The Local Mergers Committee of the GCIU convention made recommendations for easing mergers between local unions.

Winnipeg 900M Pres. John Webster, committee chairman, and St. Louis 6-505M Pres. Kenneth Truemper, committee secretary, reported that the committee dealt with such concerns as geographical distances between merging locals, locals that are financially stable and can maintain their autonomy, and the need for a local's members to want to merge with another local.

Truemper reported that "the committee understands the need for merger of locals to help build strength and knowledge and a stronger union from the local level up."

The committee's recommendations included:

• Locals under 100 members are encouraged to merge with another local that has a full-time officer and staff and is in the same geographical area. The committee recommended that the geographical area under consideration should not exceed 100 miles.
• The International should consider a 50/50 subsidy to hire a full-time officer for two GCIU locals in that geographical area definition that do not currently have full-time officers but have an interest in merger.

Graphic Communicator photo by Susan Zachem

Convention Local Union Mergers Committee members, clockwise, from left: GCIU Vice Pres. Lawrence Martinez, Stacy Woodson, Kenneth Truemper, John Webster, and Gerald Weikel.