IN RE: MAUREEN REILEY,
Protest Decision 2001 EAD 285
Issued: March 30, 2001
OEA Case No. PR030611MW
Maureen Reiley, a member of Local Union 2000, filed a pre-election protest pursuant to Article XIII, Section 2(b) of the Rules for the 2000-2001 IBT International Union Delegate and Officer Election ("Rules"). She alleges Bob Krabbe improperly used employer resources for campaigning.
Election Administrator representative Michael Nicholson investigated the protest.
Findings of Fact and Analysis
Local 2000 is the collective bargaining representative of flight attendants employed by Northwest Airlines (NWA) and Sun Country Airlines. Bob Krabbe is the local's secretary-treasurer. NWA permits union representatives free travel on its routes to attend to union business. Reiley alleges Krabbe used his union travel pass to secure free transportation to a campaign meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on February 17 and 18, 2001.
Investigation showed that Krabbe traveled to Ft. Lauderdale on February 15, returning on February 19, for personal reasons. Other than her bare allegation in her protest, Reiley offered no evidence that Krabbe campaigned or attended any campaign-related function while traveling. Moreover, he did not use his union travel pass for the trip. Rather, he flew on an Extra Flight Attendant (XFA) (jump seat) basis on each flight segment, a benefit provided by the collective bargaining agreement with NWA. Since an empty passenger seat was available for his return, he sat in it, as allowed by the labor agreement.
Finding no violation of the Rules, we DENY the protest.
Any interested party not satisfied with this determination may request a hearing before the Election Appeals Master within two (2) working days of receipt of this decision. The parties are reminded that, absent extraordinary circumstances, no party may rely upon evidence that was not presented to the Office of the Election Administrator in any such appeal. Requests for a hearing shall be made in writing, shall specify the basis for the appeal, and shall be served upon:
Kenneth Conboy
Election Appeals Master
Latham & Watkins
Suite 1000
885 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Fax: 212-751-4864
Copies of the request for hearing must be served upon all other parties, as well as upon the Election Administrator for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 727 15th Street NW, Tenth Floor, Washington, DC 20005, (fax: 202-454-1501), all within the time prescribed above. A copy of the protest must accompany the request for hearing.
William A. Wertheimer, Jr.
William A. Wertheimer, Jr.
Election Administrator
cc: Kenneth Conboy
2001 EAD 285
DISTRIBUTION LIST VIA UPS NEXT DAY AIR:
Patrick Szymanski
IBT General Counsel
25 Louisiana Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
Bradley T. Raymond
Finkel, Whitefield, Selik,
Raymond, Ferrara & Feldman
32300 Northwestern Highway
Suite 200
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
J. Douglas Korney
Korney & Heldt
30700 Telegraph Road
Suite 1551
Bingham Farms, MI 48025
Barbara Harvey
Penobscot Building
Suite 1800
645 Griswold
Detroit, MI 48226
Betty Grdina
Yablonski, Both & Edelman
Suite 800
1140 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tom Leedham Rank and File
Power Slate
c/o Stefan Ostrach
110 Mayfair
Eugene, OR 97404
Maureen Reiley
5680 Main Street West
Maple Plain, MN 55359
IBT Local 2000
Attn: Bob Krabbe
2850 Metro Drive #225
Bloomington, MN 55425