Informed sources say that former UBC member Brian Brennan has settled his lawsuit (see below) with the New York City District Council of Carpenters and will be reinstated back into the UBC.
Brennan a 26-year veteran carpenter was ordered expelled and fined $25,000 by the trial committee on March 25, 2010 "for causing dissension among the members of the Brotherhood and violating the Obligation."
Brennan's trouble started back on May 14, 2009 when he participated in a small demonstration outside the District Council's Hudson Street offices against union leadership over a plan to withhold quarterly benefits checks from
members who refuse to sign the "Blue Card" and grant the trustees of their welfare fund a new
power to levy fines against them.
About 1,000 of the union’s 18,000 or so working members did not signed
the "Blue Card."
Carpenters being a vocal
lot staged the demonstration and Brennan, one of the few who sticks
his neck out brought a sack of flour as a heavy-handed prop as a sign of Mike Fordes cocaine habit.
"We called it 'Mike's coke.' Everyone knew he had a big habit."
A
fracas broke out when Brennan tried to go inside to confront
benefit-fund officials. He was arrested, accused of hitting a security
guard. "I didn't hit anybody," he said. "I'm the one got hit." The
district attorney declined criminal charges, but Forde's lieutenants (Pete Thomassen, Lawrence D'Errico, Charles Harkin and Dennis Sheil) filed charges against him.
Disgraced former Carpenter head Michael Forde, pleaded guilty in 2010 to federal racketeering and
bribery charges, and was sentenced to 11 years in a federal lockup.
Brennan's attorney, Robert Felix, filed a lawsuit on March 16, 2011 against the Council requesting a jury trial seeking reinstatement and recover back pay.
At a court conference last month, Review Officer Dennis Walsh stated, "I've always been very sympathetic to
Mr. Brennan's plight, and I have told the UBC that I thought it was a
situation that they should revisit.....[I] also let my
opinion be known to the UBC that I think that is a lawsuit that should
be settled rather than district council moneys being expended going
forward."
The settlement has not been made public, "we don’t know exactly how much the settlement is, but they did settle and Brain Brennan will be reinstated," the source said.
Carpenters Brian Brennan Suit Usdc 03242011 - Copy
(John's note: This is a video I made back in 2008.)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
UBC Reinstates Carpenter who was expelled and fined $25k
7 comments:
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DROP DEAD UNITY TEAM !
ReplyDeleteBLUE CARD BOY LIVES!
ReplyDeletewe cant afford anymore hush hush deals. Dennis we deserve better its time to shine a light on the real problem Upper Managment Doug McCarron,Frank Spencer,John Ballantyne etc etc etc
ReplyDeleteThere was a demonstration a couple years ago, which was well-attended, which did get out of hand and led to the arrest of one of the members who did jump up on the security desk. He was brought up on charges and, in essence, turned into a poster boy for the authority of the Forde regime. He was convicted, he was heavily fined, and he was expelled from the union.
ReplyDelete_____________________
This excerpt needs to be formally corrected for the record, via the forwaridng of the lawsuit filed to Federal Judge Richard Berman.
The lines above lead you to believe that Brian Brennan was arrested and convicted in a criminal Court of Law. He was not!
He was "convicted" by a corrupt Forde regime, led by False charges filed by Thomassen via a corrupt Council and a Kangaroo Court within the UBCJA & the NYCDCC.
The NYCDCC's own camera's proved his innocense and the fact that he was the one attacked.
Micheal J. Forde has since been indicted, convicted and sentenced to 11-years, 3-months in Club Fed. Thomassen has since resigned in disgrace prior to be being indicted himself.
Someone slap a cover letter on this suit and send it to Judge Berman.
"There was a demonstration a couple years ago, which was well-attended, which did get out of hand and led to the arrest of one of the members who did jump up on the security desk. He was brought up on charges and, in essence, turned into a poster boy for the authority of the Forde regime. He was convicted, he was heavily fined, and he was expelled from the union."
ReplyDelete_____________________
This excerpt statement by RO Walsh from the November 7th Court Conference needs to be formally corrected for the record, via the forwardng of the LMRDA lawsuit filed by Mr. Brennan's attorney to Federal Judge Richard Berman.
The statements above, albeit off the cuff, lead you to believe that Brian Brennan was arrested and convicted in a criminal Court of Law. He was not!
He was "convicted" on trumped up Internal Union charges by a corrupt Forde regime on false allegations & charges filed by Thomassen and convicted by a Kangaroo Court within the UBCJA & the NYCDCC.
The DC's camera's proved that Mr. Brennan was the one who was attacked.
Michael J. Forde has since been indicted, convicted and sentenced to 11-years, 3-months in Club Fed. Thomassen has since resigned in disgrace prior to be being indicted himself.
Mr. Brennan was made the "Poster Boy" to be used as an example to coerce and intimidate all other rank & file members, to demonstrate the ironclad grip of Mob control and the kind of beat-down you could expect to recieve for exercsing your right to Free Speech and your right to refrain from "any & all activities" in direct violation of NLRA Section 7 rights guaranteed as a matter of Federal Law per the LMRDA of 1959.
All of this took place under the Federal Courts direct supervision imposed by the Consent Decree. Instead of the USAO's Office launching an investigation, they allowed Doug McCarron & Forde to feign clean hands, continue to extort money from member's Vacation Wages and the USAO's office ignored the obvious under the false claim that this was "Internal Union Rules" and not within their direct control.
Section 7 is labor law 101. The extortion of funds direct from members Vacation Pay was readily apparent, and until this suit, all parties looked the other way, while the International & DC was allowed to extort tens of millions of dollars from members paychecks, all of it in direct contravention to settled law.
Use of the U.S. Mail & the wires, in crossing state lines is a predicate to Federal Racketeering charges under the RICO statutes. Charges should be filed accordingly and the USAO & FBI should serve the indictments on the UBCJA's International Officers and Executive Baord members who contrived the scheme and those who have furthered it for the past 13+ years...no more, no less.
McCarron plans on greasing the wheels a bit more at the DOL, through Politicians long bought off and through the alleged Labor Board itself; and shall soon move to increase the Fine to $1,000.00 per year, per man/woman and could soon be raking in some $512M per year.
Apparently, if you are on the receiving end of the bribes & kick-backs, it's all good, it's all legal - trust us your honor.
The law proves otherwise. High time the USAO did something about it. Never mind the lame brianed 4-corner argument from Judge Haight.
That doesn't pass muster with longstanding and yet over-turned U.S. Supreme Court precedent which moots his legal theory and his ruling in its entirety.
NYCDCC VACATION FUND FY ending 6-30-07
ReplyDelete$28,444,985 Vacation Wages earned
$ 93,556 Interest on Savings
$ 208,239 Dividends on Securities
$ 4,598 Arbitration Award
____________
$ 306,393
TOTAL
$28,751,378 Total-Vacation Fund
$26,268,712 Paid to Members
__________
$2,482,666 Retained DC Play $
LINE 93A
AMOUNTS PAID BY CONTRIBUTING EMPLOYERS AS CONSIDERATION FOR PROVIDING SERVICES IN FURTHERANCE OF THE PURPOSE CONSTITUTING THE BASIS FOR THE EXEMPTION OF THE ORGANIZATION
You cannot make this up!
$179,493 Salaries
$ 49,518 Pension Plan
$ 39,568 Other Employee Benefits
$ 12,979 Payroll Taxes
$ 205 Accounting Fees
$114,624 LEGAL FEES
$ 15,295 Supplies
$ 4,625 Telephone
$ 16,278 Postage & Shipping
$ 78,084 Occupancy
$ 8,409 Equip Rental
$ 9,060 Printing & Publications
$ 8,413 Depreciation
$255,132 "Other"
________
$791,673
$1,601,768 other liabilities
_________ VACATION WAGE FINES...
$2,396,441 in VIOLATION OF SECT 7
$2,482,666 ($89,225 MIA)...COKE $
This is priceless...$114,624 to recover a $4,598 dollar Arbitration award...WOW, stellar job.
SIGNED BY FORDE 4-10-08, MONEY TRANSFERRED OVER TO "WELFARE FUND" per Merger Agreement executed October 17, 2006....wait till ya see the additional amounts grabbed for the same Fiscal Year
December 15, 2011 7:03 PM
UBCJA INTERNATIONAL RESTRUCTURING & BY-LAW PLAN dated May 26, 2011
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the Latham & Watkins letter, at page-1, paragraph 2:
Sentence one, right out of the gate – the UBCJA International and their counsel of record which the rank & file members pay for directly, start with a 40-page Lexis-Nexis report from the University of California, Boalt Hall Journal of Criminal Law.
Said report is a firm reminder of past and present crimes. Judge Conboy states: “Although these efforts have successfully broken the cycle of murders, beatings, disappearances, and violence that plagued the District Council before the imposition of the Consent Decree, they have not yet been able to stamp out corruption, racketeering and Benefit Fund abuses.”
The members & your honor should note the ‘emphasis’ on murder – as the first reminder of what can and does occur; and, that there is an intent here, duly imparted to the UBC rank & file members conscious mind which stands contrary to the fraudulent claims of apathy made by the IRO.
_____________
The report cited above by Judge Conboy put the emphasis on the lower crimes first...beatings, stabbings, disappearances and finally Murder...he, being the ex-judge flipped it around & put the emphasis on "murder" first.
H'mmm- now why do you suppose an upstanding lawyer, former federal judge, former IRO under the Consent Decree & now Doug's no. 1 Pitchman would state it in this fashion?
Could it be that he himself has been around the criminal element for far too long? It surely seems that way! Why else do you intentionally put the emphasis on "murder" first? Trying to make a point your honor? Trying to initimidate the rank & file with a veiled threat? Again, one has to one wonder.
In the end, it always comes down to the "Money Trail". The DC & the Benefit Funds have been easy pickings for 22+ years, however, it is high time you left the piggy trough and either retire or go do something else before you end up before the state bar association.
When McCarron leaves on the 11th of Janaury, you need to follow. Take the easy way out and leave quietly.