent our bargaining agreements and Memorandum of
Understandings? Where is President Palmer’s voice, as an AFL-CIO affiliate, when
Middletown’s Common Council members award millions of dollars of construction
projects to non-union contractors? She states she’s “been involved in Middletown
government for a long time.” She has been nowhere! Is that how she “steps forward”?
Why would President Palmer attempt to negate a local AFT affiliate official’s voice
regarding local issues?

How did President Palmer make such an erroneous statement by saying I was endorsing a
“party or telling people to join a particular party”? It was never stated anywhere to vote for
any one party or individual; not once! I asked labor and voters to change from the Middletown
Democratic Party to show their displeasure with the way our local government officials are
conducting business. It was never mentioned to join a particular party. I even stated you can
change back if you wanted to vote in primaries that may occur. Maybe she received
information via a phone call from someone, and didn’t research the call's merit?

• President Palmer writes; “Labor is not asking every citizen… (referring to a news letter
remark), to step forward… “you are. Please make that distinction clear.” I’m making
my comment clear. I was asking labor: as a labor official and Middletown Union leader,
it was I who made the statement. No other Union members or organizations; including
AFT-CT or AFL-CIO: just me! I hope that will suffice? Question: Why isn’t President
Palmer backing one of her own affiliate Union officials?

• Lastly, President Palmer states “The timing of the “Change the Vote Day” is suspect. It
does not go unnoticed that these newsletters and requests for action are circulated just
prior to important state and national elections.”

“Unnoticed” by whom? I can’t believe she put this statement in writing? A comment like that
just proves what her true concern was: it was about the State election and her Democratic
endorsement list. If anyone reaped a political benefit from her concerns, it was the AFT State
endorsed Democratic candidates she attached to the MMPA distribution lists along with her
letter castigating me.

There were no municipal elections in Middletown this year. My commentaries were about
Middletown’s Democratic Common Council members’ anti-union, anti-municipal employee
agenda. The commentaries were not about any State or National elections or endorsements.
Why President Palmer was affected so much by what my opinion was, is both odd and
concerning to me. It is also very odd and concerning that Democratic Councilwoman Kasper
echoed the same concerns in her editorial comments, as did an email sent out by a City
employee to all other employees.

Another oddity occurred during a Personnel Review Commission meeting on November 17th,
after the State elections. One of the Democratic Commission members made a comment which
stuck out to me. The statement was a word for word recitation from a comment in President
Palmer’s letter. Was it a coincidence? It’s possible. Is it probable? In my opinion: no.
At our meeting, President Palmer stated she was “appalled” with the language I used in the two
(2) news letters she read. When asked to give me some examples, she opened the October 8th
letter, and stated the following (highlighted) words were offensive to her: “Transformer toys”,
“arrogance”, and “deceit.” Seriously, you gotta love it! Talk about trying to make something
out of nothing?

She also stated someone involved in State labor, higher than herself, commented that “MMPA
has ruined AFT-CT’s credibility.” (I presume she was inferring I ruined AFT-CT’s State
Democratic candidate’s endorsement credibility?) I find it hard to believe my comments ruined
anything for AFT, or had any type of impact or notice whatsoever for the State elections. My
comments may have got a local Democrat (or two, or three…) mad, and they in turn took action
to shut me up; but State wide? No way!

Although President Palmer’s October 21, 2010 letter states: “Labor unions never ask their
members to vote for a party…”, that statement is ridiculous. The funny part of this is that she
includes an all Democratically-endorsed slate of State candidates; sends it to almost everyone
on my email distribution list and then states I should not be using that very same list to send
Union news letters out to (Rules and regulations only apply to some of the people, some of the
time).

So you ask: why did AFT-CT President Sharon Palmer decide to make her letter public and not
contact me? Hypothetically speaking it could be because I must have really ticked off someone,
an organization, or a group, locally. Maybe it was someone who was running for a State office,
or just our local town Democrats and Councilpersons? Who in turn, put in a call to Mr/Mrs/Ms
Big, which trickled all the way down to AFT-CT with orders to: “publicly humiliate and
embarrass him”, and “shut him up.” Someone wanted to: “ruin his reputation in the
community with labor.” Why else would the President of a State labor organization
intentionally make such a letter public? It is an unprecedented act! In the 42 years I’ve been a
card carrying Union member, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this before. It would
only be done in an attempt to discredit someone. Do I think Ms. Palmer could have received
her orders from someone higher on the food chain? Probably. Why else would an Executive
member from the Connecticut AFL-CIO attend the meeting with President Palmer and MMPA
on October 28th? Wasn’t anyone else from AFT-CT available? Was it intentional; to send a
message of who is watching? Who knows?

At our meeting, I was told the “Trade Unions” (i.e. Construction Unions) made the complaint
to Connecticut AFT. I have no doubt (I did my homework) that it was not any of the local Trade
Unions.

What’s the saying? Once is an accident; twice is a coincidence; three times is a pattern. Here’s
the pattern:

1. The October 7th and 12th MMPA Union News letters come out, with my comments and
opinions regarding “Change The Vote”. The week of October 18th is the beginning of the
event.

2. Monday, October 18th, an internal email is circulated to City employees, erroneously
alleging I was endorsing candidates or a political party, misconstruing the content of the
articles, and the intent of my opinions. The author of the email is a member of the
Middletown’s Democratic Town Committee.

3. Thursday, October 21, 2010, Sharon Palmer, President of AFT-CT, and MMPA’s affiliate,
sends out letters and emails, using the MMPA (“illegal”) distribution list. She makes no
prior attempt to contact or notify me that she ever had any concerns. As a matter of fact,
I have never heard from, or met her before. At this time, I do not receive the letter.
Ms. Palmer is a member of the State Central Democratic Committee.

4. Later that same week, Saturday, October 23rd, Democratic Councilwoman Hope Kaspers
commentary is printed in the local media (“Middletown Eye News” and “Middletown
Press”), regarding the “Change The Vote”, MMPA Union News article. She makes
personal remarks in her editorial not pertinent to the news letter article I wrote. The
Councilwoman mentions my overtime wage statement of 2008; which is public
information; I know it is, and have no problem with the public requesting or viewing it.
My concern is Councilwoman Kasper received the information without ever requesting
it! She made no FOI request to the Finance Department or other City agencies. City
protocol regarding FOI requests was not followed. Someone accessed the information
from a City Finance Department computer and just handed it to her.

Ms. Kasper is a member of Middletown’s Democratic Town Committee.

5. Wednesday, October 27th, a meeting is held with the MMPA membership. Discussion of
President Palmer’s letter ensues, followed by a unanimous consensus from the attending
membership in support of me.

6. Wednesday, October 28th, the following week after everyone received a copy of President
Palmer’s letter, I finally receive my copy in the mail; a week late.

7. Thursday, October 28th, the MMPA Executive Board meets with AFT-CT President
Palmer and AFL-CIO Treasurer Lori Pelletier, to discuss AFT’s concerns and comments
as stated in her letter. President Palmer agrees to draft a joint letter with MMPA by
Thursday, November 4, 2010, which would “clarify” statements she made in her public
letter, and attempt to atone for her comments. Her first draft letter arrives on November
11th: MMPA responds. We receive her second response on November 22nd, but she does
not address any concerns brought up by the MMPA Executive Board members. President
Palmers delay in responding to the MMPA Executive Board members slows down the
entire process. Hence, the delay in the writing of this news letter regarding the outcome
between the two parties.

8. Monday, November 1, 2010, I contact AFL-CIO Connecticut President John Olsen’s
office, and request him to contact me. I never receive any response from Mr. Olsen or his
office personnel.

9. A Democratic Councilman makes a comment during a November 18th Personnel Review
Commission meeting which is identical to commentary in President Palmer’s letter.
Could it be just a coincidence or did Ms. Palmer have some literary assistance? Maybe
she was plagiarized? This Councilman has a propensity for writing resolutions for
Middletown’s Democratic Councilmember’s to undermine bargaining agreement
language, the Charter, and other issues. He is a member of the Middletown Democratic
Town Committee.

In the past, I have understood and agreed with the history of organized labor's support for the
Democratic Party. Unfortunately, Middletown’s Democratic politicians do not follow their
State and National leadership regarding the cooperation and respect both have for each other; at
least not at our local level. In Middletown, over the past couple of decades, I have witnessed
the two major parties switch their philosophies. As a local labor official, I cannot blindly
support those who do not support us, just because they are associated with a specific political
Party, nor would I expect AFT to either; but apparently they do.

President Sharon Palmer and her staff at AFT-CT were hired to support and assist MMPA with
our issues and problems, when requested to by us. We pay union dues for their representation
of our local labor organization, and all its members. As a local, we are autonomous from the
mothership, AFT-CT, to conduct our local business. President Palmer has now implied Local
labor organizations affiliated with AFT-CT are autonomous only when she allows it!

Apparently, speaking about Middletown’s Democrats are an off-limit subject with AFT-CT.
The way AFT-CT President Palmer handled her concerns with me was so egregious, that it
undermines everything a Union is suppose to stand for. When you publicly attack one of your
own local Union organization officials, with bogus innuendo, for purely political reasons (and
that is exactly what it was about), you have then become part of the problem.

I no longer have any respect or trust for AFT-CT. They have used our affiliation, and our
money (dues), to attack one of their own members! Doing so, I believe they have supported
Middletown’s anti-union, anti-municipal employee Democrats.

Justifiably, today, December 10, 2010, the members of MMPA have overwhelmingly voted to
cease our affiliation with AFT, and once again represent ourselves.