My vote: Dora Cervantes
During the nomination process for the IAM Grand Lodge election, every single Canadian Local Lodge endorsed Dora Cervantes for General Secretary-Treasurer. Every single one. Canada is “Rock Solid” behind Dora Cervantes as the incumbent candidate. Now it is time to “get out the vote!” All IAM members have a responsibility to vote in this very important election on April 24, 2021.
I write to you now as a member who had the privilege of working closely with Sister Dora Cervantes for the last five years on the Executive Council. With my 25-plus years of experience as a full time IAM Representative, she is one of the hardest-working IAM members I have had the experience of calling my colleague and my friend. Under Dora’s leadership and guidance, the IAM has improved its bottom line by 155%, and we have placed more and more of our resources into the field.
The IAM has continued to grow and organize, and that is due to the hard work of our IAM organizers and advocates in the field. That hard work has been consistently supported by your IAM Executive Council by putting resources behind every campaign, and no voice has been stronger in support of putting real financial support behind our efforts than Dora Cervantes.
Dora has been an outspoken voice for Sisters in our workplaces and in the offices of the IAM Districts and Locals in the field. For our members in Canada, she has answered every call. When we asked her to join our conferences and meetings, she was there at every opportunity, bringing IAM solidarity across both our nations.
Unfortunately, Dora has become the target of an opposition campaign that many characterize as a “smear campaign.” In my view, the opposing candidate frankly offers nothing in the way of evidence of what this candidate can do for the IAM membership. Rather, it appears her campaign is simply an outright attack based upon lies. The challenger’s campaign and supporters seem willing to burn down the union in the wake of the campaign and that does us all a grave disservice.
I had the opportunity and privilege of being with Executive Council members on the incumbent slate when they all agreed that they would run as a team. The opportunity to speak out and declare oneself against any of those team members was during that meeting — and no one raised their hand in opposition. It is my view that to later come out against Dora, or any incumbent candidate, displays a complete lack of integrity and honesty.
In this election, we have an opposing candidate who openly agreed to join the incumbent slate as a Law Committee member but then ran secretly for General Secretary-Treasurer. And we have a General Vice President who apparently secretly endorsed her behind everyone’s back, rather than having the fortitude and integrity to openly declare himself at the outset, when he had the opportunity to do so. In my opinion, such behavior is simply dishonest, deceptive and malicious, and I cannot allow this to go unstated.
Accordingly, I am proud and privileged to place my support solidly behind a Sister who always puts the interests of the IAM membership first. A Sister who fights hard for the rights of working families and takes on that fight in the corporate boardrooms, in the legislative houses, and in the streets. A Sister with integrity.
On April 24, my vote is Dora Cervantes for General Secretary-Treasurer. Join me by requesting your Absentee Ballot today at goIAM.org/grand-lodge-elections.
Stan Pickthall
General Vice President
IAMAW Canada
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