Beardsley - Candidate Letter

What an incredible 4 months it has been! I know, it feels like we just had this election, and we did, but here we are again. First, let me say, I have an incredible amount of respect for Deputy Nguyen, as both a candidate for an E-Board position, and as a person. Second, let me outline why I want to earn your vote for this election.

When I got elected, I had the goal of bringing back a consistent newsletter, and open up communication avenues for our membership. To those ends, I have hit my goal of having The Voice distributed on the first full week of every month since I was elected. I have also made sure to distribute it not only to the facilities, but also to our special assignments that have historically been left out of a distribution network. I take the delivery days as time to connect with members, hear their concerns, and find out the questions they want answers to.

As for increasing communication, for the first time in recent history, I have opened the blog to open letters from members, giving the power of your own voice back to the membership. We have seen more than just E-Board members giving little tidbits of information, strong stances have been put out, and we can genuinely see the compassion members have for the state of our union. Those that have reached out to me, to either post something, or with information for the membership, are the reason this union is so amazing, and highlights one of my favorite reasons to work for you.

In the future, I have goals of transitioning members website access to personal emails (if they so choose) and continuing to refine our election and communication methods. My primary goal, however, is the continued, accurate, dissemination of information. Nothing can hinder us more as a group than information that is generated based on emotion or not with all facts considered. To me, it is better to take an extra day to give you accurate information, than to spend 3 weeks trying to stop a wrong piece of information that was given out. That accuracy allows me to focus on so many other aspects of the job.

If you are in the belief that because I’ve been off on a workers comp injury that I can’t do the job, your concerns are valid, but I would like to address them. Since being elected, I have come in to represent members in IAU interviews, written rebuttals to address ongoing IA cases, and advised members on issues that have arisen. I genuinely care about our membership, and just because we have a rule that says I can’t be at work, doesn’t mean I will ever stop working for you, or the membership as a whole.

Whatever your decision, I implore you to cast a vote. I look forward to seeing many of you in the facilities either as I make visits to briefings or distribute the next issue of The Voice in March.

Thank you,

Brian