CLEAT

CLEAT Executive Director John Burpo's Challenge  Continues to Go Unanswered

 

By John Burpo, CLEAT Executive Director

         The vitality of our organization is extraordinary: a supportive Executive Board, a dedicated staff, and loyal local leaders and members who are committed to CLEAT’s values and direction. It is so much easier to lead an organization when all of these positive elements are in play and contribute to our success as a labor organization.

            Since my arrival at CLEAT, an issue kept coming to my attention that CLEAT is broke, an urban myth apparently advanced by people or organizations pushing their own narrow agendas. Let’s get a few things straight: I sure wouldn’t have left my position as the national law enforcement director for the Communications Workers of America and taken this job if CLEAT were broke – I like putting food on the table and paying my bills as much as the next guy. Second, CLEAT currently has over $1 million in our reserve fund; and our state headquarters is 100% paid off with a value of about $3 million. These are not the attributes of an organization that is in financial trouble.

            So for all you lying, sleazy morons perpetuating this myth, I issue this challenge. Come on down to our office at 400 W. 14th Street in Austin, Texas – I don’t care if you’re a CLEAT member or not, and you can go over our financial records. Take all the time you need. When you find out that we are in great financial shape, we will provide you with a written declaration to the effect that CLEAT is definitely financially solvent. You will be expected to sign the declaration and make a public statement affirming our financial stability.

If you don’t have the guts to accept this challenge, then find something else to lie about.And at the expense of really beating the proverbial dead horse, let me be even clearer. We are keeping a list of names of people who keep making this false assertion. The next time it happens, the CLEAT website and Police Star will be calling you out by name in front of God and the State of Texas that you are a liar. The next challenge that I will make is for the named offender to sue CLEAT for slander – we will look forward to proving our point in a court of law.             

As we look forward, it is going to be an exciting year. Here are a few highlights of the plans for this year:
·         CLEAT’s new pay and fringe benefit comparability service will be in place by mid-year. Our locals will be able to access this information for bargaining, and even in non-bargaining situations.
 
·          Our new budget analysis service will be in place by the end of 2010, so that our locals can challenge public employers who say that they don’t have any money for pay and fringe benefit improvements.  
    

·          The CLEAT leadership academy will be in June 2010 and will offer an all new program with great ideas on how to build a strong and successful association.

Finally, CLEAT will also continue to grow in 2010. Our membership growth in 2009 was tremendous– we are currently at 17,426, and based on current growth, will hit 18,000 by this spring. We do not inflate our numbers at CLEAT by the way – when we give you a membership number, it is real and believable.

            If you want to contact John Burpo about this article, write to john.burpo@cleat.org