I'm sure you know what happens to a kitten. A cute, cuddly kitten.

Now, for all of you who didn't vote just because you hate kittens, shame on you!

I knew there wasn't much participation in the union voting. What I didn't realize was exactly how poor the participation really is! Seriously, it's bad!

Take the recent election for the Board of Directors as an example. How many of us actually voted in this statewide endeavor? A massive 9.6% of us returned our ballots. After you take out the inevitable invalid ballots, only 9.1% of us had any voice in the election!

There are usually two sides to the voting/no-voting issue. On the side of voting, you often hear, "if you don't vote, you have no right to complain," or some variation thereof. On the side of non-voting is that non-participation is a rally against the system; not voting says that you don't endorse the candidate(s) or the system.

In this case, I have to go with the side that is pro-voting. The arguments against voting, while they might apply in a regular, political election, don't really hold up for a union election. First, the basic premise of not voting actually makes it easier to game the system, or twist it to the evil ends you are supposedly rallying against. Second, if you really don't care to vote or want to speak out against the system, you already have a perfectly valid option to pursue. You can choose to not be a member. Be fair share; it still doesn't give you the right to complain.

And if you really don't like the union, even just paying your fair share, then I highly recommend that you stop whining, quit your represented job, and go take your chances in the private sector!

If you do care, even if you don't like the direction the union has taken, then vote! Do it in the upcoming Local officer elections.Do it for the statewide officer elections. Do it tor yourself!