CARPENTER'S KATRINA RELIEF

This is a dialougue between a good friend and union brother of mine and another brother from the Gulf Coast Region. There are pictures to go along with the dialogue. I want to thank all the brothers and sisters and people in general who have bypassed the stagnation of FEMA and actually helped those who needed it. During the flooding of Western Washington in 1996 I had a taste of FEMA and was not impressed. We ended up rejecting what little they had to offer as there were too many strings attached. FEMA has been a joke and has gotten to the point of hysteria under BushCo. If we haven't realized before now, the fiasco in New Orleans and the continuing debacle in Iraq should make us painfully aware, that if you aren't in the top 1-2% of the economic pie you are ON YOUR OWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brothers and Sisters we only have each other and we must take care of ourselves...........PEACE.............Scott


Thu, 8 Sep 2005 17:57:52 -0700

Steve,
It was good to hear from you, thanks. As I think I mentioned
over the phone, the trustees at LU 131 have been charged with finding a
charitable outlet "that serves everyone". After speaking with you I
feel you are serving everyone. We're under a lot of pressure to either
follow the letter of the motion or support you. Is it possible to
designate our donation to "helping the general public"? If we could do
that it would help us fulfill the mandate of our membership- and
support you as well during this Waking Nightmare. Everybody needs help and
there are billions going to the good of the population, but we want our
Brothers and Sisters to know the Family is with them. I can't imagine
what you guys are going through. Thanks from all of us.

I didn't get your e-mail today but my brothers did and gave me your
address. Could you "reply to all" so that the other trustees, Linda
Romanovitch and Elmer Headly are informed?

I'm still chuckling at your jokes from that 3 day...

Gary Fasso

Trustee, Local Union 131



From: STEVEN SHELTON [mailto:ubc283@msn.com]
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 8:05 AM
To: Gary Fasso

Gary,
I'm not sure that I understand the philosophy of preferring that
members' money NOT be given to members in need. Could you imagine being a
20-year member who just lost his job, his home, his truck, his clothes, his
dignity, and everything else he owned in a hurricane and being told that the
donations from other members are not meant for you because we have to
help everyone else instead? Even worse if the guy you end up giving the
money to uses the donated money to buy a set of tools and becomes a nonunion
carpenter, competing with you at a lower wage to rebuild your city.




Having said that, let me just say that no one involved in the releif
efforts on behalf of the carpenters union has refused to help anyone. Baton
Rouge, Louisiana was set up as an evacuation point before the hurricane and as
a result, many shelters were set up by Red Cross, FEMA, and Salvation
Army, so there was not a huge need for shelter space. The council's training was
set up as a shelter for members who were evacuated to Texas or other parts
of the country but wanted to come back to be closer to their homes when it
was safe to go gather what's left of their belongings. Once open, the
training center welcomed anyone who needed shelter. In addition to the people
staying at the center, the council was also providing food and supplies to
EVERYONE who came by.




In Moss Point, Mississippi, the council set up a distribution point from
day one. The only people staying at the center are the council employees,
who are loading and unloading food and supplies and serving meals.
Thousands of people per day come to get supplies and food. Starting the distribution point without a relief fund, council employees had to spend thousands of dollars of their own money to buy supplies, food, gas, and water to GIVE
to the general public. When word got out about the center, the community
flooded the center looking for help. As expected, the carpenters union
rose to meet the needs of the community and haven't slowed down, yet.




I have attached some pictures and news articles that show that the Moss
Point center is widely seen as a community distribution point. You'll
notice the line of cars pulling up for supplies. To my knowledge, there
isn't a member among them.





Usually, I recommend that donors split their donations because I believe
that both councils are performing valuable services for both our members
and their surrounding communities. In this case, I recommend that you give
your entire donation to the South Central Carpenters Relief Fund to ensure
that your money goes to "helping the general public". This fund would help
you follow the letter of the motion and ensure that your money goes to an
organization that's not taking 10-20% of your donation to cover the
salaries of the people running the fund. All of your donation will go to buy
supplies for any and all needy families in Mississippi.


Thanks for your local's support.

I look forward to seeing you again.

Steve




Steve,

THANK-YOU. Exactly how I feel! I couldn't have said it better,
and Lord knows I've been searching for the words. I'm going to do
everything I can to get you the help you need.

Proud to be your Brother,
Gary