Sunday, February 28, 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters of FAIR:
A letter was sent to the FAIR membership regarding internal union charges that were filed against five FAIR officers pursuant to Article X of the FAIR Constitution and Bylaws. The charges, which are described in the letter, were filed by FAIR member Steven Marrs against the following officers: President Paul Supat, Executive Vice President Greg Chambers, Secretary-Treasurer Paul Lowney, Vice President Mark Berns and Vice President Wes Young.
Pursuant to Article X, the Board has carefully considered and rejected all charges as lacking any merit in a written decision issued on December 23, 2020. Mr. Marrs has filed an appeal of this decision to the general FAIR membership pursuant to Article X. Accordingly, the letter dated Sunday, February 28, 2021 included an enclosed a ballot for you to vote on the appeal, along with a return envelope.
Included in the letter is a brief overview of the charges, the Article X process, and the Board’s decision. Article X of the FAIR Constitution and Bylaws provides any member the right to file charges with the Executive Board against any officers or member of FAIR. It also provides a right to appeal any Board decision resolving those charges to the general FAIR membership. Mr. Marrs filed extensive charges against the five officers raising a variety of issues. The Board requested that Mr. Marrs provide the Board with an explanation of the basis for the charges and any supporting documentation, and he did so on December 11, 2020. A summary list of the charges he made against each officer is included at the end of this letter.
Each of the charged individuals was recused from participating in any consideration of the charges by the Board, consistent with our Constitution and Bylaws. The Executive Board then provided the charged officers with an opportunity to provide a response and any supporting materials. The Board carefully considered each of the charges against each of the officers, the supporting and responding documents, and reached a decision as to each charge on December 23, 2020. As that decision document explains, some of the charges were not within the scope of Article X and some lacked any supporting documentation, but the Board considered all charges and found that each lacked any merit.
Mr. Marrs then filed an appeal, contesting the Board’s decision and requesting a membership vote pursuant to Article X. The documents relevant to the charges and this appeal, including the FAIR Bylaws and Constitution, the charging document submitted by Mr. Marrs, the Board’s written decision, and Mr. Marrs’s appeal, can be found linked below:
The folder containing the documents is password protected and the password was included in the same letter referenced above.
The above referenced ballot is for the membership vote on Mr. Marrs’s appeal from the FAIR Executive Board’s December 23, 2020 decision resolving these Article X charges against the five officers. Please return this ballot in the enclosed return envelope so that it is received by April 1, 2021. Ballots received after April 1 will not be counted. According to Article X, a majority vote of those who cast ballots in this referendum vote is required to overturn the Board’s decision, and the decision of the membership is final with respect to the alleged violations. If you vote to sustain the decision, the matter is over. If you vote to overturn the decision, the matter would return to the Executive Board for a determination of the appropriate remedy.
The Board has determined that the following procedure will apply to the counting of the membership vote on this appeal: FAIR will establish a P.O. Box for the purpose of collecting the return ballots. The collection of the ballots and counting of the vote will be administered by two FAIR members appointed by the Board, and will be overseen by two members of the FAIR Executive Board. We will provide Mr. Marrs the opportunity to observe the count remotely, and offer that opportunity to any other FAIR member who wishes to witness the count as well. If you do, please contact Michelle Valerio at michelle@yourfairunion.org to be provided the link.
Should you have any questions regarding this process, please contact Jill Kennedy at jkennedy@yourfairunion.org or Alycia Gideon at agideon@yourfairunion.org.
In Solidarity,
FAIR Executive Board