An Open Letter to All Save Our Union Supporters


LETS BE HONEST!


First, we want to thank each and every one of you for your invaluable support throughout our long ordeal of fighting the attempted sell-out of the UTU in the SMART merger debacle. It continues to be a difficult struggle and the progress we have made could not have been possible without you.


Many of you have provided invaluable information and materials that have proved to be critical to our successes. In addition to diggingdeep into your pockets to help with the continuing legal expenses, many have generously given tons oftheir personal time. It has been your financial support, and that of innumerable UTU Locals, General Committees and other bodies, which has enabled Save Our Union, to date, to prevent the largest rail union in North America from dying an ignoble death.


Second, we want to remind you that the battle to save the UTU from the SMART merger is far from over. It is easy (and definitely comes as no shock to anyone) for politicians to stand before the party faithful and thump their chests and proclaim a premature Mission Accomplished. While we are genuinely pleased that the UTU Board has decided overwhelmingly to "walk away" from a merger with SMWIA, our mission is not yet accomplished.


We must keep our eye on the ball and remember that the real battle remainsin the Ohio federal courts. Our casecurrently rests in the hands of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. A ruling against us there would mean that our lawsuit would be dismissed. While the Sheet Metal Workers lawsuit against the UTU in Washington, DC is on hold pending the out come of our case, ifour suit were to bedismissed, the DC case would likely berevived and that court could possibly rule that the merger MUST go forward and compel the UTU to turn itself, its members and assets over to the SMWIA.


We hope that Mike Sullivan, President of the Sheet Metal Workers, will soon turn a cold, hard eye of assessment on the entire situation and finally concludethat he really does not want the UTU as it exists today. Paul Thompson and others secretly convinced him the UTU was ripe for plucking. Thompson tried to show Sullivan that he could convince many of us to happily ignorehis hidden agenda and approve our own demise. Indeed, Thompson and company came very, very close to succeeding.


We have shown Sullivan that we are a very different union today and we believe he really doesnt want a union in which there is such strong unity among and between an enlightened andactivist rank-and-file and so many of their elected officers. As a Save Our Union supporter, you have made the difference.


Please dontbelieve thatthe political posturing will automatically spellthe end of our struggles. While we are confident of prevailing in court, as they say, "it aint over until the fat lady sings."We will beproud to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and see this battle toits end. It will truly be YOUR efforts thatrescue this great union from the brink of disaster.


In solidarity,


Jim Eubanks UTU Local 656 Little Rock, AR

John Hasenauer UTU Local 286 North Platte, NE

Ed Michael UTU Local 979 Salem, IL