Posted:
January 12, 2015
By Paul Doell
National President
With no administrative transition behind me, I took office as the newly and duly elected national president of American Maritime Officers at midnight December 31, taking the oath of office as specified in Article XI, Section 5 of the AMO National Constitution. From that point, and throughout New Year's Day, I took initial steps to fulfill my campaign promises to you on two key issues - restoration of democratic principle in AMO and responsible management of our union's assets.
The will of the voting majority
Upon completion of the oath of office, I appointed John Clemons to serve as special assistant to the national president on the Great Lakes. This was an imperative preliminary action to acknowledge and respect the will of the voting AMO membership majority, which elected Clemons to the position of Great Lakes vice president from an opposition slate in free and fair union-wide balloting in 2010.
In a positive, enthusiastic piece that ran in this publication after the 2010 ballot count, Clemons pledged to work cooperatively with the AMO administration led at the time by National President Tom Bethel - Clemons was eager to put the election campaign behind him and get to work.
But, in what amounted to presidential nullification of the election results in the Great Lakes race, Bethel marginalized Clemons for four years and denied Clemons the opportunity to do his job. The incumbent defeated by Clemons in the union-wide election was kept on the payroll and in charge for what was, in effect, a new but unofficial four-year term in office.
In time, the official position of Great Lakes vice president was eliminated, effective January 1, 2015, and Toledo was closed as an AMO Constitutional port. The troubling cumulative consequence was that an estimated 350 dues-paying AMO members working on the Great Lakes as engineers, mates and stewards were left without democratic representation on the policy setting AMO National Executive Board (It is worth noting in this context that there are fewer AMO members working in the inland waters fleets than on the lakes, but inland AMO members are represented officially on the board).
We as a union must follow through with appropriate amendments to the AMO National Constitution to reinstate the elective position of Great Lakes vice president. Once this is accomplished, the job will be filled by appointment until the next AMO election. The individual chosen for the job in that election will stand or fall on professional performance as determined exclusively by the voting AMO membership majority.
This is how it must be in a democratic union. The AMO National Constitution and U.S. Department of Labor rules and regulations allow unsuccessful candidates to challenge election results, but it is within no AMO official's authority to overturn the outcome of balloting unilaterally.
On the fiscal front
Mid-day January 1, newly and duly elected AMO National Secretary-Treasurer Charles Murdock and I met with AMO Controller Thomas Heaton to discuss our union's finances. Heaton was forthcoming and professional in every way, and we three reviewed scores of documents; Heaton and his staff were compiling additional data during the first week of new administrative leadership. All of this critically and increasingly important information will result in sound, comprehensive fiscal reforms focusing primarily on cost containment and stabilization of AMO investment accounts.
The meat of the meetings
On January 5, my first full day at work as national president, I chaired a morning meeting of the AMO National Executive Board. I agreed to call this meeting at the board's request in the interest of conciliation and consensus - each of these board members had endorsed Tom Bethel and José Leonard in the 2014 election.
I went into this meeting in good faith, but what I found was confrontation rooted in lingering disbelief and disappointment over the election results. There were liberal amounts of division, disagreement and drama.
This charged atmosphere prevailed as well in that afternoon's regularly scheduled AMO membership meeting - my first as chairman. I was gratified to hear from many members in attendance that I had conducted the meeting calmly, confidently and fairly, and that I had encouraged two-way talk amid evident anger and discord. Several AMO members said the change in leadership style was not only immediately apparent, but also refreshing, encouraging and long overdue.
That I have to comment in political tones in this forum on all of these developments is regrettable, but it was clear to me from the start on January 5 that the election campaign did not end when the election did on December 8.
Despite these difficulties, I believe each member of the AMO National Executive Board is at heart committed to the legitimate and lasting professional interests of the men and women each of us is privileged to represent in American Maritime Officers. It will take time, but tempers will cool, and emotions will ease. I, for one, will apply myself fully to the work and to the cause - inspired by both my lifetime with AMO and the widespread AMO membership support I have received since New Year's Day.
Meanwhile, I thank all of you who participated in the 2014 AMO election - no matter how you voted. I am, of course, grateful to you who supported me, but I see a secure secret ballot cast either way as the most effective safeguard against dangerous complacency and an entrenched sense of entitlement.
Best to all of you and to your families and friends in the New Year - please feel free to contact me anytime for any reason. You can reach me through the headquarters phone lines at 954-921-2221 or 800-362-0513 or through my personal cell at 954-881-5651 or by .
AMO policy consensus difficult, but not impossible
By Paul Doell
National President
With no administrative transition behind me, I took office as the newly and duly elected national president of American Maritime Officers at midnight December 31, taking the oath of office as specified in Article XI, Section 5 of the AMO National Constitution. From that point, and throughout New Year's Day, I took initial steps to fulfill my campaign promises to you on two key issues - restoration of democratic principle in AMO and responsible management of our union's assets.
The will of the voting majority
Upon completion of the oath of office, I appointed John Clemons to serve as special assistant to the national president on the Great Lakes. This was an imperative preliminary action to acknowledge and respect the will of the voting AMO membership majority, which elected Clemons to the position of Great Lakes vice president from an opposition slate in free and fair union-wide balloting in 2010.
In a positive, enthusiastic piece that ran in this publication after the 2010 ballot count, Clemons pledged to work cooperatively with the AMO administration led at the time by National President Tom Bethel - Clemons was eager to put the election campaign behind him and get to work.
But, in what amounted to presidential nullification of the election results in the Great Lakes race, Bethel marginalized Clemons for four years and denied Clemons the opportunity to do his job. The incumbent defeated by Clemons in the union-wide election was kept on the payroll and in charge for what was, in effect, a new but unofficial four-year term in office.
In time, the official position of Great Lakes vice president was eliminated, effective January 1, 2015, and Toledo was closed as an AMO Constitutional port. The troubling cumulative consequence was that an estimated 350 dues-paying AMO members working on the Great Lakes as engineers, mates and stewards were left without democratic representation on the policy setting AMO National Executive Board (It is worth noting in this context that there are fewer AMO members working in the inland waters fleets than on the lakes, but inland AMO members are represented officially on the board).
We as a union must follow through with appropriate amendments to the AMO National Constitution to reinstate the elective position of Great Lakes vice president. Once this is accomplished, the job will be filled by appointment until the next AMO election. The individual chosen for the job in that election will stand or fall on professional performance as determined exclusively by the voting AMO membership majority.
This is how it must be in a democratic union. The AMO National Constitution and U.S. Department of Labor rules and regulations allow unsuccessful candidates to challenge election results, but it is within no AMO official's authority to overturn the outcome of balloting unilaterally.
On the fiscal front
Mid-day January 1, newly and duly elected AMO National Secretary-Treasurer Charles Murdock and I met with AMO Controller Thomas Heaton to discuss our union's finances. Heaton was forthcoming and professional in every way, and we three reviewed scores of documents; Heaton and his staff were compiling additional data during the first week of new administrative leadership. All of this critically and increasingly important information will result in sound, comprehensive fiscal reforms focusing primarily on cost containment and stabilization of AMO investment accounts.
The meat of the meetings
On January 5, my first full day at work as national president, I chaired a morning meeting of the AMO National Executive Board. I agreed to call this meeting at the board's request in the interest of conciliation and consensus - each of these board members had endorsed Tom Bethel and José Leonard in the 2014 election.
I went into this meeting in good faith, but what I found was confrontation rooted in lingering disbelief and disappointment over the election results. There were liberal amounts of division, disagreement and drama.
This charged atmosphere prevailed as well in that afternoon's regularly scheduled AMO membership meeting - my first as chairman. I was gratified to hear from many members in attendance that I had conducted the meeting calmly, confidently and fairly, and that I had encouraged two-way talk amid evident anger and discord. Several AMO members said the change in leadership style was not only immediately apparent, but also refreshing, encouraging and long overdue.
That I have to comment in political tones in this forum on all of these developments is regrettable, but it was clear to me from the start on January 5 that the election campaign did not end when the election did on December 8.
Despite these difficulties, I believe each member of the AMO National Executive Board is at heart committed to the legitimate and lasting professional interests of the men and women each of us is privileged to represent in American Maritime Officers. It will take time, but tempers will cool, and emotions will ease. I, for one, will apply myself fully to the work and to the cause - inspired by both my lifetime with AMO and the widespread AMO membership support I have received since New Year's Day.
Meanwhile, I thank all of you who participated in the 2014 AMO election - no matter how you voted. I am, of course, grateful to you who supported me, but I see a secure secret ballot cast either way as the most effective safeguard against dangerous complacency and an entrenched sense of entitlement.
Best to all of you and to your families and friends in the New Year - please feel free to contact me anytime for any reason. You can reach me through the headquarters phone lines at 954-921-2221 or 800-362-0513 or through my personal cell at 954-881-5651 or by .