The Times May Be A-Changin'

Just in: the IEB has voted unanimously against Tom Lee's wishes in a merger of Locals.

Local 499 of Middletown, CT, and Local 400 of Hartford had agreed to merge. However, for reasons currently unknown, Tom Lee proposed that a small jurisdictional area of Local 499, containing a lucrative collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its opera company, be transferred to Local 285-402 of New London, CT.

Knowing Tom Lee, there was likely a political reason for his attempt to "steal" this CBA. Officers of the merging Locals objected. The IEB has resolved the issue in the only fair way, merging Local 499 in its entirety with Local 400, with no slice of the action for Local 285-402.