GuildCanForum.MP3 by TNGcandidateforum2015

This is audio from the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild candidate forum at the AFL-CIO on January 6.

Here is a breakdown of where you can find statements, questions and responses on this audio file. Candidate questions and responses begin around 6 minutes and 52 seconds. The candidates who were present at this forum included Sheila Lindsay (ANA), President - Incumbent, Tim Fitzgerald (APWU), Vice President - Incumbent, Amy Lampkin (AFL-CIO), Treasurer – Incumbent, Bob Struckman (AFL-CIO), President – Challenger, Evan Yeats (UFCW), Vice President – Challenger and Ben Cooper (BBNA), Treasurer – Challenger.

Opening statements from candidates

00:06:52-00:21:00

Question 1: What will you do to empower members looking to organize new Guild units? (all candidates responded)

00:21:00-00:27:12

Question 2: We all know that has dropped and members are hurting because of diminished bargaining power. What do you intend to do to boost flagging morale and enhance the ability of members to negotiate for better working conditions and benefits? (all candidates responded)

00:27:13-00:34:03

Question 3: Can you talk about your ability to relate to people in the union, motivate vs. alienate, create harmony vs. divineness? (all candidates responded)

00:34:04-00:40:00

Question 4: For Sheila, can you talk about your record as President and what you've done to deserve re-election? (Sheila responded)

00:41:00-00:43:11

Question 5: For Bob, what are the roles and responsibilities of the Local President and why do you think Sheila is undeserving of re-election? (Bob, Tim, Evan, Amy and Sheila responded)

00:43:18-00:50:16

Question 6: For Ben, there are a lot of DC professionals working in non-profits with terrible working conditions. What are your thoughts on organizing these professionals and new members more generally? (Ben and Bob responded)

00:50:32-00:53:30

Question 7-9: For Sheila, your opponent wants to limit "frivolous arbitrations and grievances." What is your philosophy on arbitrations and grievances? For Bob, your campaign emails reference limiting "frivolous arbitrations." How does an arbitration move forward and how would you use your powers as President to limit arbitrations and is it the role of the President to decide which grievances are fair? Another question for Bob, your campaign emails reference limiting "frivolous arbitrations and grievances." How do you explain filing a grievance against one of your own co-workers accessing them of hacking your email that was ultimately found to be meritless? (Sheila, Bob, Ben, Evan, Tim, and Amy responded)

00:53:36-01:02:03

Question 10: For Ben, your campaign literature states that you want to reform the budgeting process of the local. But you have not sat in on a budget committee meeting. If you don't know what the process is, what is it that you want to reform? (Ben, Amy and Evan responded)

01:02:10-01:05:31

Question 11: For Bob, Evan and Ben, we have a very diverse membership in our local. Why, then, did you assemble a slate of three white men to run against the only and people of color in our local's leadership? Why did you choose not to challenge Mark Gruenberg, the only white male serving as a local officer? How did your team come together? Can you explain how it came to be all male and no people of color? (Bob, Evan, Tim, and Ben responded)

01:05:55-01:11:07

Closing statements from candidates (all candidates responded)

01:12:20-01:23:30