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THE LADIES OF 798 ARE CALLING UPON ALL RETIREES TO
SUBMIT LETTERS,
COMMENTS AND IDEAS.
YOUR INPUT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US.
A letter from the Retiree Roundtable, October issue of the
"PINK LIGHT".
Like many of you, while we were still pipelining, we attended 798 Union
Meetings and Steward Schools as often as possible. We have driven hundreds
of miles to Tulsa from jobs and from home and have also flown to Tulsa from
jobs a few times.
Since we retired four years ago, I don't think we've attended a 798
Meeting! Something always seemed to come up---Legitimate reasons why it
wasn't convenient for us to make the trip. Now I realize that we may have
been looking for excuses not to go to Tulsa for Meetings. As retirees, we
thought we would feel out of place and out of the loop.
On September 14,2007 we finally decided to drive to Tulsa for the
meeting. We might not have come then but we wanted to look for a new
Suburban (still looking), and go to Wild Oats (great health food store on
41st St.), and Bass Pro Shop.
While Lee Roy attended the Meeting at the Union Hall, with much
trepidation, I went to the 798 Ladies Hospitality Room at the Radisson
Hotel. In the past forty years, I have been at many of the 798 Ladies
Meetings. I have also often stayed in our hotel room or sat outside
alone in our vehicle rather than go to the 798 Ladies Meetings!
Soon after walking into our Ladies Meeting, I felt a definite change
in the atmosphere and attitude of this meeting compared to many of
the Ladies Meetings in previous years. Maybe it is a renewed pride
in our Local (Yes, Ladies it is OUR Local, too!), along with a brand
new sense of purpose and vision in what we Ladies can accomplish and
do to help ourselves and others. Difficult to describe, but you
could just feel the positive energy in the room.
The presentation at the Ladies Meeting on Travel Safety by the
Tulsa Police Department was Great! The police officer gave us lots
of useful tips and information and answered all our questions with
patients and humor. I really like the idea of having a program or
presentation at our Ladies Meetings.
How wonderful to see friends from our pipelining days and to
meet several Ladies of 798 that I didn't know but have been
reading about in our newsletters. A special thanks to Margaret
for Welcoming me, making introductions, and especially for
making me feel a part of our pipeline family again after several
years of being away from it.
I would like to encourage other retirees to attend the
Meetings and show your support for OUR Local Union and for the
Ladies of 798! They still need us!
Thanks Ladies of 798 for all of your new ideas and your
hard work---many, many hours of planning, organizing,
listening, and communicating with each other. Amazing what we
can do
When we actually work together instead of against each
other isn't it!?
See you in Tulsa!
Betty Ann Warren
Wife of Retired Welder Lee Roy Warren
Clarksville, Arkansas
REACHING
OUT ACROSS THE STATES TO HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN
COMMUNITIES AND PEOPLE'S
LIVES.
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