We recently came across an article that appeared to be interestingly similar to the situation that Dr. Linda Sue Warner endured at Haskell Indian Nations University, in Lawrence, Kansas.

The title of this article: Jury Finds Iowa State Professor Filed False Bias Complaints in Pursuit of Tenure.      by Peter Schmidt (link @ chronicle.com/article/Jury-Finds-Iowa-State/64597).

The article could have been written just as easily by Dr.Warner, based on the number of meaningless and false grievances filed against her by the FEDERATION OF INDIAN SERVICE EMPLOYEES - AFT - AFL/CIO, Local 4524.

Haskell Indian Nations University’s union leaders abdicated their responsibilities to the membership and instead improperly used the union to further the agenda of a small group of Haskell employees in an attempt to oust Dr.Warner from her position as President of Haskell.

Any real issues that were bought to Dr. Warner were dealt with.

But did the complaining union do their fair share? They complained about their working conditions and were to present a proposal within 30 days of that complaint but no proposal was ever forth coming.

The union held a protest ( or should we say informal picket ) the weekend of Haskell's graduation.     Never mind that they took away the limelight from the graduates, they didn't care.

The ten or so picketing employees (out of 228) included Venita Chenault’s son, sister and nephew. Mike Tosee and his wife (who is not even covered by the union), Crazyhair and a couple of Haskell students who were let out of class in order to protest!

What about real employee issues? Such as how does an employee deal with being mistreated by a union steward, or what happens when a union steward unethically provides information to a department manager, or a steward in front of senior management yells at employees and tells them they should be fired, well the union just never answered those questions.

The union presented grievances to Dr. Warner with names of Haskell employees,some of whom were unaware that their names were listed on the grievances due to Haskell’s closed shop union: meaning all Haskell employees with or without their consent can be represented by this particular union. Making their numbers look bigger then they actually are, therefore more names on their grievances then employees who actually filed them.

Dr. Warner became a pawn in their political game……in the end Dr. Warner was vindicated. All grievances were dropped. So who holds the FEDERATION OF INDIANSERVICE EMPLOYEES - AFT -AFL/CIO, Local 4524 accountable and keeps them from ever again abusing the power they are suppose to use to help employees who have really been wronged? Not just a small group who want to see an employee wrongly
removed?

In this case Dr. Linda Sue Warner.

Guess what? You do not get to use the union to pick your boss, unless you work at Haskell and you are one of the Friends of Venida Chenault.

In their letter to Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Senators Pat Roberts, Sam Brownback, and U.S. Rep.Lynn Jenkins and Congressman Dennis Moore voice grave concern over role of The Haskell Indian Nations University’s Federation of Indian Service Employees union.

That should send off alarm bells to Ken Salazar.

Like The Catholic Church who had to deal with all those child molestation charges, eventually so will Ken Salazar and the Bureau of Indian Education/ Bureau of Indian Affairs have to answer for what has and is happening at Haskell Indian Nations University and at some point they will have to answer Kansas Senator Pat Robert’s, Sam Brownback, U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins and Congressman Dennis Moore’s questions.

Haskell News Commentary suggests to Dr. Linda Sue Warner that a law suit against the the FEDERATION OF INDIANSERVICE EMPLOYEES - AFT -AFL/CIO, Local 4524 should be forth coming.

haskellnews commentary March 15, 2010