Daniel J. Franco's Blogspot

2012-01-25T04:52:00.001-05:00

From: Daniel J. Franco

Date: Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 12:52
Subject: NYCDCC Delegate Meeting, 2012-01-25
To: Michael R. Bilello, Bill Lebo

Gentlemen,

The NYCDCC delegate meeting notice was issued as follows:
-----------------------

DELEGATE MEETING

The District Council has scheduled a Delegate meeting for Wednesday January 25, 2012 @ 6PM in the Labor Technical College 2nd floor common room.

All delegates will have the opportunity, at that time, to complete paperwork necessary to get any payment from the district council. All delegates should bring a copy of their passport or drivers license and social security card. The paperwork (I-9 and W-4 forms) and copies of identification need to be completed for the Council to make any payments.
-----------------------

Due to this notice I now have several questions:

Since the regular NYCDCC delegate meeting is the second Wednesday of the month, the Jan 25 delegate meeting must be a special called meeting. Why does the notice not state that the Jan 25 delegate meeting is a special called meeting?
The notice states, "All delegates will have the opportunity, at that time,..." which strongly implies that the meeting is for another or other purposes. Special called meetings can only be called for specific purposes(s). Being that the Jan 25 delegate meeting must be a special called meeting, why does the notice not specifically state what the purpose(s) of the meeting is (are)?
Why the need to complete I-9's and W-4's? To receive the stipend will the delegates be employees of the NYCDCC? Yes? No?
Who initially called for the delegate meeting? You? Walker? Walsh? Other?
Who wrote-up the notice? You? Walker? Other?
Who requested or mandated that it be posted at the NYCDCC website? You? Walker? Other?
Why only two days notice? When did you become aware of the need for such a special called meeting?
When was the call for the meeting initially issued? What is the date?
Were the delegates notified prior to posting the notice at the NYCDCC website? Yes? No?
Was this notice sent directly to each delegate? Yes? No?
Was this notice sent directly to each local union? Yes? No?

I thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

In solidarity,
Dan

P.S.: With future notices, I strongly suggest that you also include the date of issuance.

March for Jobs and Economic Fairness!

2011-11-28T05:23:00.000-05:00

March for Jobs and Economic Fairness!

Updated On: Nov 21, 2011 (13:11:00)

There are 14 million unemployed in America, while the
richest 1% has tripled its wealth over the past 30 years.

March for Jobs and Economic Fairness

December 1st, 4pm - Herald Sq to Union Sq

Everyday, we see hard-working families struggling to survive.

That is why we are marching on Dec. 1. It's not just for the labor movement, but
for everyone who is frustrated and worried about the growing economic disparity
in this country. It's for anyone who has ever agonized about finding a job, paying
for college, meeting a mortgage payment, or how to buy enough food for dinner.
The March for Jobs and Economic Fairness on Dec. 1 is a call to action and a
show of unity -- we want to march down Broadway from Herald Square to Union
Square and fill the street from curb to curb so government and big business get
our message: enough is enough.

It's time to end the unfair economic policies in this country that
benefit too few, and leave everyone else behind.

Assembly Area: 31st, 32nd Sts - b/t Broadway and 5 Ave. Enter Assembly area from 5 Ave.

March Route – Broadway from 32 St to Union Sq. Stepping off at 4pm.

Dispersal at Union Sq.

Come after work. Come when you can.
Join working people from NYC and beyond.
(Approx. march time from 4pm to 6pm)

This march is our call to action.

NO rally. NO speeches. It’s all been said before.

Your participation in this march will be our statement.

For more information contact the NYC Central Labor Council
212-604-9552 www.nycclc.org

HOLD GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE AMERICA
ACCOUNTABLE

Download:
MarchforJobs-EconomicFairness12-1-11.pdf
MarchforJobs-EconomicFairness12-1-11(span).pdf

Source: http://nycclc.org/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=224402

2011-11-18T04:32:00.001-05:00

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
Local Union 157
395 Hudson Street, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10014

** NOTICE OF MEETING **

Dear Member,

Please be advised that there will be a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday November 30 at 4.30 pm at St Cyril, Methodius and Raphael RC Church located at 502 West 41st Street, New York, NY, 10036 (enter on 40th St between 10th and 11th Avenues) for the purpose of allowing members to review and comment on the Contract Agreements which are to be put to the Delegate Body for ratification in early December. The Contract Agreements are to be posted on the NYCDCC website at www.nycdistrictcouncil.com by Friday November 18.

All Local 157 Delegates will be asked to make every effort to attend this meeting. Please contact the Local 157 offi ce at (212) 685 0567 with any questions.

Fraternally yours,

Patrick Nee, President

Levi Messinetti, Recording Secretary

Kelty for NYCDCC President 2011

2011-11-05T01:59:00.000-04:00

GREG KELTY

FOR PRESIDENT OF THE DISTRICT COUNCIL

BACKGROUND: I am a veteran of the United States Army; I was Honorably Discharged under Honorable Conditions in 1978 at the rank of E-5. I earned an Associate in Arts degree from Mt San Antonio College in June of 1983. I earned a Bachelor in Science degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in August of 1985. I have also held a NASD Series 6 securities license and an insurance license. I joined Local Union 257 in June of 1984. I am presently the Treasurer of Local Union 157. I have been a Certified Steward since the program was started in the 1990’s. My family has been involved in construction in NYC since the early 1900’s. I have five brothers and two nephews that are union carpenters.

FULL MOBILITY: We are fortunate to have some excellent signatory contractors here in NYC. We also have some of the toughest, but honest contractors. Regrettably we have had some of the most corrupt. Full mobility is bad because it will turn us into a company union, where the employers have total control of the workforce. Overtime, workers will have no allegiance to the union or their brothers and sisters. We have seen the effect that Mikes Forde’s full request system has had on our union. Participation at union meetings is at an all time low. Voting at local elections is dismal. Confidence in our future and our leadership is weak. Let’s not forget the massive corruption, of the benefit funds, and our leaders that came with it.

COMPANY LIFE CYCLES AND YOU: Not many companies in this business last no more than a generation or two. Many of our members will find themselves working for a company that closes its doors. With no union hall to fall back on you may find yourself with nowhere to go. After working for one company for years, you will have to solicit your own work. This won’t be easy when your only contacts in the business are in the same situation. You will be finding work the same way the non-union workers find theirs. Can you see yourself waiting outside the 7/11 or the train station in the mornings? There was a time when we had a functioning shape hall, when few union carpenters solicited their own work. In spite of its shortcomings the shape hall worked, and we made bonds and contacts with our fellow union brothers.

OVER THE HILL: We know this business gives our bodies a beating. As we reach 50 we are pretty banged up and the contractors know it. Full mobility will make it extremely difficult for older members to find work. Contractors only want us during our most productive years. Older carpenters will find it difficult to get work and almost impossible to earn pension credits. This could force them out of the business. Our younger guys, third and fourth year apprentices, will find themselves in a similar situation. They may be young and strong but most have not acquired the job skills and experience to work on their own. (We know this has become a one man trade.) Many of these guys have spent their apprenticeship unloading trucks. We need to change this; we need to teach our younger brothers and sisters the trade. We need them to stay in the union, for this union to have a viable future.

A RECIPE FOR DISASTER: Full Mobility will create an atmosphere of fear. Contractors will have the upper hand and some will pressure workers to bend the rules. Many members will be afraid of losing their jobs, leaving them more vulnerable to accepting cash and defrauding the Benefit funds. Council representatives may again send members to jobs through the back door creating an atmosphere ripe for favors and payoffs.

PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS: These may be required on some jobs but that doesn’t mean we have to take pay cuts. A PLA could be something as simple as working an 8 hour day or working four ten hour days. Our leadership has been systematically agreeing to wage and benefit cuts, while other trades agree only to relaxed work rules. We need leadership that will put a stop to the give backs and protect what generations of carpenters fought so hard to get.

MARKET RECOVERY: We need a different approach to this, lowering our wages and benefits by 20% are a bad idea. This only creates downward pressure on our wages in all markets. We need to attack these jobs with our political and organizing people. We need to have our people pressuring the community boards and politicians in addition to the financiers and developers of these projects.

POLITICAL ACTION AND ORGNIZING: These departments need to be combined to be effective. We know these departments have been a money pit with no tangible results. The directors and employees of these departments have either not been given the tools to work with or are totally incompetent. They need to work together to turn these jobs and companies right from the start, not after the buildings are 3 or 4 stories out of the ground. We need to put pressure on the politicians over the undocumented worker problem in this country. These politicians wouldn’t allow 20 million white collar professionals to come into this country undocumented but they do let blue collar workers come in and take our jobs. THAT’S JUST NOT RIGHT! These workers are putting downward pressure on wages and our families are the ones who are bearing the burden.

THE OUT OF WORK LIST: The OWL is total failure. There has been no effort to correct the problems with the OWL. The UBC supervision has made no attempt to fix this mess. This was the excuse used to give contractors the full request. The list failed the men and women on it and created the conditions for workers and BA’S to violate the OWL rules, intentionally or not. The people running the list from the director on down were either incompetent or complicit. The OWL needs to be totally restructured with a modified shape hall where workers will be dispatched to jobs. We need to verify skills and check workers for the proper tools for the job. This system can work. The contractors will have no argument for full mobility and we may even get the 50/50 back. Our union members will have a list that works and a place to find work. A truly functioning list will keep a check on corruption and give our members alternatives from being corrupted by unscrupulous contractors.

MOVING FOREWARD: WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP; WE NEED PEOPLE WITH A VISION FOR THE FUTURE. WE NEED PROBLEM SOLVERS, WE NEED PEOPLE LOOKING FORWARD NOT BACKWARD.

VOTE FOR GREG KELTY

2011-11-05T01:46:00.001-04:00

Kelty Speech to Local Unions

2011-11-05T01:42:00.001-04:00

Greg Kelty

Speech to local unions

Background: I’ve been a member of local 257 and 157 for over 28 years. I’m an Honorable discharged veteran of the United States Army at the rank E-5. I have an Associate in Arts Degree from Mt San Antonio College and a Bachelor of Science Degree with major in Finance from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. I also had a NASD series 6 securities license as well as an insurance license. I have been a certified Shop Steward since the program started in the late 1990’s. I have worked as a foreman and worked out of the hall. I’ve worked for companies for 2 and 3 years and 2 and 3 days. I’ve been an out spoken union man my entire career. I am presently the Treasurer of local 157 and was recently elected to the District Council delegate body.

ISSUES

Full Mobility: We cannot allow the contractors to have full mobility and here is why; The OWL will not move at all, except for the dispatching of shop stewards. Our older brothers and sisters will not be able to get work and our 3^rd and 4^th year apprentices will find themselves in the same circumstance as our older members. Full mobility will create the conditions for corruption like we have never seen before. Companies will ask foreman and other company men to find workers for them, instead of going to the list. Calls to companies from unemployed carpenters will be ignored.

Contractors only want us during our most productive years; older workers don’t fit that profile. They are also more prone to injury and the contractors know it. Our older workers will only be hired when contractors find themselves in a jamb. Most of us know our 3^rd and 4^th year apprentices find it hard to get work now. We have become a one man trade and most of these apprentices do not yet have the skills to work alone. Knowing our members have nowhere to turn for work, some unscrupulous contractors will pressure them to work for cash and forgo benefit payments. Council representatives will be pressured by supers to get them good guys and members will pressure council representatives for work, creating an atmosphere ripe for payoffs and OWL violations. We may even see a new Christmas club established. For you younger workers it was rumored that certain guys would cash their vacation checks at Christmas time and handed them over to their favorite BA for keeping them working steady during the year, in other words a payoff.

The OWL: We need to scrap the whole system we now have and start over. We can start with Job skill verification. This can be done by checking the work history of our members and ensure that it is compatible with the job skills they have listed. We also need to categorize these skills properly, there are times the council does not have a clue of how work needs to be categorized and they group skills improperly. This can cause confusion and may result in members being sent to jobs they are not qualified to do. I just recently had a brother sent to a job, I was the steward on, to fill a ceiling position. He had the 1,000 hour certification for drywall and ceilings, only he didn’t do ceilings. He told me this had happened several times and he spoke with the people at the OWL about it on several occasions. They still have not done a thing to correct it. Fortunately I do ceilings and he was able to work with the sheet rockers. This is just one example of the many that occur. We also need to inform our members of the additional skills contractors are looking for when they request workers for certain skills; such as High rise concrete. Many contractors also ask that they have a 32 hr scaffold and rigging certification. Our members need to know these things. We also need a modified shape hall where BA’s can check that our members have the proper tools and knowledge to do the job. We need BA’s that have years of experience working with those same tools, not just a bunch of council workers buddies or people with a year or two as journeyman. A properly functioning OWL can and will work. This will keep contractors satisfied with the people they get and the list will move faster for the members that work from it. We may even be able to show cause to get our 50/50 referral rule enforced.

PLA’S: PLA’s may be a necessary evil but we don’t need to take pay cuts. The supervision at the DC has systematically given our members pay cuts regardless of the ability of the client or developer to pay. This policy must stop immediately. Other trades are not taking pay cuts but are agreeing to work 40 hr weeks, early or late start times or other work rule changes. Many of our members are getting only enough in their vacation pay to cover their assessments. Many of them have annuity loans and are depending on their vacation checks to pay those loans. This policy of striping the vacation contribution has to stop.

Market Recovery: I don’t think giving back to contractors is ever a good idea. Giving contractors back 20% on hospitality and residential work will only lead to a 20% pay cut for all the work we do. This is nothing more than a back door pay cut. The demand for hotel rooms, Residential apartments and condominiums in NYC is on the rise. Vacancy rates in Manhattan for residential apartments are at their lowest level since they have been keeping records. It would be foolish to lock us into a pay cuts now. If this is to compete with the non-union sector the question is, is 20% enough? I think not. We make well over 20% more than the non-union carpenters with our benefits. What will prevent the non-union contractors from cutting their carpenters pay by 20%. This is a losing proposition for our hard working union carpenters and puts us on a slippery slope to a bad situation.

Political Action and Organizing: These are undoubtedly the most poorly functioning departments along with the OWL at the District Council. These departments need to be combined into one unit and work together to create more union work and union contractors. We need to go after this work the minute the permits are pulled or before if possible. We need to be at community board meetings that approve these buildings. We also need to put the pressure on our city council reps, congressional reps and state senators and demand all jobs that are funded with any taxpayer funds pay prevailing wage and benefits. Contractors are more likely to use union labor when they have to pay the same rate. We need to stress the quality and training of our work force and the flexibility we can offer for manpower needs. Where else can you get 20 or 30 highly trained skilled tradesman with a phone call? One man does not make a political action department and two guys standing outside of a job 4 stories out of the ground will not make a difference. I’ve been through Doug McCarron’s 3 day organizing program twice and guess what? It’s not working here in NYC and not working anywhere else in the country because if it were, he wouldn’t be asking us to take a 20% cut in our wages. We need to work with the organizing departments of other trades and share information that may help to turn these jobs. We also need to pressure the organizations financing these projects. We need to find out if these financiers handle any union funds and use that as leverage for them to persuade the developers to use union carpenters. We need to address the undocumented worker issue and how it affects our wages and the non-union contractors. These contractors need to abide by the law and we need those laws to be enforced. Let’s face it these undocumented workers are putting downward pressure on our wages.

Appointments: All appointments during our supervision by UBC need to be reevaluated. That means from top to bottom. There have been many questionable appointments and many good candidates passed up, some for political reasons.

I thank you brothers and sisters for your time and if you have any questions I will do my best to answer them for you.

Fraternally yours, Greg Kelty

Local Union Delegates to the NYCDCC Election Results 2011

2011-11-05T01:05:00.000-04:00

LU20
ECM
Delegates:

LU45: 1 ECM; 8 Delegates

"Clean Slate"
Paul Tyznar (Executive) 177
Jarret Weinrich 165
Eric Tyznar 180
James Shea 171
Daniel Sessa 177
Martin Flash 173
Michael Rodin 182
Wayne Gibbs 173
Philip Fiorentino 175

"Members First"
Shawn Eichorn (Executive) 55
Alfred Douglas 54
Ainsworth Thomas 50
Chuck Vecchione 53

Independent
Demian Schroeder 22

LU926

ECM
Delegates:

LU740

ECM
Delegates:

LU1556

ECM
Delegates:

LU2287

ECM
Delegates:

LU2790
ECM
Delegates:

LU157 Delegate Election Results 2011

2011-10-26T11:00:00.004-04:00

LU157 Delegates to the NYCDCC Election Results 2011

~8900 eligible voters.
1905 members voted.
1103 members voted for Executive Committee Member (ECM). Of the 1905 voters, 802 did not vote for an ECM.

The elected LU157 Executive Committee Member is Daniel DeMorato.
The 48 elected LU157 delegates are highlighted in yellow below:

Independent
6	A		Charles J.	Egan	195
7	A		Ken	Bluhm	154
8	A		Hugh	McHugh	146
9	A		Josefina	Calcano	69
10	A		Gerald V.	Matthews	130
11	A		John M.	Dunscomb	67

Carpenters Alliance
1	B	ECM	Danny	DeMorato	397
6	B		Bill	Lacey	532
7	B		Joe	Nina	484
8	B		John	Sheehy	574
9	B		Mitch	Sonntag	509
10	B		John	McCarthy	501
11	B		Louis	Norelli	471
12	B		Eddie	McWilliams	539
13	B		Paul	Willoughby	464
14	B		Martin	Maguire	500
15	B		Cory	Kennedy	546
16	B		Elly	Spicer	466
17	B		Glenn	Hatcher	472
18	B		Joseph	Connolly	492
19	B		Brian	Lamb	454
20	B		Bill	Hervey	455
21	B		Martin	Lydon	530
22	B		Joseph	Faith	503
23	B		Gerry	Bruen	470
24	B		Eamonn	Carey	490
25	B		Vincent	DeLessio	466
26	B		Graham	McHugh	523
27	B		Paul	Capurso	526
28	B		Steve	McInnis	518
29	B		Guy	Collins	484

6	C		Andrew	Gismondi	327
7	C		Joseph	DeFilippo	371
8	C		Michael	Vastarelli	344
9	C		Patrick	Downey	367
10	C		Steven	Spinazzolla	405
11	C		Gerard	Gordon	347
12	C		Tom	Silletti	367
13	C		Robert	Corrigan	381
14	C		Joe	Mertens	360
15	C		John	Guerriero	367
16	C		Martin	Costello	374
17	C		Philip	Ficarra	372
18	C		Brian	Conlon	380
19	C		Ramadan (Rambo)	Ibric	393
20	C		Robert	McAuliffe	382
21	C		Walter	Warzecha	378
22	C		Sean	Brosnan	405
23	C		Scott	Phillips	351
24	C		John	Allen	360
25	C		Anthony	Charles	358
26	C		Paul	Gerdes	355
27	C		Fabian	Echevarrieta	335
28	C		Andy	Basile	342
29	C		Denys	Seykora	322

Carpenters United
1	D	ECM	Donny	Arana	329
6	D		Mike	Connor	410
7	D		George	Fitzgerald	371
8	D		Tom	Cavallo	348
9	D		Hercules	Reid	388
10	D		Billy	Davenport	385
11	D		Anthony	McPhelim	339
12	D		Jimmy	Hogan	402
13	D		Patrick	Creaney	366
14	D		Dwayne	Wilson	322
15	D		Femi	Agana	334
16	D		Anthony	Proto	335
17	D		Brian	Mooney	352
18	D		Pat	Brennan	357
19	D		Brian	Gillan	309
20	D		Otis	Resse	337
21	D		Juan	Hernandez	323
22	D		John	Luszcyk	336
23	D		Steven	Fuggio	344
24	D		Martin (Louie XIV)	Glynn	332
25	D		Patrick	Kirwan	339
26	D		Scott	Murray	323
27	D		William	Huvane	345
28	D		Dave	McCabe	324
29	D		James	Noonan	407

6	E		Mike	Bilello	474
7	E		Byron	Schuler	352
8	E		Gerard	Hanrahan	334
9	E		Herman	Warren	331
10	E		Dan	Franco	380
11	E		Gerard	Gausman	393
12	E		Mike	Leonard	340
13	E		Patrick	Crean	369
14	E		Rich	Lenihan	305
15	E		Paul [Sanabria]	Santora	311
16	E		Mike	Power	366
17	E		Keith	Dowd	323
18	E		Justine	Kuhn	338
19	E		Eddie	Peterson	304
20	E		Vinny	McGuire	340
21	E		Robert	Routier	299
22	E		Jamie	Drinkwater	324
23	E		Javier (Jay)	Colpas	291
24	E		Dennis (Sully)	Sullivan	341
25	E		Jeff	Adams	296
26	E		Gerard	Hampton	297
27	E		Matthew	McGrath	311
28	E		Cesar	Bravo	299
29	E		Eddie	Herrero	331

Members Voice
1	F	ECM	(Scottish) Tommy	McKeown	377
6	F		Chris	Grogan	517
7	F		George	LaMontagne	471
8	F		John	Daly	562
9	F		John (Cigars)	DeFalco	448
10	F		Steve	Spinelli	473
11	F		John (Terror)	Carty	484
12	F		Levi	Messinetti	495
13	F		Kevin	Corrigan	530
14	F		Eric	George	443
15	F		Danny	Zattolla	452
16	F		Patrick	Nee	500
17	F		John	Gaffney	496
18	F		Jodie Ann	Beatty	462
19	F		Peter	Corrigan	508
20	F		John	Fitzpatrick	458
21	F		Mariano	Arocho	438
22	F		Pete	Rotolo	428
23	F		Sean	Doonan	477
24	F		Greg	Kelty	512
25	F		John	Moloney	503
26	F		Vincent	Fuller	438
27	F		Joe	Fis	433
28	F		James	Fisher	464
29	F		Sean	Firth	523

6	G		Charles	McNally	463
7	G		Mike	Berlingo	465
8	G		Tommy	McGonigle	555
9	G		Kevin	McCabe	514
10	G		Gauntlet	Holness	464
11	G		Carmine	Bonura	445
12	G		William	McKenna	510
13	G		Tommy	Weimer	442
14	G		Estelle	St.Clair	436
15	G		Matt	Seabury	436
16	G		Don	Foley	435
17	G		Kevin	Egan	484
18	G		Felix	Calvito	447
19	G		Steve	Boal	459
20	G		Mike	Donnelly	507
21	G		Turlough "Sam"	Noone	470
22	G		Vincent	Spinelli	480
23	G		John	Musumeci	477
24	G		Rodney	Henry	432
25	G		Jesse	Drake	433
26	G		Danny	Dore	486
27	G		Jimmy	Kern	432
28	G		Billy	Walsh	575
29	G		Marc	Elizabeth	407

Candidates Approved for 2011 District Council Election

2011-10-12T09:29:00.015-04:00

Office of Dennis M. Walsh

The Review Officer

90 Civil 5722 (SDNY)

Fitzmaurice & Walsh, LLP
15 Chester Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
dwfitzwalsh[at]optonline.net
914.437.9058

October 12, 2011

Candidates Approved for 2011 District Council Election

EST:
Michael Bilello, Dan Franco

President
Bill Lebo, Greg Kelty, Paul Tyznar

Vice President
Byron Schuler, Michael Cavanaugh

Trustees (3)
Joseph Nina, Pat Crean, Sean Doonan, Sam Noone

Warden
Phil Fiorentino, Gerard Gausman, John Carty, John Walsh

Conductor
Scott Belford, Mike Leonard, Gauntlet Holness

http://nycdistrictcouncil.org/fileadmin/pdf/RO%20List%20of%20Approved%20Candidates%20October%2012%2C%202011-1.pdf

Slate Name	Rank and File Team	The Only Choice Slate	'Tyzner et al' Slate	'Carty and Doonan' Slate
EST	Mike Bilello (157)	~~John Daly (157)~~	~~Thomas McKeon (157)~~	~~George LaMontagne (157)~~	Daniel J. Franco (157)	~~Michal Ciechorski (1556)~~
President	Bill Lebo (45)	Gregory Kelty (157)	Paul Tyzner (45)	~~John "Cigars" DeFalco (157)~~	N/A	N/A
Vice-President	Byron Schuler (157)	~~Tommy McGonnigle (157)~~	Mike Cavanaugh (740)	~~Charles Lucas (1556)~~	N/A	N/A
Warden	Gerard Gausman (157)	~~John Walsh (1556)~~	Phillip Fiorentino (45)	John "Terror" Carty (157)	N/A	N/A
Conductor	Mike Leonard (157)	Gaunlet Holness (157)	Scott Belford (2287)	~~Shawn Eichorn (45)~~	N/A	N/A
Trustee	~~Eddie Herrero (157)~~	~~Robert Graham (926)~~	~~Joe Mertens (157)~~	~~Kevin Corrigan (157)~~	N/A	N/A
Trustee	~~Jimmy Smith (2287)~~	~~Bill Walsh (157)~~	Joe Nina (157)	~~John King (1556)~~	N/A	N/A
Trustee	Patrick Crean (157)	Turlough "Sam" Noone (157)	~~Tom King (1556)~~	Sean Doonan (157)	N/A	N/A

Petition to Deny 'Full Mobility'

2011-10-10T12:49:00.003-04:00

Petition to the Hon. Richard M. Berman,

United States District Judge, to Deny 'Full Mobility'

Whereas, we understand 'Full Mobility' to be somewhat or specifically defined as: the permitting of a contractor to select the entirety of its workforce, less the steward.

Whereas, it is evident with experience and information that 'Full Mobility' will further embolden and allow contractors additional opportunities to:

circumvent Out-of-Work Lists (OWLs).
force acceptance of cash payments and forgoing of benefit payments in exchange for current and future work, thereby committing tax evasion, benefits fraud and extortion;
ignore OSHA and other health and safety laws, thereby increasing the likeliness for health and safety violations and incidences;
enforce work production quotas, which are expressly forbidden in our CBA's;
commit age, sex, and race discrimination;
increase the hiding of faulty materials and poor and incomplete workmanship;

Whereas, 'Full Mobility' will eliminate for many members job opportunities and opportunities to up-keep and increase one's skills and knowledge;

Whereas, for the reasons above 'Full Mobility' is anti-union; it unequivocally circumvents social justice, one the founding principles of labor unions;

Therefore, we, the members of the NYC carpenters' local unions, affiliated to the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters (NYCDCC), petition the Hon. Richard M. Berman, United States District Judge, to deny the acceptance and implementation of 'Full Mobility' in any agreement with the NYCDCC and/or affiliated organizations until at least December 30, 2014.

V2.0 2011-10-10

V1.0 2011-09-26

Click here for PDF copy of the 'Petition to Deny Full Mobility'

Please print-out, collect signatures, and then contact me to return ASAP .

LU157 Delegates to the NYCDCC Nominees

2011-10-08T11:24:00.011-04:00

Below are the names of the LU157 members who were nominated at the Special Called Meeting, which occurred October 6, 2011, 4:30 PM at Saints Cyril, Methodius and Raphael RC Church, 502 W 41st Street, New York, N.Y. 10036.

If you see any spelling errors or know names not listed, please post a comment below or email me. Thank you.

Slate Name: Members' Voice Slate
Nominator: Jim Richardson
Executive Committee Member: "Scottish" Tommy McKeown
Chris Grogan
George LaMontagne
John Daly
John "Cigars" DeFalco
Steve Spinelli
John "Terror" Carty
Levi Messinetti
Kevin Corrigan
Eric George
Danny Zattolla
Pat Nee
John Gaffney
Jodie Ann Beatty
Pete Corrigan
John Fitzpatrick
Mariano Arocho
Peter Rotolo
Sean Doonan
Greg Kelty
John Maloney
Vincent Fuller
Joe Fis
James Fisher
Sean Firth
Charles McNally
Mike Berlingo
Tom McGonnigle
Kevin McCabe
Gauntlett Holness
Carmine Bonura
William McKenna
Tommy Weimer
Estelle St.Clair
Matt Seabury
Don Foley
Kevin Eagan
Felix Calvito
Steve Boal
Mike Donnelly
Turlough "Sam" Noone
Vincent Spinelli
John Musumeci
Rodney Henry
Jesse Drake
Daniel Dore
Jimmy Kern
Billy Walsh
Marc Elizabeth

---

Slate Name: Local 157 Carpenters Alliance
Nominator: ?
Executive Committee Member: Danny DeMorato
Bill Lacey
Joe Nina
Joe Mertens
John Sheehy
Mitch Sonntag
John McCarthy
Louis Norelli
Eddie McWilliams
Paul Willoughby
Martin McGuire
Cory Kennedy
Elly Spicer
Glenn Hatcher
Joseph Connolly
Brian Lamb
Eamonn Carey
Joseph Faith
Jerry Bruen
Vincent DeLessio
Graham McHugh
Paul Capurso
Steve McInnis
Guy Collins
Andrew Gismondi
Joseph DeFilippo
Martin Lydon
Michael Vastarelli
Patrick Downey
Steven Spinazzolla
Gerard Gordon (Accepted nomination by letter submitted by McKeon)
Tom Silletti
Robert Corrigan
John Guerrero
Martin Costello
Philip Ficarra
Brian Conlon
Rambo Ibric
Robert McAuliffe (Accepted nomination by letter submitted by McKeon)
Walter Warzecha
Sean Brosnan
Scott Phillips (Accepted nomination by letter submitted by McKeon?)
John Allen
Anthony Charles
Paul Gerdes
Fabian Echevarrieta
Bill Hervey
Andy Basile
Denys Seykora

---

Charlie Eagan nominated by Hugh McHugh

---

Hugh McHugh nominated by Charlie Eagan

---

Ken Bluhm nominated by Paul Capusro
Jerry Matthew nominated by Paul Capusro
Joe Burder nominated by Paul Capusro?

---

Name of Slate: Carpenters United NYC
Nominator: Mike Bilello
Executive Committee Member: Donny Arana
Mike Connor
George Fitzgerald
Eddie Herrero
Byron Schuler
Patrick Brennan
Mike Powers
Tom Cavallo
Anthony Proto
Herman Warren
Paul Sanabria
William Huvane
Bill Davenport
Justine Kuhn
James Noonan
Hercules Reid
Bobby Ramirez
Dan Franco
Femi Agana
Mike Leonard
Gerard Hanrahan
Dwayne Wilson
Keith Dowd
Eddie Peterson
Otis Resse
Dennis Sullivan
Jamie Drinkwater
Jaun Hernandez
John Luszcyk
Cesar Bravo
Patrick Creaney
Patrick Kirwan
Anthony McPhelm
Martin Glynn (Louie XIV)
Steven Fuggio
Brian Mooney
Brian Gillan
Gerard Hampton
Vinny McGuire
Jimmy Hogan
Robert Routier
Dave McCabe
Scott Murray
Javier Colpas
Patrick Crean
Matthew McGrath
Jeff Adams
Gerard Gausman
Mike Bilello nominated by Pat Crean

---

Josefina Califano nominated by Tammy Rivera

NYCDCC Officer Election, Dec 15, 2011: Members Attempting Nomination Eligibility

2011-09-20T23:26:00.010-04:00

Persons for which signatures are being collected for nomination eligibility for the Dec 15, 2011, NYCDCC Officer Election are:

Slate Name	Rank and File Team	[Daly Slate]	[McKeon Slate]	[LaMontagne Slate]
EST	Mike Bilello (157)	John Daly (157)	Thomas McKeon (157)	George LaMontagne (157)	Daniel J. Franco (157)	Michal Ciechorski (1556)
President	Bill Lebo (45)	Gregory Kelty (157)	Paul Tyzner (45)	John DeFalco (157)	N/A	N/A
Vice-President	Byron Schuler (157)	Tommy McGonnigle (157)	Mike Cavanaugh (740)	Charles Lucas (1556)	N/A	N/A
Warden	Gerard Gausman (157)	John Walsh (157)	Phillip Fiorentino (45)	John Carty (157)	N/A	N/A
Conductor	Mike Leonard (157)	Gaunlett Holness (157)	Scott Belford (2287)	Shawn Eichorn (45)	N/A	N/A
Trustee	Eddie Herrero (157)	Robert Graham (926)	Joe Mertens (157)	Kevin Corrigan (157)	N/A	N/A
Trustee	Jimmy Smith (2287)	Bill Walsh (157)	Joe Nina (157)	John King (1556)	N/A	N/A
Trustee	Patrick Crean (157)	Turlough Sam Noone (157)	Tom King (1556)	Shawn Doonan (157)	N/A	N/A

If there are any errors in the above information, please let me/us know by posting a comment or by emailing me.

LU157 Notice of Meeting Correction

2011-09-16T15:29:00.001-04:00

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America

Local union 157

395 Hudson Street, 8th Floor

New York, New York 10014

**NOTICE OF MEETING CORRECTION**

Dear Member,

There will be a Special Called Meeting to be held on Thursday October 6, 2011 at 4:30 p.m at Saints Cyril, Methodius and Raphael RC Church 502 W 41st Street, New York, N.Y. 10036 (enter on 40th St. between 10th and 11th Avenues), for the purpose of nominating forty eight (48) Delegates and one (1) Executive Committee Member to the NYC District Council of Carpenters.

Elections for these positions will be held at the New York City District Council of Carpenters Labor Technical College 395 Hudson Street New York, N.Y. 10014 (Clarkson Street Entrance) on Monday October 24, 2011 from 6:00 a.m through 7:00 p.m, regular monthly meeting will follow.

*Please note the next monthly union meeting will be held on September 28, 2011 at 4:30 p.m. at Saints Cyril, Methodius and Raphael RC Church 502 West 41st Street New York, N.Y. 10036. Future Union meetings will also be held at Saints Cyril, Methodius and Raphael RC Church. The dates are as follows November 21, 2011 and December 19, 2011 at 4:30 p.m.

Fraternally, yours,

Patrick Nee

President
Levi Messinetti
Recording Secretary

LU157 Special Called Meeting, Wed, Sep 29, 2011, 4:30PM

2011-09-08T20:19:00.003-04:00

Dear [Local Union 157] Member,

There will be a Special Called Meeting to be held in conjunction with our regular meeting on Wednesday September 29, 2011 at 4:30p.m at Saint Cyrios 502 W 40th Street, New York, N.Y. 10018 (between 10th and 11th Avenues), for the purpose of nominating forty eight (48) Delegates and one (1) Executive Delegate to the NYC District Council of Carpenters.

Elections for these positions will be held at the New York City District Council of Carpenters Labor Technical College 395 Hudson Street New York, N.Y. 10014 (Clarkson Street Entrance) on Monday October 24, 2011 from 6:00a.m through 7:00p.m, regular scheduled meeting will follow.

Please note future meetings will be held at Saint Cyrios 502 West 40th Street New York, N.Y. 10018 (between 10th and 11th Avenues) on November 21, 2011 and December 19, 2011 at 4:30p.m.

Fraternally yours,

Patrick Nee Levi Messinetti
President Recording Secretary

Number of LU Delegates to the NYCDCC

2011-09-08T16:08:00.001-04:00

Date used to determine number of local union members used to figure number of LU Delegates to the NYCDCC: Wed, Sept 7, 2011. LU/# of Delegates: 20/3; 45/8; 157/48; 740/2; 926/9; 1556/14; 2287/5; 2790/11. Source: RO.

Labor Day 2011

2011-08-05T07:02:00.001-04:00

Dear Fellow Unionists:

A Monday, September 5, 2011, gathering at Cooper Square to celebrate Labor Day is being planned. If you would like to help/participate please contact me. I will provide more information as it becomes available.

Please feel free to forward this message to others.

Again, thank you to all those that participated last year. We hope to see you there again.

In solidarity,
Dan

Daniel J. Franco
Certified UBC steward
LU157, UBCJA
Mobile #: (917) 226-3447

Sent from my HTC Tilt 2, a Windows® phone from AT&T

2011-06-22, LU157 Officer Election Results 2

2011-06-23T17:04:00.005-04:00

Sorted by Number of Votes
Col	Row	Name	# Votes	Party/Slate	Position	LU Prior to Dec 14, 2010
3	C	Levi Messinetti	442	Workers' Rights Slate	Recording Secretary	608
6	C	John “Terror” Carty	429	Workers' Rights Slate	Conductor	608
7	C	John “Johnny Cigars” DeFalco	415	Workers' Rights Slate	Warden	157
5	A	Greg Kelty	397	New Direction Slate	Treasurer	157
9	C	Kevin V. Corrigan	397	Workers' Rights Slate	Trustee	608
2	C	Thomas McGonnigle	394	Workers' Rights Slate	Vice President	608
7	B	Justine Kuhn	389	Carpenters for Solidarity	Warden	157
4	C	Peter V. Corrigan	375	Workers' Rights Slate	Financial Secretary	608
5	B	Patrick Smolka	357	Carpenters for Solidarity	Treasurer	608
10	C	Gauntlett Holness	338	Workers' Rights Slate	Trustee	608
1	C	Patrick Nee	334	Workers' Rights Slate	President	608
8	C	Mariano Arocho	329	Workers' Rights Slate	Trustee	608
4	A	James Noonan	318	New Direction Slate	Financial Secretary	608
6	B	Carmine J. Bonura	317	Carpenters for Solidarity	Conductor	157
6	A	Mike Leonard	315	New Direction Slate	Conductor	608
4	B	Eddie Herrero	299	Carpenters for Solidarity	Financial Secretary	157
3	B	Donny Arana	287	Carpenters for Solidarity	Recording Secretary	608
1	F	Mike Bilello	283	Independent	President	157
10	A	Hector Diaz	279	New Direction Slate	Trustee	157
8	A	Gerard Hanranhan	268	New Direction Slate	Trustee	608
10	B	Edwin Sanchez	260	Carpenters for Solidarity	Trustee
8	B	Steven Fuggio	257	Carpenters for Solidarity	Trustee
3	A	Eddie Peterson	255	New Direction Slate	Recording Secretary
2	B	Patrick Brennan	254	Carpenters for Solidarity	Vice President	157
1	B	Gerry Gausman	252	Carpenters for Solidarity	President	608
9	A	Brian Mooney	248	New Direction Slate	Trustee	608
1	A	Patrick Crean	245	New Direction Slate	President	608
9	B	Harry Peck, Jr.	243	Carpenters for Solidarity	Trustee
2	A	Herman Warren	225	New Direction Slate	Vice President	608
2	D	Bill Walsh	199	Independent Slate	Vice President	157
10	G	Don Foley	199	Independent	Trustee	608
9	I	Jim Hogan	184	Independent	Trustee	608
2	G	Hercules Reid	170	Independent	Vice President	157
8	H	Gary O'Connor	170	Independent	Trustee	608
1	E	Gene Clarke	162	Independent	President	608
4	I	Willie Huvane	152	Independent	Financial Secretary	608
9	F	Andrew McCauley	144	Independent	Trustee
3	H	Daniel J. Franco	127	Independent	Recording Secretary	157
1	D	William Davenport	58	Independent Slate	President	608
8	E	Deny Seykora	57	Independent	Trustee

Sorted by Position and Number of Votes
Col	Row	Name	# Votes	Party/Slate	Position	LU Prior to Dec 14, 2010
1	C	Patrick Nee	334	Workers' Rights Slate	President	608
1	F	Mike Bilello	283	Independent	President	157
1	B	Gerry Gausman	252	Carpenters for Solidarity	President	608
1	A	Patrick Crean	245	New Direction Slate	President	608
1	E	Gene Clarke	162	Independent	President	608
1	D	William Davenport	58	Independent Slate	President	608
2	C	Thomas McGonnigle	394	Workers' Rights Slate	Vice President	608
2	B	Patrick Brennan	254	Carpenters for Solidarity	Vice President	157
2	A	Herman Warren	225	New Direction Slate	Vice President	608
2	D	Bill Walsh	199	Independent Slate	Vice President	157
2	G	Hercules Reid	170	Independent	Vice President	157
3	C	Levi Messinetti	442	Workers' Rights Slate	Recording Secretary	608
3	B	Donny Arana	287	Carpenters for Solidarity	Recording Secretary	608
3	A	Eddie Peterson	255	New Direction Slate	Recording Secretary
3	H	Daniel J. Franco	127	Independent	Recording Secretary	157
4	C	Peter V. Corrigan	375	Workers' Rights Slate	Financial Secretary	608
4	A	James Noonan	318	New Direction Slate	Financial Secretary	608
4	B	Eddie Herrero	299	Carpenters for Solidarity	Financial Secretary	157
4	I	Willie Huvane	152	Independent	Financial Secretary	608
5	A	Greg Kelty	397	New Direction Slate	Treasurer	157
5	B	Patrick Smolka	357	Carpenters for Solidarity	Treasurer	608
6	C	John “Terror” Carty	429	Workers' Rights Slate	Conductor	608
6	B	Carmine J. Bonura	317	Carpenters for Solidarity	Conductor	157
6	A	Mike Leonard	315	New Direction Slate	Conductor	608
7	C	John “Johnny Cigars” DeFalco	415	Workers' Rights Slate	Warden	157
7	B	Justine Kuhn	389	Carpenters for Solidarity	Warden	157
9	C	Kevin V. Corrigan	397	Workers' Rights Slate	Trustee	608
10	C	Gauntlett Holness	338	Workers' Rights Slate	Trustee	608
8	C	Mariano Arocho	329	Workers' Rights Slate	Trustee	608
10	A	Hector Diaz	279	New Direction Slate	Trustee	157
8	A	Gerard Hanranhan	268	New Direction Slate	Trustee	608
10	B	Edwin Sanchez	260	Carpenters for Solidarity	Trustee
8	B	Steven Fuggio	257	Carpenters for Solidarity	Trustee
9	A	Brian Mooney	248	New Direction Slate	Trustee	608
9	B	Harry Peck, Jr.	243	Carpenters for Solidarity	Trustee
10	G	Don Foley	199	Independent	Trustee	608
9	I	Jim Hogan	184	Independent	Trustee	608
8	H	Gary O'Connor	170	Independent	Trustee	608
9	F	Andrew McCauley	144	Independent	Trustee
8	E	Deny Seykora	57	Independent	Trustee

2011-06-22, LU157 Officer Election Results

2011-06-23T14:16:00.016-04:00

Workers' Rights Slate

and Kelty

Win

Local Union 157

Officer Election

Number of LU157 Members: ~10,480
Number of eligible voters: 9,388
Number of Voters: 1,380

Proposition: Proposal to raise early retiree dues from $60.15 quarterly to $70.00 quarterly.
Yes: 86 No: 284

	President	Vice President	Recording Secretary	Financial Secretary	Treasurer	Conductor	Warden	Trustee	Trustee	Trustee
ROW A New Direction Slate	1A Patrick Crean	2A Herman Warren	3A Eddie Peterson	4A James Noonan	5A Greg Kelty	6A Mike Leonard		8A Gerard Hanranhan	9A Brian Mooney	10A Hector Diaz
# Votes	245	225	255	318	397	315		268	248	279
% of Votes	18.4%	18.1%	23.0%	27.8%	52.7%	29.7%		7.9%	7.4%	8.3%
ROW B Carpenters for Solidarity	1B Gerry Gausman	2B Patrick Brennan	3B Donny Arana	4B Eddie Herrero	5B Patrick Smolka	6B Carmine J. Bonura	7B Justine Kuhn	8B Steven Fuggio	9B Harry Peck, Jr.	10B Edwin Sanchez
# Votes	252	254	287	299	357	317	389	257	243	260
% of Votes	18.9%	20.5%	25.8%	26.1%	47.3%	29.9%	48.4%	7.6%	7.2%	7.7%
ROW C Workers' Rights Slate	1C Patrick Nee	2C Thomas McGonnigle	3C Levi Messinetti	4C Peter V. Corrigan		6C John “Terror” Carty	7C John “Johnny Cigars” DeFalco	8C Mariano Arocho	9C Kevin V. Corrigan	10C Gauntlett Holness
# Votes	334	394	442	375		429	415	329	397	338
% of Votes	25.0%	31.7%	39.8%	32.8%		40.4%	51.6%	9.8%	11.8%	10.0%
ROW D Independent Slate	1D William Davenport	2D Bill Walsh
# Votes	58	199
% of Votes	4.3%	16.0%
ROW E Independent Candidates	1E Gene Clarke							8E Deny Seykora
# Votes	162							57
% of Votes	12.1%							1.7%
ROW F Independent Candidates	1F Mike Bilello								9F Andrew McCauley
# Votes	283								144
% of Votes	21.2%								4.3%
ROW G Independent Candidates		2G Hercules Reid								10G Don Foley
# Votes		170								199
% of Votes		13.7%								5.9%
ROW H Independent Candidates			3H Daniel J. Franco					8H Gary O'Connor
# Votes			127					170
% of Votes			11.4%					5.0%
ROW I Independent Candidates				4I Willie Huvane					9I Jim Hogan
# Votes				152					184
% of Votes				13.3%					5.5%
Total Votes	1334	1242	1111	1144	754	1061	804			3373

Petition - NYCDCC Bylaw Draft and Agreements

2011-05-26T23:10:00.001-04:00

To download the PDF file to print go to http://franco1.info/NYCDCC/Petition_-_NYCDCC_Bylaw_Draft_and_Agreements_2011-05-23.pdf.

PETITION:

NYCDCC Bylaw Draft and Agreements

Under current circumstances as of May 2011, we, the undersigned members of the local unions affiliated to the NYCDCC, hereby petition the NYCDCC, Review Officer Walsh and Judge Berman:

1) that all members be sent, by postcard and/or email, notification of the existence of the NYCDCC Bylaws Draft and thereafter be provided a 45-day review and response period. These stipulations would further essential review, revision, and ratification of the NYCDCC Bylaws. Under current circumstances the June 9, 2011, deadline is inadequate for members to responsibly consider the proposed draft bylaws and submit comments.

2) that all future contracts (CBA, PLA, etc.), in which the working conditions are altered and/or the wages reduced and/or benefit pay reduced, between the NYCDCC and employers or employer associations negotiated by any persons not elected by secret ballot directly by the local union members be null and void. The contracts under which we work must be negotiated by a body of democratically elected representatives if they are to be valid.

Name	LU	Address	Signature

2011-05-23

To download the PDF file to print go to http://franco1.info/NYCDCC/Petition_-_NYCDCC_Bylaw_Draft_and_Agreements_2011-05-23.pdf.

A Short Video History of America's Mighty Forests

2011-05-20T04:12:00.001-04:00

A video mini-history of America's forests from Colonial discovery through the 20th century, courtesy of Lee Tigner, craftsman at earlyamericanfurnishings.com.

BTEA Protest, Tue, May 24, 5:00 PM

2011-05-20T01:08:00.000-04:00

Union Rank-and-File Organized

Rally to Protest the BTEA

Time: Tuesday, May 24 - 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: BTEA Leadership Dinner, Cipriani Wall Street

55 Wall Street (Between William St. and Hanover St.)

In March, the Building Trades Employers’ Association (BTEA) launched a campaign called "Build Union Jobs," consisting of subway advertisements, a website, and opinion-editorials in the press to coerce rank-and-file construction workers into accepting concessions, even as they planned their annual $750 plate dinner.

In response, rank-and-file building trades workers, in opposition to mob influence, corporate greed, mismanagement, corrupt bureaucracy, and United Brotherhood of Carpenters President Douglas J. McCarron's union raiding tactics, have put out an industry wide call for a rally to protest the BTEA Leadership Dinner.

With 30 collective bargaining agreements to be re-negotiated by June 30, 2011, Louis J. Coletti, President of the BTEA, sent a letter to Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building Construction Trades Council (BCTC,) titled "Roadmap to Recovery," presenting the BTEA's "Framework for Reducing Union Costs," a 26 point list of demands calling for a 20% reduction of employee wages and benefits.

The Wall-Ceiling & Carpentry Industries of New York is a Member of the BTEA. Last year its director, Joseph Olivieri, was found to have been involved in extorting the Carpenters Union, while tied to labor racketeer Vincent DiNapoli, and was convicted of perjury.

Like BTEA honoree Larry Silverstein, developers, property owners, and contractors are millionaires and billionaires from profits reaped through the difficult, hazardous, and highly skilled labor of union construction workers.

Driven by the desire to increase profits, the BTEA is opportunistically seeking to deprive all construction workers, union and non-union, of security and a decent standard of living.

New York City’s rank-and-file construction workers condemn Louis J. Coletti, the BTEA’s “roadmap” to poverty, “framework” for profit, and their celebration, at 55 Wall Street, on Tuesday May 24^th 2011.

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS RANK-AND-FILE-ORGANIZED

For more information: call 646-321-3274 or email: rally524@yahoo.com

Visit: http://cwrfo.blogspot.com/

Rally for Solidarity at the NYCDCC (2011-04-13)

2011-04-07T13:02:00.000-04:00

Rally for Solidarity [#1]

395 Hudson St

New York, NY 10014

Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 3:30 PM

[Flier 2]

Local Union Delegates to the NYCDCC

2011-03-11T13:39:00.001-05:00

Local Union Delegates to the NYCDCC as of 2011-03-02

		Elected	Appointed	Notes
Local Union 20

	Arnold, Glenn	X
	Cirillo, Larry		X	Appointed by C. Wallace
	Green, John	X
	Malandro, Peter	X
	O'Niel Jr., William	X
	Wallace, Christopher	X


Local Union 45

	Antonucci, Sal	X
	Flash, Martin	X
	Gibbs, Wayne	X
	Rodin, Michael	X
	Sessa, Daniel	X
	Tyzner, Paul		X	Appointed Exec. Delegate by J. Ballantyne
	Weinrich, Jarrett	X


Local Union 157

	Harrignton, Michael		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Ibric, Ramadan	X
	Philbin, Steve (Upon reading this list, Steve has stated that he was not notified that he was appointed as a LU157 Delegate.)		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Brosnan, Sean		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Demorato, Daniel	X
	D'Errico, Lawrence	X
	Kennedy, Cory	X
	LaMontagne, George		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Lauer, Joe	X
	Lydon, Martin		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Maloney, John		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Matthrews, Gerald	X
	McInnis, Steven		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	McKeon, Thomas		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	McWilliams, Ed		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Prass, Gladstone	X
	Prestia, Stephen	X
	Pugliese, Anthony	X
	Romano, Anthony	X
	Sgroi, Elizabeth	X
	Sheehy, John		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Spicer, Elly		X	Appointed by Lawrence D'Errico
	Tuccillo, Richard	X


Local Union 740

	Cavanaugh , John	X
	Cavanaugh, Michael	X
	Ippolitti, Frank		X	Appointed by John Cavanaugh
	Montgomery, John	X
	Walcott, Daniel	X


Local Union 926

	Albanese, Joseph	X
	Campbell, Shaun		X	Appointed by Joe DiNapoli
	DiNapoli, Joseph	X
	Dunbar, Daniel	X
	Holtz, John	X
	James, George	X
	Mejia, Manfredo	X
	Monje, Andrew	X
	Sabatino, Joseph	X


Local Union 1456

	Harkin, Adam		X	Appointed by Charles Harkin
	Harkin, Charles		X	Appointed by Charles Harkin
	Ostrander, Rick		X	Appointed by Charles Harkin
	Reiche, Robert		X	Appointed by Charles Harkin
	Rioux, Louis		X	Appointed by Charles Harkin
	Tucker, James		X	Appointed by Charles Harkin
	Wilson, Robert		X	Appointed by Charles Harkin


Local Union 1536

	Bailey, Sam	X
	Barresi, Dominick	X
	Geiger, Joseph	X
	King, Thomas	X
	Parzych, Christopher		X	Appointed by Joseph Geiger


Local Union 2090

	Clayton, Walter	X
	Ellis, James	X
	Rachiele, Giancarlo	X
	Urizar, Hector	X
	Korculanic, Neven		X	Appointed by James Ellis
	Villalta, Robert		X	Appointed by James Ellis


Local Union 2287

	Belford, Scott	X
	Berman, Barry	X
	Campell Jr., David		X	Appointed by John McGrath Jr.
	Fleming, Kevin		X	Appointed by John McGrath Jr.
	Fragliosi, James	X
	Jimenez, Joseph		X	Appointed by John McGrath Jr.
	McGrath Jr., John	X
	Smith, James	X


Local Union 2870

	Lawrence, Andres	X
	Lorvil, Rony	X
	Lajca, John	X
	Lopez Jr., Victor	X
	Marino, Frank	X
	Peters, William		X
	Powers, Helfa	X
	Richardson Sr., Ronald	X

Empire in Wood

2011-03-11T09:27:00.004-05:00

Empire in Wood: A History of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America by Robert A. Christie, 1956.

As of Wednesday, March 2, 2011, Empire in Wood has been re-released by and is available from Cornell University Press!
To order the book at a 20% discount go to the Cornell University Press Book Store at http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=14232 and use Discount Code: CCMP. You will not be able to order this book elsewhere at a discount, such as Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

I encourage ALL union carpenters to purchase this book. It is very telling of the UBCJA's early and middle history. A history from which we can learn much. A history from which we all would truly benefit knowing. A history which we are doomed to repeat if we are not knowledgeable.

NOTE: I receive no compensation whatsoever for the purchase of this book. I will only receive satisfaction knowing that you wish to learn of and from our past.
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NOTE: When entering the promo code for an order, the discounted amount will not appear on the order form but will be applied when your order is processed by Cornell University Press. This discounted amount will appear on the receipt enclosed with your shipment. If you have any questions about this, you can call their customer service department at 1-800-666-2211.

NOTE: Cornell University Press applies a shipping charge of $6.00 for the first book and $1 for each additional book ordered. For those of you that I meet regularly face-to-face that do not wish to pay the $6.00 shipping charge for the first book I am willing to order the book for you as a group order, preferably of at least five (5) copies per order. The cost of shipping per book would then be $2.00 ($6.00 for the first book plus $1 for the next four equals $10. $10 divided by five books equals $2) or less. The total cost would be figured as (the cost of the book at $29.95 minus 20% plus $2) plus tax at 8%. Therefore, the total cost of the book would be around $28.04 ($29.95 - 20% = $23.96. $23.96 + $2.00 shipping = $25.96. $25.96 + 8% tax = $28.04.) If you are interested in participating in a group order let me know.
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CHAPTER I

The Union, the Industry, and the Carpenter: Present Day

IN THE year 1947 the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America boasted a membership of 722,000 and a treasury of $9,000,000 in cash and bonds. Few industrial and no craft unions outranked it in size, wealth, influence, or power. That its leaders stood foursquare behind the conservative policies of the American Federation of labor is understandable. Their predecessors had invented them.

The Apparent Structure of the Union

The 1947 constitution (The 1947 Constitution has been chosen because past-President William Hutcheson gave his only extensive recorded public interview in 1946 to Fortune magazine. When the constitution in effect at the time of the interview --the 1947 constitution, passed at the 1946 convention and published in 1947-- is read in conjunction with the interview, the two are more revealing than a reading of the constitution alone would be.) makes provision for a president, a secretary, a treasurer, two vice-presidents and seven executive board members. The powers of the general president are as extensive as the minds of carpenters assembled in convention could make them. After listing each of his specific powers, the constitution states that "he shall supervise the entire interests of the entire Brotherhood." Then, as an afterthought, it provided that "whenever in the judgment of the General President subordinate bodies ...are working against the best interests of the United Brotherhood ...(he) shall have the power to order said body to disband under penalty of suspension."

The first vice-president has charge of the label and of the woodworking mills which do or do not use it. He also approves the laws of all bodies subordinate to the national office. The second vice-president is given no specific duties but is essentially a troubleshooter for the general president. Directly under and appointed by the general president are the organizers or general representatives who, in spite of their importance, enjoy neither clearly defined constitutional status nor specific job tenure. The general secretary and general treasurer are clerks rather removed from the main flow of power.

The executive board is composed of seven district members who are elected by both the convention at large and four out of five of the general officers. (The second vice-president is not on the executive board.) The general president is chairman of the board and the general secretary, secretary. The executive board has charge of all trade movements and hears appeals on grievances and points of law decided by the general president. ("Trade movement" is the name given by the United Brotherhood to any demand for changed wages or working conditions.) Although inferior in power only to the convention, executive board members are subject to the beck and call of the general president who uses them to guide the activities of the various organizers, to direct organizing drives, and to assist the local organizations in the important strikes.

The most important local unit of the United Brotherhood is the district council, which is formed by all of the local unions in a clearly defined economic area, such as a small river valley or city. When ever two or more local unions exist, a district council must be formed. The district councils are given jurisdiction over collective bargaining, the framing of work rules, and the administration of national discipline. The local unions are simply dues collecting agencies.

The whole organization meets quadrennially in a convention. Representation at the convention is based on units of five hundred members, two delegates are permitted, for the second, three. Locals with more than one thousand members are limited to four delegates, and those with less that one hundred members are given one. The district councils are permitted no voting representation at the convention.

The rest of the constitution regulates strikes, benefits, finances, clearance cards, the use of the label, and disciplinary procedure. While it gives extensive powers to the national office, the constitution provides for democratic control in the event that the members should feel democratically inclined. Constitutions, however, do not create democracy; they reflect it. It is necessary to view the United Brotherhood in relation to the building industry to obtain a true picture of the union.

For more of Empire in Wood, Chapter 1, go to http://www.carpentersunionbc.com/Pages/EmpireInWood.html. For the whole story, please order the book at a 20% discount go to the Cornell University Press Book Store at http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=14232 and use Discount Code: CCMP.

Bilello Motion Conference

2011-02-07T18:59:00.002-05:00

To all fellow union carpenters:

Tomorrow, February 8, 2011, 9:30 AM, Judge Berman will hold a conference at 500 Pearl Street, Courtroom 21B, New York, NY 10007, addressing LU157 carpenter Mike Bilello's motion.

02/02/2011

1027

ENDORSED LETTER addressed to Judge Richard M. Berman from Kenneth Conboy, dated 2/2/2011, re: We have been retained by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (the "UBC") in the above-captioned action. We have received a motion filed pro se by Michael Bilello dated January 25, 2011 (the "Bilello Motion"), purportedly pursuant to the Consent Decree entered by this Court on March 4, 1994 (the "Consent Decree"). The Bilello Motion seeks an order (1) "[s]cheduling District Council Elections on a date certain, and in any event, so that the Election process will be concluded on or before December 31, 2011," and (2) "[d]eclaring the Trusteeship imposed on the District Council by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America on August 10, 2009 terminated as of installation of newly elected District Council Officers as soon as possible thereafter but no later than January 31, 2012...." Billelo Motion at 6. ENDORSEMENT: Mr. Bilello's motion is held in abeyance pending a conference on Tuesday 2/8/2011 @ 9:30 (Courtroom 21B). SO ORDERED. (Signed by Judge Richard M. Berman on 2/2/2011) (lnl) (Entered: 02/03/2011)

NYC District Council of Carpenters Welcomes New Representatives

2011-02-07T18:49:00.001-05:00

The following was posted under Member News at the NYCDCC website today, Monday, February 7, 2011 at 8:56 AM:

NYC District Council of Carpenters Welcomes New Representatives

The New York City District Council of Carpenters is pleased to announce the hiring of 15 new District Council Representatives. After a thorough three-day evaluation and interview process, these members joined our talented team in February and will strengthen our fight to increase our market share and protect the area standards of this city. The hiring process is on-going and we will continue to inform our membership as new District Council representatives are hired.

New District Council Representatives

Kenneth Bluhm, LU 157
Edward "Eamonn" Carey, LU 157
Ruben Colon, LU 157
Brian Conlon, LU 157
Anthony DiMarco, LU 157
Mangito Fowlkes, LU 157
Raymond Harvey, LU 2287
Anthony Madaio, LU 157
James Makin, LU 45
Gerald Matthews, LU 157
Jeremy Milin, LU 157
Rocco Morea , LU 926
Andrew Mucaria, LU 2090
Denis Pupovic, LU 157
Vanessa Salazar, LU 45

http://nycdistrictcouncil.org/index.php?id=140&tx_mininews_pi1[showUid]=122&cHash=137189d074

Organized Crime Arrests, 2011-01-20

2011-01-20T23:53:00.020-05:00

United States Department of Justice (USDOJ): Briefing Room

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Press Conference on Organized Crime Arrests
Thursday, January 20, 2011
"Today, more than 800 federal, state and local law enforcement officials have arrested over 110 individuals, including dozens of La Cosa Nostra members and associates."

91 Leaders, Members and Associates of La Cosa Nostra Families in Four Districts Charged with Racketeering and Related Crimes, Including Murder and Extortion
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Ninety-one members and associates of seven organized crime families of La Cosa Nostra (LCN), including the New England LCN family, all five New York-based families and the New Jersey-based Decavalcante family have been charged with federal crimes in 16 indictments returned in four judicial districts.

Documents and Resources from the January 20, 2011 "La Cosa Nostra" Press Conference

U.S. v. Alesi et al (USDC, EDNY) [16 Defendants]

Fred Alesi, aka "Whiney"
Anthony Arcuri, aka "Tony"
Robert Berliner, aka "Bacala"
Lawrence Betro
Franklin Camarano
John Cavallo, aka "Jackie Cavallo" and "Little John"
Anthony Cavezza, aka "Tony Bagels"
Francis Costello
Dominick Delio
Robert Dito
Thomas Ditta
Frank Politi, aka "Frankie P" and "Frankie Cap"
Anthony Sabbagh, aka "Tony O"
Ayub Sayed, aka "Adam"
Giovanni Vella, aka "John Vella" and "Mousey" and "Little John"
Carlos Zambrano

U.S. v. Balzano and Collina (USDC, EDNY) [2 Defendants]

Jerry Balzano
Joseph Collina

U.S. v. Caramanica et al (USDC, EDNY) [4 Defendants]

Dominic Caramanica
Daniel Cilenti, aka "Uncle Danny"
Glenn Mazzella
Peter Pace, Jr.

U.S. v. Cicalese et al (USDC, EDNY) [3 Defendants]

Patrick Cicalese
Robert Moreno
Manuel Salgado

U.S. v. Colandra (USDC, EDNY) [1 Defendant]

Anthony Colandra

U.S. v. Depiro et al (USDC, DNJ) [15 Defendants]

Stephen Depiro, aka "Beach"
Albert Cernadas, aka "The Bull"
Nunzio Lagrasso
Richard Dehmer, aka "Dickie"
Edward Aulisi, aka "Eddie"
Vincent Aulisi, aka "The Vet"
Thomas Leonardis, aka "Tommy"
Robert Ruiz, aka "Bobby"
Michael Trueba, aka "Mikey"
Ramiro Quintans, aka "Romo"
Salvatore Lagrasso
Anthony Alfano, aka "Brooklyn"
Tonino Colantonio, aka "Tony"
John Hartmann, aka "Lumpy", "Fatty" and "Fats"
Giuseppe Pugliese, aka "Pepe"

U.S. v. Dragonetti et al (USDC, EDNY) [9 Defendants]

Vincent Dragonetti, aka "Vinny", "Skinny", "Mike", "Mikey" and "Marbles"
Thomas Frangiapane
Emmanuel Garafolo, aka "Manny"
Anthony Licata, aka "Cheeks", "Anthony Firehawk", "Anthony Nighthawk", "Nighthawk" and "Firehawk"
Joseph Lombardi
Anthony O'Donnell, aka "Tony O"
Anthony Scibelli
William Scotto, aka "Billy" and "Big Billy"

U.S. v. Gallo (USDC, EDNY) [1 Defendant]

Lawrence Gallo, aka "Larry"

U.S. v. Gioia and Larosa (USDC, EDNY) [2 Defendants]

Anthony Gioia
Salvatore Larosa

U.S. v. Messina et al (USDC, EDNY) [4 Defendants]

Neil Messina
John Porcello, aka "Johnny Pizza"
Nicolo Valenti, aka "Nick"
Benito Valenti, aka "Benny"

U.S. v. Russo et al (USDC, EDNY) [39 Defendants]

Andrew Russo, aka "Mush"
Ralph Arpaio
John Azzarelli, "Johnny Cash"
Daniel Bogan
Anthony Calabro, aka "Nooch"
Roger Califano
Daniel Capaldo
Joseph Carna, aka "Junior Lollipops"
Michael Castellano, aka "Big Mike"
Benjamin Castellazzo, aka "Benji", "The Claw" and "The Fang"
Dennis Delucia, aka "Fat Dennis", "Little Dennis" and "The Beard"
Giuseppe Destafano, aka "Pooch"
Joseph Dimarco
John Dunn, aka "Johnny Five"
Anthony Durso, aka "Baby Fat Larry" and "BFL"
Scott Fappiano
Emanuele Favuzza, aka "Manny"
Vincent Febbraro, aka "Jimmy Gooch"
Richard Fusco, aka "Richie"
Gaetano Gallo, aka "Tommy"
Giovani Galluzzo, aka "John"
Ali Juseinoski
John Maggio
Reynold Maragni, aka "Ren" and "Reynolds"
Hector Pagan, aka "Junior"
Theodore Persico, Jr., aka "Teddy" and "The Kid"
Frank Pontillo, aka "Frankie Steel"
Nicky Rizzo
Jack Rizzocascio, aka "Jack the Whack"
John Rossano
Anthony Russo, aka "Big Anthony"
Joseph Savarese
Ralph Scopo, Jr.
Frank Senatore, aka "Buzz"
Ilario Sessa, aka "Larry", "Fat Larry" and "FL"
Angelo Spata, aka "Little Angelo"
Louis Venturelli, aka "Louie Ices"
Joseph Virzi
Vito Vizzi

U.S. v. Samperi (USDC, EDNY) [1 Defendant]

Walter Samperi

U.S. v. Vernace (USDC, EDNY) [5 Defendants]

Bartolomeo Vernace, aka "Pepe", "Bobby", "Bobby Glasses" and "Robert"
Vito Cortesiano, aka "Vito Love"
Michael Dolphin
Anthony Vaglica, aka "Bosch"
Robert Wehnert, aka "Bobby Werner"

U.S. v. Manocchio and Iafrate (USDC, DRI) [2 Defendants]

Luigi "Louie" Manocchio, aka "Baby Shacks", "The Old Man", "The Professor"
Thomas Iafrate

U.S. v. Corozzo et al (USDC, SDNY) [21 Defendants]

Joseph Corozzo, aka "JoJo"
Bartolomeo Vernace, aka "Bobby"
Alphonse Trucchio
Louis Mastrangelo
Michael Roccaforte, aka "Roc"
Anthony Moscatiello
Vincenzo Frogiero, aka "Vinny Carwash"
Todd Labarca
Frank Bellantoni, aka "Meatball"
Christopher Colon
Christopher Reynolds, aka "Burger"
Salvatore Tortorici
Michael Russo, aka "Mush"
Anthino Russo, aka "Hootie"
Frank Roccaforte
John Brancaccio, aka "Johnny Bandana"
Salvatore Accardi
Keith Croce
Sean Dunn
Robert Bucholz
Michael Kuthenia, aka "Jello"

U.S. v. Cipolla et al (USDC, SDNY) [5 Defendants]

John Cipolla
Frank Boehme
Anthony Mascuzzio
Jonathan Mascuzzio
Francis Lacorte

FBI targets mob in major sweep, dozens in custody

2011-01-20T23:25:00.000-05:00

FBI targets mob in major sweep, dozens in custody
By David Ariosto, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/20/new.york.mob.raids/index.html

"If you look at the mob in the '50s and '60s and '70s, there were virtually no informants," said New York Waterfront CommissionerRonald Goldstock. "The picture has changed dramatically today. The mob is practically unrecognizable."

But Thursday's sweep may now do away with "the myth" of the mafia and the widely held notion that "La Cosa Nostra is a shell of its former self," said Janice Fedarcyk, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York Division.

"I think we made a serious dent today," Fedarcyk said, but she warned of a new generation of criminal leadership "coming up behind them."

The mob revival concept, however, is the subject of debate.

"Their leadership ranks have been battered by federal and local law enforcement over the years," said James B. Jacobs, a professor at the New York University School of Law. "It's very hard to see to how they could have ever reconstituted in the way they were before."

Attorney General Holder said organized crime is not resurgent and no longer nationwide, but still subtracts millions of dollars from local businesses by way of a "mob tax," or tribute exacted through corrupt local officials.

Holder described the phenomenon as "a major threat to the economic well-being of this country."

On Thursday, New Jersey and New York prosecutors identified more than a dozen New Jersey residents with alleged mob ties who worked as officials for longshoremen's unions, charging them with racketeering and other related offenses, according to a joint statement from district attorneys in both states.

A man described as a "soldier in the Genovese organized crime family" allegedly collected money from port workers, extorting payments after the workers received their annual Christmas bonuses.

Police say workers from the International Longshoremen's Association, Local 1235, were forced to pay corrupt officials between $500 and $5,000 each year if they hoped to rise above entry-level dock jobs, according to New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

"Organized crime means what it has always meant on the waterfront: Mobsters getting rich on the backs of dock workers," he said.

Despite declines in mob activity in other industries, dockyards in the U.S. Northeast are places where organized crime remains a threat, according to Waterfront Commissioner Goldstock.

And with law enforcement focused on preventing terrorism and providing port security, organized crime is often left without the "day-to-day pressures" it may have felt in years past, he said.

Last April, 14 members of the Gambino crime family -- including Daniel Marino, who was then considered the family head -- pleaded guilty to charges that included murder, racketeering, extortion and prostitution of minors, court officials said.

CNN's Mary Snow, Deborah Feyerick, Terry Frieden and Brian Vitagliano contributed to this report.

Nearly 125 Arrested in Sweeping Mob Roundup

2011-01-20T23:20:00.001-05:00

Nearly 125 Arrested in Sweeping Mob Roundup
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
The New York Times
January 20, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/nyregion/21mob.html

The criminal accusations spanned several states and several decades, encompassing figures from seven mob families, and led to the arrest of nearly 125 people on federal charges on Thursday.

There were murders, including a double homicide over a spilled drink in a Queens bar. There were the more run-of-the-mill activities associated with organized crime: racketeering, extortion, loan-sharking, money laundering, gambling and the like.

There were even some names from mob lore, including Luigi Manocchio, 83, the former boss of New England’s Patriarca crime family, who was said to have dressed in women’s clothing to avoid capture decades ago. He was arrested in Florida, accused of another mob standby: shaking down strip clubs, in Providence, R.I.

The charges were included in 16 indictments handed up in federal courts in four jurisdictions. Taken together, they amounted to what federal officials called the “largest mob roundup in F.B.I. history.”

The indictments were announced by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who appeared at a news conference on Thursday morning in Brooklyn.

For the attorney general, it was an opportunity to preside over the kind of law enforcement operation that was once the core mission of the Justice Department, but that has been largely overshadowed during his tenure by far more ambiguous issues inherited from the Bush administration. Mr. Holder spoke of the “unprecedented scope and cooperation” in the investigation, but questions were also raised by the diffuse nature of the indictments, which involved myriad unrelated criminal activity.

The sweep began before dawn, with 800 federal agents and state and local investigators fanning out across the region. The targets, officials said, ran the gamut from what they called small-time bookmakers and shakedown artists to mob middle managers and the entire current leadership of the Colombo crime family, as well as two senior Gambino family figures. Prosecutors said 34 made members of New York’s five crime families — Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Luchese — and crime families in New Jersey and New England were among those arrested.

By taking out the leadership of the Colombos and charging large numbers of reputed crime figures from the other families, the F.B.I. and federal prosecutors hoped the case would have a significant impact. But at the same time, officials acknowledged that the mob had shown itself to be remarkably resilient.

“Arresting and convicting the hierarchies of the five families several times over has not eradicated the problem,” said Janice K. Fedarcyk, the head of the New York F.B.I. office, calling it a “a myth” that the mob is a thing of the past.

At the news conference, Mr. Holder also announced that the Justice Department was merging its Organized Crime and Racketeering Section with its Gang Unit, a move he said would provide more-experienced prosecutors and increased resources for cases like the one announced on Thursday.

Some federal, state and local law enforcement officials have privately expressed concern about a possible resurgence in some quarters of the influence of organized crime after two decades of decline.

Mr. Holder emphasized several times that organized crime remained one of the department’s top priorities because mob members and associates were “among the most dangerous criminals in our country.” And he played down the notion of a resurgent mob, saying that while it had been weakened, and “is probably not nationwide in its scope, in its impact, as it once was,” it remained a continuing major threat “to the economic well-being of this country.”

He said his decision to go to Brooklyn to announce the arrests was meant to underscore the importance of the case to the department. Others at the news conference included the head of the department’s Criminal Division, Lanny A. Breuer, and the United States attorneys from Brooklyn, Manhattan, Newark and Rhode Island: Loretta E. Lynch, Preet Bharara, Paul J. Fishman and Peter F. Neronha, respectively. There were also officials from other agencies, including Raymond W. Kelly, the police commissioner of New York, and Daniel R. Petrole, the acting inspector general of the federal Labor Department.

Most of the arrests took place before 8 a.m.; by early evening, all but 3 of the 127 men sought had been taken into custody. Most of them were processed at a United States Army base in Brooklyn and arraigned in the borough’s federal courthouse.

Most of the defendants whom prosecutors characterized as higher-ranking mob figures were held without bail after pleading not guilty.

A dozen of the indictments, naming more than 80 defendants, were handed up in Brooklyn. Among those charged, according to the indictment, were the Colombo street boss Andrew Russo, the acting underboss Benjamin Castellazzo and the consigliere Richard Fusco, and two high-ranking members of the Gambino family hierarchy: the consigliere Joseph Corozzo and the ruling panel member Bartolomeo Vernace.

They were named in a racketeering indictment that also charged four reputed captains and eight soldiers. The alleged crimes spanned two decades and include the 1993 murder of underboss Joseph Scopo, the family’s asserted control of Local 6A of the Cement and Concrete Workers Union and the asserted defrauding of the city in connection with an annual feast, La Festa di Santa Rosalia in Bensonhurst.

Two indictments unsealed in Manhattan charged 26 men they identified as Gambino crime family figures, including Mr. Vernace and Mr. Corozzo, with racketeering, extortion, assault, arson and running a large marijuana and cocaine trafficking operation.

The indictment claims that they distributed cocaine and marijuana over 30 years, generating tens of millions of dollars in profit for the crime family. Two other racketeering indictments in Brooklyn name 13 men described as Gambino members and associates, including Mr. Vernace, who is charged in the double murder in the Shamrock Bar in Queens.

Mr. Vernace’s lawyer, Gerald L. Shargel, said his client was acquitted of the murders in state court in 2002. “These charges will be vigorously contested,” he said.

An indictment handed up in Newark charged 14 people, including several current and former union officials who are said to be affiliated with the Genovese family, with racketeering and extortion of Local 1235 of the International Longshoremen’s Association and other dockworkers’ locals.

The indictment charges a conspiracy over the course of many years to extort union members around Christmastime, when they receive an annual bonus based on the number of containers moving through the port.

The indictment in Rhode Island charged Mr. Manocchio — said to be an enduring figure in the New England mob that was named for its former leader, Raymond L. S. Patriarca Sr. — and Thomas Iafarte, 61, with extorting strip clubs.

Mr. Manocchio, long viewed as the quiet, disciplined power behind the Patriarca family, is a man whose low-key, old-school style has, over the years, reined in a dysfunctional crime operation, officials have said.

Dan Barry and Charlie Savage contributed reporting.

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F.B.I. and Police Arrest More Than 100 in Mob Sweep
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
The New York Times
Published: January 20, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/nyregion/21mob.html

In a blanket assault against seven mob families in New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island, the F.B.I. and local authorities began arresting more than 100 people on Thursday on charges including murder, racketeering and extortion, people briefed on the arrests said.

The sweep began before dawn and the targets ranged from small-time book makers and crime-family functionaries to a number of senior mob figures and several corrupt union officials, according to several people briefed on the arrests. Among those arrested or sought, some of the people said, were more than two dozen made members of New York’s five crime families and the families in New Jersey and New England, along with dozens of their associates.

Several of of the men arrested, the people who had been briefed said, were charged with murders — some dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. Others were charged with selections from a full menu of mob crimes: racketeering, extortion, loan-sharking and gambling, as well as labor-racketeering crimes in two sectors that officials say remain under the mob’s sway: the construction industry and the waterfront.

The arrests were based on more than a dozen unrelated indictments handed up in federal courts in four jurisdictions, several of the people said. Taken together, the arrests appeared to be the largest such sweep of organized crime figures ever conducted by federal authorities.

The charges were expected to be announced by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. at a news conference Thursday morning in Brooklyn, where the charges against many of defendants were lodged, the people briefed on the arrests said.

Those who talked about the case did so on the condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not yet been made and because some court papers remained sealed. Most of the arrests were completed by 8 a.m. — a mammoth undertaking involving the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies, along with the United States attorneys’ offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Newark and Providence, R.I.

The cases were also investigated by the New York Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States. Labor Department’s Office of Labor Racketeering, the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor and several other agencies.

The decision to announce the arrests in Brooklyn and Mr. Holder’s planned presence at the news conference would seem to underscore the importance of the case to the Justice Department.

The arrests came at a time when several federal, state and local law enforcement officials have expressed some concern about a resurgence of organized crime’s influence in some quarters after two decades of decline.

An impressive string of victories over the mob began in 1991 with the defection of the Luchese family’s acting boss, Alphonse D’Arco, who proved to be a devastating witness. Later that year, Salvatore Gravano, the Gambino family underboss, defected, and his testimony secured the conviction of John J. Gotti.

With the cooperation of those two men, a trickle of significant defections grew into a torrent, weakening the culture of omertà, the Mafia’s code of silence, and thus the foundation of organized crime itself.

The subsequent loosening of the mob’s grip on several industries and unions led to proclamations about the mob’s decline and some refocusing of law enforcement resources. Those resources directed at organized crime were further reduced after the 9/11 attacks.

Prosecutors in Brooklyn and the F.B.I. nonetheless waged a campaign over the last decade that decimated the Bonanno crime family . But the relative health of crime families tends to run in cycles, with some ascendant and some on the decline.

The more-powerful Genovese family, for example, which has found its strength in labor racketeering and construction and some more-sophisticated schemes, remains powerful, as do the Gambino and Luchese families, law enforcement officials have said. .

And in recent years, after the period of some declining focus, officials and union monitors say the mob remains stubbornly entrenched in a number of major construction unions — including locals representing carpenters, concrete workers and operating engineers — as well as on the waterfront.

---------------------------------------------------
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Thu, January 20, 2011 -- 8:33 AM ET
-----

F.B.I. and Police Arrest More Than 100 in Mob Sweep

In a blanket assault against seven mob families in New York,
New Jersey and Rhode Island, the F.B.I. and local authorities
began arresting more than 100 people on Thursday on charges
including murder, racketeering and extortion, people briefed
on the arrests said.

The sweep began before dawn and the targets ranged from
small-time book makers and crime-family functionaries to a
number of senior mob figures and several corrupt union
officials, according to several people briefed on the
arrests. Among those arrested or sought, some of the people
said, were more than two dozen made members of New York's
five crime families and the families in New Jersey and New
England, along with dozens of their associates.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/nyregion/21mob.html

Carpenter Steward Think Tank

2011-01-11T10:45:00.001-05:00

Attn: ALL CARPENTER STEWARDS

JOIN OUR STEWARD THINK TANK

Many Stewards do their jobs on a daily basis without any recognition of a job well done. We are the caretakers of our Union. However, more and more often the very men and women whose rights we protect hold us in contempt, justifiably so in some cases.

In light of the August 2009 Indictments and subsequent guilty pleas, in which 5 of 10 persons indicted & convicted were Stewards, this is to be expected. Due to this, morale among Stewards is at an all time low. The credibility of Stewards is in jeopardy, but we believe we can work together to change this negative perception.

If you are tired of doing this alone and wish to change our condition for the better, consider volunteering your suggestions and / or time in assisting to form a Stewards’ organization to be recognized at some point by the union.

Stewards, to succeed we ask that you consider the following:

*The formation of a Recognized Steward Body advocating on behalf of all Stewards
*Name of this Steward Body: (Consider acronyms like “STEW / STU“ would be ideal)

*Creation of a Mission Statement (What our goals / objectives should be)

*Possible Meeting Locations (e.g. Churches / Community Centers / Etc.)

We need Volunteer Stewards who have skills & abilities in the following areas:

*Organizing / Group Dynamics / Negotiating

*Web Hosting / Web Design / Blog Creation

*Public Speaking / Public Relations

*Creative Writing / Speech Writing / Proposal Writing

*Teaching / Instruction / Class or Workshop Creation

*Book Keeping / Accounting / Fundraising

*Labor Law / Contract Law / Political Science

*Parliamentary Procedure / Robert’s Rules Of Order

As Stewards for the Rank & File Carpenters of our Union we call for a STEWARDS ONLY MEETING on Friday, 01/14/11 (union cards will be checked for steward status) at The Moonstruck Diner at 4:30 PM (back room). The location of the diner is 400 West 23^rd Street (corner of 9^th Ave) in the borough of Manhattan. The meeting will be informal as usual. The last of the donated Tee-Shirts and Information Folders will be handed out free at this meeting.

Share the Rank & File’s feedback regarding the recent Dissolution of Local 608, the Pay Raise Giveback of 01/01/11, and the Immediate Opening of Contract Negotiations.

Child Labor and Forced Labor

2010-12-21T00:35:00.002-05:00

United States Department of Labor (USDOL)
Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)
Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
U.S. Department of Labor’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor 2010: Report Required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005

Appendix D: Suggested Additional Resources:

Bureau of international Labor Affairs – Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act Web Page: http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/programs/ocft/tvpra.htm.
Bureau of international Labor Affairs – Executive Order 13126 Web Page: http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/regs/eo13126/main.htm.
Bureau of international Labor Affairs – Trade and Development Act Report: http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/main.htm.
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, human Rights and Labor: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/.
U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/.

13 Products Most Likely To Made By Child Or Forced Labor
The Huffington Post, Ryan McCarthy First Posted: 12-18-10 10:23 AM, Updated: 12-18-10 10:37 AM

Human Rights Watch: Child Labor Articles Sorted by Date
NY Times: Child Labor

Standing Decisions of the General Executive Board; 2011 Dec LU157 Meeting

2010-12-19T10:58:00.001-05:00

STANDING DECISIONS OF THE GENERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD
1887 February 15—A Union not holding meetings at least once a month forfeits its charter and is not eligible to donations.
2006 UBC Constitution, p86, http://franco1.info/UBCJA/UBC_Con_2006.pdf.

LU157's last meeting occurred Monday, November 15. It is now 34 days since with no meeting having yet occurred in December. Contact all the LU157 E-Board members and the NYCDCC to remind them of this 1887 Standing Decision and to insist that a LU157 meeting be held ASAP, preferably this coming Tuesday, Dec 21, or Wednesday, Dec 22. Call, text, email, and/or fax them today and every day hereafter until we have a LU157 meeting. Having the meeting is not only the right thing to do but also mandated by the UBC Constitution. Let us not allow the LU157 E-Board or Spencer to ignore and violate this provision of the UBC Constitution again as had been done for five months during the LU157 2007 supervision/trusteeship.

Contact Information: 157 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, Tel: 212-685-0567/0568/0581, Fax: 212-725-6793. 505 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018, Tel: 212-643-1070, Fax: 212-643-2974/2975 Fax. Office Hours: 6:30 am - 3:30 pm. NYC Business Representative Center, Phone: 212.366.7345, Fax: 212.366.7342. http://nycdistrictcouncil.org/index.php?id=143. District Council, Tel: 212-366-7500. http://nycdistrictcouncil.org/index.php?id=76.

LU157 Meeting for Mon, Dec 20, Has Been Postponed

2010-12-17T15:45:00.003-05:00

The Local Union 157 meeting scheduled for December 20th has been postponed

As a result of the dissolution of Local Union 608 the meeting location was changed to a larger venue to accommodate all members. Unfortunately, Our Lady of Pompei Church has just informed us that they will no longer be able to host our meeting on Monday, December 20. At this time, we have no choice but to postpone the meeting until further notice. A mailing will be sent to all members in the near future with the date and location of our upcoming meeting. We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and look forward to celebrating the New Year with all of our members.

UPDATE: Due to safety concerns for the Church and our members the decision to postpone this meeting was made. Police officers from the local precinct, District Council security, District Council representatives and church representatives evaluated the venue and deemed it inappropriate to hold the event.

Please direct all inquiries to Local 157 at 212.685.0567 or 212.643.1070 and please do not disturb the staff of Our Lady of Pompei.

[Note: Pompeii is spelled with two i's.]

Source: NYCDCC website, http://nycdistrictcouncil.org/

LU608 Dissolution FAQ's

2010-12-17T10:16:00.001-05:00

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Dissolution of Local Union 608

Frequently Asked Questions:
How will the dissolution of Local 608 affect me?
Q. What happened to Local 608?A. Local Union 608 was dissolved to protect the best interests of our members. It was NOT merged. All members have been transferred to Local 157. In the near future, an Interior Systems Local Union will be established for which any member can join.
Q, Will the amount of my dues change?
A.No, your quarterly dues will remain $132.15
Q. Who do I make my check payable to?A. As of 12/14/10 all checks must be made payable to Local Union 157.
Q. Can I pay dues in the former Local Union 608 office?A. You can pay your dues in either Local 157 or former Local 608 office located in Manhattan. The Local 608 Bronx office is closed.
Local 157 West Side Office (former LU 608)                                           Local 157 East Side Office505 Eighth Avenue                                                                                157 East 25^th Street
New York, NY 10018                                                                              New York, NY 10010
212.643.1070 (phone)                                                     212.685.0567/ 0568/ 0581 (phone)
212.643.2974 (fax)                                                                                212.725.6793 (fax)
212.643.2975 (fax)
Q. What are the office hours?A. The office hours of both offices are 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. Dues can be paid daily at both offices from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm.
Q. Who will be working out of the local union offices?
A. There will be administrative staff members in each office knowledgeable about the daily operations of Local 157 and the former Local 608.
Q. Has the delegate body of Local 157changed?
A. At present, Local Union 157 delegates to the District Council have not changed. As the Council is under Supervision, the delegate body serves as an advisory board.   The Supervisor will reevaluate all business operations and delegates as we move forward.
Q. Has this action affected the Executive Board of Local 157?A. The Executive Board of Local 157 has not been affected by this action. A list of the Executive Board members can be found at http://www.nycdistrictcouncil.com/index.php?id=143. The UBC Supervisor will reevaluate all business operations and representation as we move forward.
Q. Will the Out of Work List be affected?A. The Out of Work list will NOT be affected. You can put your name on either the Eastside, Westside, Bronx, Queens or Staten Island lists.
Q. Will my number on the Out of Work List be affected?A. Your number on the Out of Work List will remain the same.
Q. Will my benefits or annuity be affected?A. No.
Q. Will the Local 608 Scholarship and/ or recipients be affected?A. All scholarship awards will be honored. An advisory committee will be formed to address the future of the former Local Union 608 scholarship fund.
Q. When is the next Local Union 157 meeting?A. Local Union 157’s meetings will be held on Monday, December 20, 2010 at 4:30 pm at
Our Lady of Pompei Church
Father Demo Hall
25 Carmine Street, NYC
(Enter at Carmine and Bleecker Street)

Source: NYCDCC website, http://nycdistrictcouncil.org/

LU608 dissolution/ LU157 merger

2010-12-16T14:30:00.000-05:00

From: Daniel J. Franco
Date: Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 14:08
Subject: LU608 dissolution/ LU157 merger
To: "Torrance, Benjamin (AUSA, SDNY, USDOJ)" , "Dennis M. Walsh"
Cc: "Dennis M. Walsh" , Mark Fitzmaurice , Jack Mitchell , Walter Mack , "LaMorte, Tara (AUSA, SDNY, USDOJ)" , "Zornberg, Lisa R. (AUSA, SDNY, USDOJ)" , "Lanpher, Mark D. (AUSA, SDNY, USDOJ)" , "Gibbs, Ryan (OLRFI-NY, OIG, USDOL)" , "Garcia, Cheryl (OLRFI-NY, OIG, USDOL)"

Dear Sirs:

1) Are you actively questioning and resisting the wrongful LU608
dissolution/ LU157 merger? If not, why not? In particular, are you
seeking to determine:
   a) What the reasons were for the dissolution/merger?
   b) Why McWilliams was required to travel to Las Vegas the very
next day after the election? What service he was performing for the
UBC, NYCDCC or LU608? What organization paid for his travel and
accommodations?
   c) Why the dissolution/merger was enacted just seven days after a
'rank-and-file' member is elected president? Why the local was not put
under supervision or dissolved/merged sooner while the local union was
being operated by former exceptionally questionable presidents?
2) Is there an effort to obtain a court injunction or some type of
stay/reversal against the dissolution/merger?
3) Is there an effort to determine whether there were UBC Constitution
violations?
4) Is there an effort to determine whether there were Consent Decree
violations, e.g. not giving the Government and/or you prior notice?
5) Is there an effort to determine whether there were US
DOL/LMRDA/labor law violations?
6) Is there an effort to determine whether there were RICO violations?
7) If you weren't already, are you now fully aware that McCarron is a
sociopath? Are you aware that he is an egotistical, double-talking,
megalomaniac who has been operating the UBCJA as if he were a
dictatorial CEO whereby his abusive overbearing actions and methods
against the general membership have been destroying our labor union
since at least his inception as General President?
8) Have you obtained Newkirk's report regarding this matter? If so, I
would greatly appreciate if you would forward me a copy.
9) Mr. Walsh, will you be attending the forthcoming LU157 meeting next
Monday, December 20? I and many other members would greatly appreciate
your presence.

I thank you for your time and attention to these matters.

Sincerely,
Daniel J. Franco
LU157, UBCJA

DJF's Blogspot
http://danieljfranco1.blogspot.com/
To the Dissolution of Local Union 608 - Say NO!, Part 1
http://danieljfranco1.blogspot.com/2010/10/dissolution-of-lu608.html
To the Dissolution of Local Union 608 - Say NO!, Part 2
http://danieljfranco1.blogspot.com/2010/10/dissolution-of-lu608-2.html
To the Dissolution of Local Union 608 - Say NO!, Part 3
http://danieljfranco1.blogspot.com/2010/10/dissolution-of-lu608-3.html

Local Union 157 Meeting Location Has Changed

2010-12-15T17:05:00.007-05:00

Local Union 157 Meeting Location Has Changed

Local Union 157’s meeting scheduled on Monday, December 20, 2010 at 4:30 pm will be held at:
Our Lady of Pompeii Church
Father Demo Hall
25 Carmine Street
New York, NY 10014
Tel: (212) 989-6805
(Enter at Carmine and Bleecker Street)

This location is a 2 minute walk from the Labor Technical College.

Source: NYCDCC Website, http://nycdistrictcouncil.org/

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New York Architecture Images-Greenwich Village
Our Lady of Pompeii Church