Decades of corruption, court orders and monitoring involving the District Council pose an essential question to its members: when will it end?
I think you know the answer: it will end when the members make it end. All of you, the strong, proud and honest members of the United Brotherhood here in New York have the power to take action and to right this great vessel. With the wind of change at your back and the courage of your convictions -- you can chart a course for the future and steer the District Council to a better place. I want to help you do this. Let’s go where the future is as bright as your dreams.
You may say, “That sounds great, but I’m only one person, what can I do? It’s better to keep quiet.” I say that you are much more than just one man or one woman; together you form an army, a force for good in the organized labor movement. Join with the thousands of your brothers and sisters who are just like you: men and women who want to do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay and make a good life for their families. You can all help each other do the right thing.
You have minds, you have voices -- you have hearts -- use them. Working together, the membership can overcome the corruption, selfishness and indifference that have afflicted the District Council. Join this great undertaking -- and help build a system that is stronger than anyone who may try to abuse it.
Let’s get started right now. I ask a few things of you. Get involved. Get informed. Go to Union meetings and bring your minds, voices and hearts. Talk to your brother and sister members. Talk to your Union leaders. Tell me if you have reason to believe that they aren’t doing their duty. Be aware of what is going on at your jobs. Work with me and my team to build a better District Council, serve justice and protect your rights.
Call us. Write to us. Send us email. Do not be silent. No one should think that his or her voice does not matter. This is your Union. Make it as good as it can be. It’s your choice. It’s your future.
To contact me, my staff counsel Mark Fitzmaurice, or my Chief Investigator Jack Mitchell, use any of the means listed below. All of your communications will be kept confidential. We look forward to talking with you.
Dennis Walsh: 914-437-9058 dwfitzwalsh@optonline.net dmwfw@verizon.net
Mark Fitzmaurice: 914-437-9057 mfitzwalsh@optonline.net
Jack Mitchell: 212-885-8397 jnmitchell@bdo.com
The Review Officer’s Toll-Free Hotline: 1-877-395-7497
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
A Message from Review Officer Dennis Walsh
35 comments:
I would ask that if you would like to leave a comment that you think of Local 157 Blogspot as your online meeting hall and that you wouldn’t say anything on this site that you wouldn’t, say at a union meeting. Constructive criticism is welcome, as we all benefit from such advice. Obnoxious comments are not welcome.
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To Mr. Walsh: Thank you for showing the Rank & File the respect of addressing them directly. The Steward Ad-Hoc Committee wishes to express its approval. We hope that maybe soon you and your staff might address the membership in person. Welcome to the Good Fight.
ReplyDeletehttp://steward-underground-broadcasts.blogspot.com/
We need to back up Dennis Walsh he can not do it alone. Step up brothers and sisters.OR there will be no union
ReplyDeleteWhy did John Early have to retire?
ReplyDeleteThere was no hint of that in last months meeting & this month,bam-he's gone. WHY?
Members should know about things like that.
John Holt in Brooklyn-926-FIRED
ReplyDeleteSal Zarzana 926- RETIRED- supposedly for health reasons
John Early-45 RETIRED?Talk about out of the blue.Who knows the inside story on that one?
time to divide the work between the company guys and the list guys.city guys and people from long island and new jersey.
ReplyDeletepeople who live in the city and pay the taxes here should be put to work first.we need to do what jersey and long island does hire residence first or only
mr walsh: my only is that you can do your job as good or even better then walter mac did ? clean house , 395 hudson street is dirty from the basement up ! all the left overs are all dirty. coke , drinking , stung guns , pills , as per the f.b.i . dennis , you have your job cut out for you & i wish you the best
ReplyDeletemr. Walsh
ReplyDeleteyou are doing a great job
i am a diver in local 1456 and i believe that local 1456
has cut a deal with contractors to not follow OSHA regulations that require a 3 man dive team.
i am being forced to risk my life because they have made this deal saving the contractor money and lining their pockets by not manning the job as required by OSHA.
keep up the good housekeeping!
what going on at local 2287 ??? everything a big secret (jeff p mike z)
ReplyDeletein the next contract .you should lose your pension and medical benefits. if you are convicted,of defranding the benefits funds that would eliminate alot of corruption
ReplyDeleteGood morning Mr Walsh first I Would Like To Thank You For Every Thing Your Doing On Cleaning Up The district council Of it's Trash.
ReplyDeleteI Have Been A Member for 23 And Also Worked At The School Teaching Stretch Wall which I Have Been Doing It For Over 20 Years. which you's No Longer Teach. But The Wall Paper Hangars teach it At There School and I Know It Belongs to the Carpenters . I Believe We Were Sold out on That. So I'm Not Doing That Any More. I Was With A Company For !6 Years Doing it' And Since wall Paper Hangers Are Doing It Was Well Work Got Slow And I Got Layed Off. So For The First Time In My 23 Years I Had To Go On The Out Of Work List Which I Have Been Waiting For A Call FOR 1 Year And 8 mounths' Is That Possible that We Have To Wait That Long To Get Called From The Out Of Work List ...Please You Have To Fix That Iv Been Living Off My Annuity In The Mean Time So I Would Not Lose My House That I Put My Life Savings Into. And If I Do Lose My House My Blood Will Be On The District Council Hands . I' am So Frustrated With The Corruption . I Don't Know How Much More I Could Take ...I Wanted To Be A Carpenter Since I Was 12 Years Old Got In The Union At 23 years Old .And That's All I Want To Do . Please Just Give Me Some Hope you'll Fix This Mess They Made.....Thank You For You Time Donna. 157
Mr.Walsh...I attended last nights meeting with 3 fellow workers whom,like myself,had not attended a union meeting in about 15 years due to knowing it was business as usual and nothing would change.Last night it was clear the people who are elected and sit on the stage and are the people who are supposed to put the memberships interests are still a bunch of liars and phony's.What was different was the disgust and anger of the membership who know they were being lied to and seem to have no vote or say in the direction of our future.You are our wild card.The membership I have talked to are very glad you are on our side and thankful for the great work you are doing.Please keep it up,we need a voice.
ReplyDeleteWe need to give up all the General Foremans and Supers as well as Foreman. Who are put in Place By the Cronies to Cypher Monies and Keep Low numbers on the Jobs for Kick backs and spots for their Cronies. I have a few names to throw out there..........
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBooggiecarp: Brother's and Sister's Who are out of work and wondering is it Me. Lawrence said there are people on the OWL that can't keep a Job. Lies Lies Lies . If you Ever Work for a Out of the Town Company You will Hear all the Myths and Legendary Stories about Our Leaders. The Reasons Why they Sign with Other Trades and Play Dodge Ball with Us. Read between the Lines. I'm with a Company That Just signed with us after being on a Jobsite for 3 Months. The other Trades Signed there Contract O Days. That's a Zero. When Out of town Companies get Contacts Here The GC Usually gives them the Numbers and Contacts of The Nessary trades. For some reason they are not calling our Boys. Figure it out . Back to the Job I'm on Brick Layers were doing Our work . What Brick work the Company I'm working with have O , Oh yeah that's a Zero... Brother's and sister's they don't have lack of Respect for Us , It's for the Leaders. Part 2 Later. If you don't want to hear anymore > Voice...
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon Mr. Walsh and my fellow brothers, i write you this afternoon with the hopes of gaining some understanding of who it is we are fighting in this "Good Fight". My Local 608 recently disentegrated after almost 15 years of my membership. Even though this made me a little nervous i still had some confidence in the brotherhood overall. That was until friday, when i was singled out as "the only 157 guy" on the job and approached with no regard or respect for my dues paying, training taking, hard working years as a union member. a local 2287 agent/rep attempted to remove me from a job because i was not Osha 30 certified. imagine a union professional telling another union member they cant work even though they are appropriately certified? the worst part about it was his lack of knowledge of the situation even though i had kept my steward aware that the school said i didnt need it because my osha 10 has not expired and my old local did not require osha 30. futhermore, there is a long wait at the school for the osha 30 class and i am on the list. his condescending and direspectful approach is not what i have come to know and expect from any union representative. Can someone please tell B.A. Sal Salzano that the "good fight" is for me not against me! i am truley disgusted.
ReplyDeletehttp://majorityrights.com/index.php/weblog/comments/canada_rejects_amnesty_for_illegals/. Under the Collective Agreement between Carpenter ‘Employers Bargaining Agency and the Carpenter District Council of UBCJA of North America and Canada
ReplyDelete(Article3.)-Article 5.01 Union Security–(a) The employer agrees to hire and continue to employ employees covered by this Agreement who are members in good standing. (b) All employees covered by this Agreement shall be hired by the employer through the offices of the Local Unions. Article 5.02 - The Employer (which is the Union), (uses Out of work list), shall at all times give preference of employment to members of the United Brothers and Carpenters and Joiners of North America and Canada over the employee who are applicant for membership. Under Article 22 Grievance Procedures, no step has been taken. Since October 2007 I have written issues of my grievances including but not pertaining to the above articles to United Brothers of Carpenters and Joiners of North America and Canada, up to this day I have yet to receive a reply. I have addressed my Issues to Local 27, Mr. Frank O'Reilly President, Mike York Vice President and Mr. Ucal Powell-Chairman from 2004 - 2007; Mike York is now President. After I couldn’t get work in 2004, I made a proposal to restore and make all TCHC housing energy efficient with the premise the youth would be involved. Then in 10, 2007 I made an official grievance to UBCJA in Washington to the following people, James Smith, Mr. Douglas J. McCarron, Mr. Solis, Mr. Douglas J. Banes, Giz Kaczorowski, Roger Gary, Miss T. McKinley, I had even sent a FedEx to UBCJA Headquarters, Washington, DC with out a response, but had a Positive reply from EEOC of USA Reference: #081127-000007. I, Mark Anthony Harris 3346-3547 worked from 2002-2007 (for 2,800 hours in 6 years) with Local Union 27 in Canada, while Illegals in the Local Union 27 were getting over 3000-4000hrs / year . In 2006 when my grandmother, Jessica Welch of Brooklyn died, I decided to give back to the 911 World Trade Centre Project because friends died there and my sister nearly died. I asked for a transfer, which wasn’t successful, Local 926 Brooklyn out of work staff didn’t call me to work or assist with my transfer I came back to Canada and worked with Local 27, in both years, 2006 last quarter and 2007 last quarter (I worked with a work permit in Toronto, Canada issued by Frank O’Reilly), although Caucasian friends were transferred. Still they are saying at the USA Rainbow border crossing that I have worked. Also, I have asked Local Union 27 of Canada for my Transfer and Local Union 926 in Brooklyn NY for my end of year records of 2- 6 month dues and medical benefits, (June 2006 – December 2006 & June 2007 - December 2007) so that I can do my 'Condition of Employment” for my Taxes" in Canada. Although I paid for the last halves of 2006 & 2007 I came back to Canada and worked under work permits and my benefits were not forwarded to Local 926 where I was transferred. Worked in Hazardous Conditions, i.e. Pearson International Airport Terminal 2 Foundation-forming (Gaseous) , and Da Fasco Re-heat Mill Confined Spaces Entrant, Petro Canada, Lakeshore Toronto etc.I have never utilize my benifits but was ABANDONED BY THE UNION – MARK HARRIS 3346-3547
http://cid-ed1ec2f978057f13.photos.live.com/self.aspx/My Blog Photos/CanadaTrainingInstitute%5E403.BMP
I WANT RESULTS, RESPONSES, AND SATISFACTION. NOT TO BE DISREGARDED, FRUSTRATED AND ABANDON.
STOP CLEANING HOUSE AND ADDRESS MY ISSUES UBCJ of North America and Canada
The UBCJA and each of them mentioned above have and are acting contrary to the Constitution to which they are bound constituting a breach of contract and causing the Plaintiff MARK A. HARRIS great loss and damage.
If I didn’t send my grievance to the WHITE HOUSE in 2008, Michael Forde would still be running the Union Amuc
Use to be Shoppy: Remember Mr Murray is like many Contractors who are pushed in being Slime. Remember The corupts at the Council Present Packages to them and That Package often Includes you keep a few of my Cronies Busy and you can have as many men as you want and I will give you a Steward who won't say anything. Why do you think his story has Weight . Wake up People
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone can't figure out why alot of top Business Managers were fired it is Simple. They got fired for doing what every BM before them has done. Take care of the Desinated Good ole Boys and There is a List of Good ole Boys. At the expense of the rank and file Members. In order to do this you have to Have your curupt Stewards who are will to Bend,but yet will not fall on the sword if shit hits the fan. The Foremans are curupted and the Info is passed to the Boss that he can save monies. Murry is not as big of a Monster as you all say he is. A opportunity was presented to Him and He had no Choice.
ReplyDeleteThe Javits Center Needs to be Revisited. If Reeks of Curuption. Shamed Fired B'a's Working for Freeman, The Foreman Letting Him and his Buddies Leave at 6:30 and still Put them in for 12 hours on a 8Pm to 8Am shift. Make up False Charges against good workers. Freeman's Motto is we Take care of the Client. Well the workers that the Clients are Pleased with are Targeted and accused of Make-believe Charges to secure spots for Garbage Cronies who never really knew how to Work. Bo Bo and you Friends you will have no Luck. Evil Only Reigns for a Period. The Rightous will come out on top.
ReplyDeletePainters new contract. No raise first year. 3% per year for the next 3
ReplyDeletewhat would happen if first, second and third year apprentices go on strike against select companies?
ReplyDeleteVery important, many apprentices are not getting treated fare by big companies.Do you just suck it up and take it. There is way more to this. No skills, No money, we are in for a big surpise.
pleasekeepinmind,fullmobility,isdestroyingthe-out-of-worklist,allmembers,deservebetter,plesekeep-into-considertion,thecontractors-haveto-muchpower-andworkerre-beingbused,andlaidoff,ourstewardsdeserve-respect-andalloursupport,because,theyholdthe-union-togerther
ReplyDeleteourunionneeds-real-leadersandrealpeople-togetusoutofthismess,andtosave,thefuture,fortheyoungguyswho-willcarrythetorch,godblessourunion.
ReplyDeleteMr Walsh it has come to my attention that tonight
ReplyDeleteThe contractors called an emergency meeting
Of our delegates to ask for further concessions
To the already agreed upon contract these guys
Are pieces of dung they are being Allowed to
Gut this contract all the while our goverment
Supervision is standing by allowing this to happen
This is very disheartening to the membership
They are staring to believe that when corruption
Was in place they had a better chance then now
The government came in and said they were going
To make a fair playing field this has not happened
With the contract talks. Enough is enough if you
And the others are supposed to be the big dog
In town you are looking like you and the others are
In the contractors pockets or the mccarron teams
Pockets no action on your part and the others at
This critical time makes you and the others
Guilty of not doing your job I ask you to let true
Membership look at this contract before it's signed
You have done this with the new bylaws so it
Is possible All the other trades have done better
Then us. And we are are the ones with big
Brother looking out for this doesn't look good
hey john.why are'nt you writing about the council going after the retires for medical.they say they need money because the hours are down.how about taking the dollar that is supposed to be going to the pension fund.how about cutting payroll at the district council.how about telling dennis walsh and his staff that they should not make one penney more than than average carpenter.while you are at it ask dennis how much money he and everyone before him have recovered in lost benefits.if you add up the millions it has cost to pay all the dennis walshes and judges and whatever title you want to give them and the amount they recovered witch is close to zero there would not be a problem.but there answer is like everyone before them.go after the working man.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest investigating the automated dispatch system and finding out just how many carpenters have not been dispatched to local jobs. Then contact contractors and ask them what percentage of carpenters on the job are from that area and what percentage have to drive well over an hour to get to work.
ReplyDeleteFollow up with finding out how many of us lost our medical insurance due to lack of hours because we cannot get work with this system and then track down what happened to all the money paid into our benefits fund after the union canceled our insurance for lack of hours.
Full mobility will never work, there is too much wiggle room for contractors to do the wrong thing. All day long in front of shop stewards companies request workers of the list who have been already working at another company job for months, this is federal fraud and it is done everyday in the New York City District Council would blatant disregard. The only option is to take that option for mobility out of the contractors hands, the union is for the rights of the worker not the right of the Contractors Association. We must get rid of the out of work list we must Institute hey John we for rotation system. One that abolish is full mobility. contractors cannot choose which workers they will have for a job even a foreman. there must be a rotation program wear a signatory contractor has to request a foreman journeyman for work on a job there can be no more company men. signatory contractors must request journeyman/forman for each job. This will insure the qualifications of a member to do a job, and stop the nepotism and monopolizing ok some companies by certain union members.
ReplyDeleteI want to see results, I have not seen any yet if you cannot do the job quit you're getting paid 80 grand a month I'll come down there and with things into shape for you real fast trust me. what needs to happen is we need to cut the bullshit and get the job done.
ReplyDeletesignatory contractors have too much pull, we need to stop asking them if things are okay and telling them this is how it is if you don't like it you won't get qualified union workers. trust me you will see how fast they agree to everything when they don't have any workers to do their job for them.
ReplyDeleteIt's true companies should not be allowed to decide what workers they want to keep from the union. The Union should do that send new workers to a company for every job to keep it fair.
ReplyDeleteGet rid of full mobility and start having the Union be in control of who goes where truly and we will see some differences in the work hours in the benefit.. full mobility is why there are so many unqualified carpenters out here.. get rid of full mobility start a work rotation program.. have the Union be in control of assigning work to carpenters.. not the signatory contractor baby was take who we tell them to take period.. this way we insure the skill set and qualification level of all our workers because they must be trained in order to be rotated..
ReplyDeleteThe Delegate Body will be asked to vote on the finished Wall and Ceiling Contract on April 25th, 2013. As the Review Officer, do you have the authority to make that vote a fully documented Roll-Call Vote so that every union member will know exactly how each elected delegate voted on this extremely important contract? I feel that the delegates must really own their votes on this one. I fear that if its simply left to the normal process of someone motioning for a roll-call vote on the floor, the motion may not be approved. This in turn will cement the growing disgust and disrespect with the whole process among the rank and file. If we are to ever outgrow the consent decree and the need for an RO through a vital, robust and well respected and well functioning democratic process, then I feel that the delegates need to know right away that they cannot hide on this vote. They need to be encouraged to get their members' input and they need to know that this vote will be forever available for all to see. A vibrant and transparent process is necessary to restore respect for the governing structure of our union. As the RO, will you enforce a completely documented, Roll-Call vote? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHow much longer will you take advantage of our money by dragging this investigation on and on? I believe where ever there is large amounts of funds, people will find a way to grab as much as they can. Swift justice is needed, and people are being hurt that worked hard for this union. I pray you are an honorable man, and not a future embarrassment, as so many others have been.
ReplyDeleteI would like just one straight answer on why we can not talk to one soul at the district council! We are being completely ignored by the people who supposedly work for us.just want some simple questions answered.
ReplyDelete