Ouch. UFCW Local 7 totally un-endorses Crisanta Duran.
Okay, I was looking at the number of hits on this blog today and looks like you guys want me to write something about Crisanta’s de-endorsement (if that’s a word) by UFCW Local 7.
Let’s be clear off the bat: good.
I’m glad the new UFCW leadership took her endorsement away.
As a fellow labor activist observed:
SHE GOT VOTED OUT OF A 23,000 MEMBER UNION…
but…
WANTS TO BE VOTED IN TO A 71,000 CONSTITUENT DISTRICT.
…right.
I can’t make sense of that either. 1,500 voting members of the union she was political director/legal counsel/president’s daughter for told her “we will no longer be needing your services” and Crisanta is turning around to tell us (yes, I live in District 5) that we would somehow benefit from her services as a representative in House District 5. it just doesn’t add up…
…until you consider that she’s running for a district which is overwhelmingly Democratic. In other words, as long as Crisanta gets elected by the Democratic Party to be their candidate for House District 5…she’s got HD5 in the bag.
word.
…think i just clarified that one for myself.
makes sense, actually. if i, ric urrutia, got voted out of the union i was a director for and wanted to kick start a political career i’d also use my millions (so to speak) to go for that low hanging fruit. : )
Folks, pretty soon I hope to write more often. I just had to come to the realization that I no longer work inside the UFCW and needed to expand my material to include other unions, workers, labor movements, bureaucrats, CEOs, politicians, etc.
Please subscribe to this blog if you’re interested in getting these.
In solidarity,
Ric Urrutia
February 15, 2010 at 5:28 am
Please contact me I am running against Crisanta in HD5. 7xx.xxx.xxx
Thanks!!!
[NOTE: comment edited by Ric Urrutia to anonymize phone number]
February 18, 2010 at 4:20 am
Ric,
Not too long ago you wrote that you were really busy (“no joke” you said) to entertain commenting on the unfolding events at Local 7. I think you even ventured to give the advice of moving on (right on point, by the way). Now, it turns out, because the entire world has paused and signaled you that is ready to hear your expert commentary, you are blessing us with your take on Crisanta Duran’s “de-endorsement” (let’s agree on making it a word for the purposes of this exchange).
Your mathematical imperfections aside (what does a 23k statewide constituency have to do with a 71k district? What percentage of them actually votes and how are they related is imperfect non-sense), I have to take the liberty to ask two questions that go to motivations and intent.
Let’s start by defining our relationship:
I met you back in… maybe October, at the home of a friend we have in common. You told me about the injustice done to you when you were fired because you didn’t want to work pass 7pm. I remember saying something along the lines of “this job is not for everyone.” What I recall actually thinking was “I’m sorry if I have no sympathy, but I just came back from a over-15-hour-workday week organizing meatpacking workers in Kansas and this kid is crying because he wants to play with his band in his garage after the sun sets in the horizon. Standing in the cold at 1am outside of a plant is no fun, but if you want to talk to workers that’s the time to do so and I have never been in a campaign that was won from 9 to 5.”
Next thing I was reading your article in Labor Notes populated with a mix of good analysis and a strong dose of sanctimonious lecturing about what should be done and how (not that you have ever shown capacity for doing it). Pretty much no one met your very high standards of behavior, which is understandable since the world is not black and white and all institutions are full of overtones. Since we talk to some of the same people in the Denver activist community, I also heard from a couple of other sources you were really excited telling people you were going to be featured in the Westword trashing the Duran’s. I felt truly sorry for you when the article only contained one single mention, in passing, of what you had to say, because I knew that it meant a lot for you and your credibility to be the expert source (el analisis sesudo, como decimos en Mexico).
Then, a few weeks ago, the same friend told me you were looking for me to sell me the idea of getting dues-money for you as a contractor or something. For some reason you thought I could get you plugged with a gig at the new local 7.
All this makes me question your motivations when you prescribe solutions for worker power. I’m not even going to comment on the sick obsession you and others have with a last name. Sometimes I wonder if you get eruptions all over your face and start twitching every time that last name shows up somewhere. I can only suggest you and few others to seek therapy before you start stealing Crisanta’s shoes. But I have to ask you a few serious questions to understand better where you come from:
1. Do you only trash the bureaucracies that won’t give you money? Would you still be trashing the UFCW, the International, the local, the labor movement, etc., if you got your wish of tapping into those members-dues? How much would cost your mercenary pen?
2. Notwithstanding the beautiful rhetoric for building worker power, how would you build that power from 9 to 5? You spent five minutes in our midst and that makes you an expert on the labor movement, but apart from the common place commentary about our ailments and challenges in this place and time, what have you done to build that power when you have been in the position of actually doing something? Ah, yes, it was the union “bosses” that didn’t let you change the world. Is always somebody else, isn’t it? It does remind me of a song by Silvio Rodriguez called “Cancion en Harapos.”
I am sorry kiddo, but I think is time for you to follow your on advice and “move on.” That was the best sermon you have given so far. Maybe you need to seek counseling to deal with your disappointment with the world.
February 18, 2010 at 3:52 pm
[...] Union Staff For Union Democracy « Ouch. UFCW Local 7 totally un-endorses Crisanta Duran. [...]
February 21, 2010 at 3:22 pm
[...] Second exchange with Luis Espinosa…now we’re talkin’… : ) Readers, I’m very excited to continue posting the exchange between Luis Espinosa and I. For those of you who just tuned in: Luis is a campaign coordinator with the international of the United Food & Commercial Workers…you probably have to read the previous three blog entries to understand what’s happening here (starting with the one on Crisanta Duran). [...]
March 4, 2010 at 7:40 am
[...] In a previous blog I posed the question: “Question 1: In your own works, why should the constituents of House District 5ive vote for Crisanta Duran?” to Luis Espinosa, campaign coordinator with the United Food and Commercial Workers. In case you’re tuning in for the first time, the conversation started here. [...]