Shame on the Democrat and Chronicle for its so-called investigative journalism of Nov. 2 ("Double dippers") and Nov. 4 editorial ("One for price of two") on union release time.

This does nothing but show the Democrat and Chronicle's constant and strong anti-worker and anti-union bias. Union release or steward's release time is a cornerstone of all collective bargaining agreements in the public and private sectors. In my 30 years of negotiating local postal service contracts and being involved in three national negotiations, management has never tried, or even submitted a proposal, to curtail this item — because it is a cost- effective business decision.

Is the Editorial Board ignorant of the cost of litigation? If every disciplinary action and contract violation were to go to arbitration; every discrimination complaint to the EEOC and then federal courts; if every alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act were to be litigated, the costs to union members and taxpayers would be many times the cost of release time. The cost of arbitrators and/or attorneys, as well as the charges they often include for hotels and per diem dwarf the costs of union release time.

In my postal union, I have been full time for 18 years, with salary and benefits solely paid by the union. However, by contract, we do have stewards, chief stewards and officers who are entitled to release time to address problems, grievances, contract violations and discrimination claims. In my union, more than 90 percent of these issues are settled in the initial steps with line supervisors or mid-level managers, sometimes via procedures such as mediation, saving untold litigation costs.

Union release time is as old as the National Labor Relations Act and key to productive labor-management relations and cutting costs. To expect union officials in a large bargaining unit to know the contract, the never-ending laws and regulations, and engage in contract administration and bargaining on their own time, in addition to their jobs, is absurd. In fact, according to the Economic Policy Institute, President Bush requested more money in the 2009 federal budget for regulatory enforcement of unions than for regulatory enforcement of corporations!

Especially irksome is that teachers and their union president are attacked under the guise of protecting taxpayers while tens of millions of dollars go to central administration, not to classrooms. It might be a better use of resources for the Democrat and Chronicle to submit a Freedom of Information request to the CSD to see what tens of millions of taxpayer dollars are spent on the central administration.

In conclusion, I must also object to the Democrat and Chronicle's constant and derogatory use of the term "union bosses" to slander the people elected by workers to represent their interests in the only democratic institutions in this country run solely by and for working people.

All my officers and union stewards are elected and cannot be hired or fired by me. That is the case with all principle union officials, by law. We also cannot hire or fire our union members, but they can remove us at their pleasure.

The right of union members to engage in union activities or refuse to engage in union activities is protected under labor law.

It is clear that when it comes to unions and union members, the Democrat and Chronicle's reputation with its own workers, going 16 years without a contract, is poor. You wear your bias on your sleeve. For shame.

Bertolone is president, Rochester and Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO; and president, American Postal Workers Union Local 215.