Angry Local 600 Central Region members blame the guild’s West Coast-based national president for the “devastating” departure of the business agent they called “the best we ever had.”
Jason Rosin, professional organizer for the Central Region’s 500-700 members, left Sept. 13 under “indirect pressure” precipitated by president Gary Dunham’s secret investigation of complaints about Rosin from a handful of non-union local vendors and producers, members said.
Rosin’s departure will be “a big loss” to the guild, said Rusty Burrell, Orlando-based first vice president in charge of the Central Region. “Every region is upset about the news.”
Rosin will move back to his native Wisconsin to represent a teachers union. Temporarily, his former duties will be shared by Central region director Larry Gianneschi and Southern Region business agent John Hillsman. A call for resumes has gone out nationally.
At issue was Dunham’s handling of the situation from the very beginning, and keeping the members most affected out of the loop. Burrell noted that by Dunham “micromanaging” the situation, he ignored established protocols that deal with grievances.
