Thursday, November 25, 2010

Another carpenters union leader bites the dust as Michael Murphy's booted from his post

BY Brian Kates

For the fifth time this year, the head of the city's biggest carpenters union local has been booted amid corruption allegations, the Daily News has learned.

Michael Murphy, president of crime-racked Local 608, was suspended without pay less than two months after taking office in September.

He was bounced days before former District Council of Carpenters chief Michael Forde, a one-time Local 608 boss, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for racketeering.

Four of Murphy's predecessors were axed this year for financial skulduggery, rigging job referrals and other infractions, officials said.

With 7,400 members, Local 608 is the largest of 11 locals in the district council and controls virtually all high-rise construction on Manhattan's West Side and in the Bronx.

Murphy rigged work assignments to put cronies in plum jobs and is suspected of tipping probe subjects about an investigation by the district council's anti-corruption committee, sources said.

He could not be reached for comment.

District council trustee Michael Koballa, vice president of Dockbuilders Local 1456, was suspended without pay last week.

Koballa, whose duties included reviewing district council bills, ignored a key union officer's unauthorized use of union credit cards to run up whopping tabs for luxury hotel stays, gourmet meals and junkets, sources said.

Koballa's lawyer did not return calls for comment.

Since September 2009, 15 district council leaders and rank-and-file members have been forced out for everything from rigging job referrals to credit card abuse and drug use, officials said.

Federal court-appointed corruption monitor Dennis Walsh and International United Brotherhood of Carpenters emergency supervisor Frank Spencer have joined forces to clean up the district council.

20 comments:

  1. is the 608 election now a two horse race between mcgonagle and Crane or can murphy and team still run ?

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  2. Frank Spence put local 157 under supervision for absentee BA's. Then handed the local to D'Errico. Then appoints him Director of the district council. But no supervision at 608. DAH!!!

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  3. Who the fuck is going to investigate Frank Spencer & HIS McCarron APPOINTED JOB??
    GET RID OF ALL THE FUCKING CROOKS

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  4. D'ERRICO MUST GO D'ERRICO MUST GO D'ERRICO MUST GO D'ERRICO MUST GO

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  5. what took so long? total lapdog!

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  6. Big win for hospital carpenters.judge anulls lay offs.

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  7. Big win for hospital carpenters,judge anulls lay offs.

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  8. Walsh/Spencer, what more do you need?? Fire them all - every one of them should be on the street.

    Every Business Agent, Every Organizer, Every employee of the DC.

    The Funds also needs to clean house. You can start with Stewie GraBoios.

    I do not care that he was a prosecutor - they must have bounced him because he cannot see corruption while he is swimming up to his nose in it. Another thing, look into the legal bills of Brian O'Dwyer - he was getting paid by the Funds and the DC to protect Mike Forde - making him Forde's lawyer. He did nothing to protect the working carpenter.

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  9. Kabolla trying to play dumb and said he never saw the Pete expenses. But he was with Pete on many occasions when Pete broke out the credit card.

    You would think that he would have asked to see those records considering he knew they existed.

    Pete and his wife took Kabolla and his wife out to dinner on many occasions on the members dime.

    That's aiding and abetting Pete's crimes which is a crime in itself. ............... 29 USC 501(a)(C)

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  10. Dennis "The Hatchet" Walsh has been lurking the halls of the DC looking for a turkey to behead for the holiday.

    Seems Director McWilliams and his runner Andy Puerta caught a gleam of The Hatchet today.

    Puerta was overheard mumbling "Eddy, you can come out of the bushes now, they got us," at which point McWilliams was overheard reciting the Lord's Prayer after their run in with "The Hatchet Man".

    If rumors are true that you have to smack Andy once to make him talk, and twice to shut him up, you have much to be concerned about Eddyboy, damned LM2 Reports.

    Happy Thanks Giving boys, the members are counting on the sharpness of the hatchet, although some would prefer the blade be blunt. We want our turkey with lots of cranberry sauce and we want it now.

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  11. Andre Puerta is married to Brian O'Dwyer's niece and because of this he was well taken care of.

    In a 2 year period, 6/30/08 thru 6/30/09 his salary went from $91,459 to $130,598 that's a 43% or $38,500 raise in 2 years.

    Over that period he should have received a 5% or $4,600 raise. That is clearly a violation of 29 USC 501(a)(c) and he should be fired and maybe even arrested.

    This is all on the LM2 reports why is no-one acting on this. Frank Spencer and Bill Callahan dropped the ball on this one.

    I hope Dennis Walsh doesn't drop the ball too. Members should call Lisa Zornberg, Ben Torrance and Dennis Walsh to demand justice.

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  12. If Andre accepted un-authorized money he is clearly in violation of 29 USC 501(a)(c) fiduciary responsibilities and embezzlement.

    Ex. If you were the best BA signed the most companies and put 100s of men to work and Pete gave you a $10,000 bonus that you didn't ask for, you accepted it and it wasn't approved. You committed a crime.

    I am going to pursue this with Dennis Walsh after I review the LM2 reports.

    Bye Bye Andre.

    Ps. I think Olaf Olsen and Paul Pietrapolo fall into the same category and maybe a few others as well.

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  13. I knew Greaney since he was a kid on kings-bridge road. I knew his parents before they got married. I know Andrea since she was a teenager. i have been paying dues for 35 years, I will say what ever i want about that piece of shit. He had us all fooled, played us all for ejits.

    He ruined, not only 608, but the entire labor movement. He made the entire NYC buildings trades industry loose credibility and look like schmucks. and now he is bull shitting us some more. fuck him and all his cohorts.

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  14. well said..its amazing how nobody associates firth(BRAT-BOY) with Greaney(RAT-BOY) anymore.

    These 2 miserable scumbags were joined at the hip(when not up each others ass) for the past 15 years and all of the sudden firth knew nothing about it!

    Give me a break!

    Daly,Costello,Murphy,...members slate----as in my member(cock). I hope they all end up in jail after rat-boy tells the truth to save his FAT,COKE SNORTING, WHORE FUCKING, MISERABLE,PATHETIC ASS!!!!!

    Grogan,Gausman,Gaffney,(the 3 gees) a gee is known as a CUNT in the u.k....how appropriate!

    Enjoy thanksgiving with your families, it could be your last for a while.

    WHENS THE NEXT FUNDRAISER AT GAELIC PARK?

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  15. HOW ABOUT OTHERS LIKE HIS BOY JOE FIRTH, HIS DRIVER JOHN DALY, HIS STEWARTS LIKE SIMON (CACA) ROCHE. GREANEY IS LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH TO GET LESS JAIL TIME. i HOPE THEY CONVICT HIM OF PERJURY ALSO, PROVE HE IS NOT FULLY COOPERATING,AND SEND HIS SLIME SMELLY ASS TO JAIL FOR THE REST OF HIS MISERABLE SCUMBAG LIFE. THIS WAY HIS NEWBORN BASTARD SON WILL ONLY SEE HIM THROUGH PLEXYGLASS.

    HIS REAL KIDS WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM.

    I BET ANDREA IS LOOKING DOWN AT ALL THIS SHAKING HER HEAD, AND THANKING GOD SHE IS WHERE SHE IS AND NOT WITH HER JERK-OFF HUSBAND. MIKE DONOVAN WOULD BE REAL PROUD.

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  16. Frank Spencer, you've got to be embarrassed about this whole 608 thing.

    By the way - that idiot Murphy was put into 157 at your request back in Nov 07. Just part of the larger cover up back then. Your making too many bad decisions Spence, no more authority for you!!!

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  17. Spence has provided Thomassen & Shiel the escape route, make no doubt about it.

    "Don't worry we'll charge them he says."

    It was announced that anyone defrauding the NYCDCC & the Union would be charged whether or not they were still employed.

    Frankly, Frank you should have done so immediately after the "retirements."

    You provided them with this escape route and you Frank have got to go!

    The membership was saying don't let them stay or let them slide out the back door.

    Look what you went & did. Covering up for them, just like you did for over a decade.

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  18. You can blame this on that greedy idiot Joe Firth and his posse.

    Firth forced elections and got himself elected in his attempt to save his ass.

    Instead you got your messy DUI and corrupt story told to the entire UBC at the convention, you became ANOTHER local 608 president dismissed and gave us John Mumbles Daly to be president for about 2 weeks until he became ANOTHER local 608 president dismissed.

    MIKE MURPHY ALL GET IN LINE TO KILL THE LOCAL If one of you boys had in you, the moment John Greaney was indicted; local 608 should had changed.

    BUT NO! You welcomed Greaney and Hayes like heroes. Firth even threw them a fundraiser!!! Forde, Greany, Deveroux, Firth, Daly..... you fucking idiots. You gave away this powerful local to McCarron.

    I hope you all rot for pissing on the members. Your ignorance and arrogance killed local 608 and crippled the NYCDC.

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  19. Hammering Away

    Gene Clarke is a carpenter, not a prosecutor, but he has long been exposing corruption in his union, the New York City District Council of Carpenters. The federal government had largely declared victory in its effort to purge mobsters from the union's ranks when Clarke complained in 2001 that union officials were manipulating the hiring list on behalf of favored contractors, ignoring those long out of work. Clarke, aided by lawyer Jim Wasserman, wrote to the federal judge overseeing the union under a 1993 consent decree. The case was reopened, and assistant U.S. attorneys Ed Scarvalone and Ben Torrance found Clarke's charges a roadmap to other abuses. A lengthy investigation followed, with many stops and starts. Former police corruption prober Walter Mack was named to investigate, but union bigs maneuvered him out after he zeroed in on the culprits. Fortunately, the probe caught the attention of a spitfire prosecutor named Lisa Zornberg, who last month won the conviction of the mobbed-up leader of the largest employers' association. Last week, Clarke was in court to see former District Council Chief Mike Forde get 11 years for taking bribes; eight others were also convicted. Clarke, 71, who started pounding nails in the Bronx as a teenager, says there's more work to be done. "I'm still active," says Clarke, who beat cancer a couple of years ago. "Every time I go on a job, they try to throw me off because they don't want me around. But I'm not going anywhere."

    http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-11-24/news/a-thanksgiving-honor-roll-for-2010/3/

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  20. This garbage represents all that is wrong with union & soon will go to jail like the others.

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