GCIU Pres. George Tedeschi urges members to read the Graphic Communicator to keep informed about merger developments.

The GCIU has no merger partner yet, Pres. George Tedeschi emphasized to delegates attending the Fourth Quadrennial Joint Conference in Boston.

Tedeschi addressed questions about the GCIU seeking an international union merger partner to provide accurate updated information and to squelch rumors. Tedeschi spoke at the joint session of the North American Newspaper, Commercial, and Specialty conferences hosted by Boston 3N.

Instead of a "normal" state of the union speech, Tedeschi concentrated solely on the merger process–how it started, its current state, and where it was headed.

"As of now, there is no merger partner," Tedeschi noted. He said that constant rumors–"Tedeschi has already cut a deal"–are simply not true. Everything has to follow a process, including a merger, he said.

A number of factors such as plant closings have caused the GCIU to lose membership. "We organize, but we lose members twice as fast," he said.

Tedeschi explained it is his job to explore all options that make life better for every member of the union. Unfortunately, he said, the ongoing losses make that pledge difficult. He called the 25 percent membership decline over the past five years "staggering." He said employers use those numbers against the union at the bargaining table. Tedeschi said "we are forced to look elsewhere for options to strengthen the GCIU."

One of those options, passed at the 2000 Convention, gives the president the power to explore possible mergers. Tedeschi said that three potential merger candidates were selected by the General Board from an original list of about 10. They are the Communications Workers of America (CWA); Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE); and The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).

Tedeschi said these unions have a "density in our industry. You must do what you have to–to survive and get stronger," he said. "It is the priority of this union to rebuild."

A futures subcommittee consisting of five General Board members and four International officers was appointed by Tedeschi to look carefully at each candidate. "I am moving the process along as democratically as possible," he said.

Tedeschi said that the final approval for merger is not his decision but the decision of the entire union. All active members will have a chance to vote. "The local unions will control this through the process of the General Board and the International union," he said.

Tedeschi said the subcommittee is collecting information regarding the merger candidates' constitutions, financial backgrounds, and other GCIU needs. Meetings were held with the three unions this summer.

"We are raising many legitimate questions that the candidates need to answer," he said. It is a long process that Tedeschi does not want to rush. "I think we are moving along properly. We are taking the time necessary", he said. "I won't let this organization be forced into anything. It won't happen on my watch."

Tedeschi encouraged all members to seek him out if they felt the need to talk further about the merger. "Every step has been done completely open and completely honest", he said. "This is not a closed box. This is an open forum."

The General Board developed an inclusive list of merger conditions that the GCIU wants. Included on the list are: The GCIU will retain its identity, per capita taxes will not increase in the near future, and local unions will continue their autonomy (the complete list appears in the May-June 2003 issue of the Graphic Communicator). "I think we can obtain a lot–if not every single one–of those items on the list," he said.

Tedeschi acknowledged that there might be some skepticism regarding the merger. He reminded the delegates that both the GCIU and the conference were together today because of the hard work and foresight of past members who voted in favor of union mergers.

"We will do what is best for this union as a whole–for both the United States and Canada," he said. "I feel pride. I'm a pressman. I worked in the trade. My children are members of this union. I don't want it said that I rushed into a merger in my first term. But if it is the right thing that helps our members, then we must [merge]. We will all make the right decision together," he said.

Delegate Donald Hawksby of New York 2N proposed that next year's North American Newspaper Conference hold a question and answer session with representatives from the merger candidates. Tedeschi could not promise such participation but thought the idea was worthwhile. Conference delegates voted unanimously to invite the union representatives to the next conference.