On August 22, 2012 New York City District Council of Carpenters delegates voted
overwhelmingly to approve a new five-year contract with the Association of Wall-Ceiling and Carpentry Industries , a major step towards ending a protracted
labor saga that has left carpenters without a contract
for 15 months.
The proposed agreement that the delegates approved by a vote of 60 to 26, includes "full mobility," a controversial clause that allows contractors to hire union
members without official referrals from the out-of -work list.
Because the "full mobility" clause represents a change to the hiring
ratios (67% - 33%) mandated in a May 2009 federal court order, it will have to be
approved by the court. The union's federal-appointed monitor, Review Officer (RO) Dennis
Walsh, and the U.S. Attorney's Office
must also approve the deal, which includes that the employers and
District Council "must develop an appropriate compliance program."
Since the delegate vote, the Bilello administration has been working with a vendor to develop an "appropriate compliance program" that will require stewards
to report carpenters time by logging into a District Council database through the use of a computer provided by the employer.
It is expected that a presentation of the program will be made to the RO and U.S.
Attorney in early October. If the RO and U.S. Attorney approve the program, a provisional order would then be sought from
the District Court (which would require close oversight and frequent
reporting by the RO).
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Contract Update
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
'Donnie Brasco' says Mob controls construction via unions
FBI ex-agent Joseph Pistone tells Quebec inquiry how Mafia kept grip on projects
CBS NEWS
The former FBI agent who infiltrated the New York Mafia and helped convict more than 200 gangsters told Quebec's Charbonneau commission on Monday that the Mob would manipulate the construction industry and rake in large payoffs by infiltrating unions and controlling the supply of raw materials.
Joseph Pistone, who spent five years undercover as a Mafia henchman and whose story was made famous in the movie Donnie Brasco, testified at the inquiry about his experience in "deep cover," mostly inside New York's Bonanno crime family in the late 1970s and early '80s.
"Organized crime cannot operate without corrupting someone," Pistone said in response to questions about how New York's five Mafia families insinuated themselves into business and government.
And in the construction sector, that meant gaining control of labour unions — generally by having a Mafia man get elected president or business manager of a local, Pistone said.
Last NYCDC LM-2 filed by UBC Supervisior Spencer
Unions covered by the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
are required to submit annual financial statements to the US Department
of Labor. The LM-2 Form will tell you how many members the union has,
the salaries of officers and staff, and other useful information.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Bilello Adminstration Rocked with Scandal as NYCDC President Forced to Resign
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| You're Fired! Lebo forced to resign. |
In a brief letter posted on the councils website late Friday morning, Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mike Bilello wrote:
"William S. Lebo officially tendered his resignation from his position as President of the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters on Friday, September 21, 2012. Due to personal reasons that include the tragic passing of his wife this year, Brother Lebo is unable to devote the full time and attention that is required to fully serve our membership and fulfill the responsibilities of President."
Bilello gave no thanks or praise for Lebo's work during the last nine months, no wishing him well, or mention of severance pay or the procedure to fill the vacated position.
Thursday we reported that Lebo was vetoed by Review Officer (RO) Dennis Walsh.
In a response to an email for comment, the RO confirmed that a "Notice of Possible Action" was served on Bill Lebo last week.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Official response regarding Lebo
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
William S. Lebo officially tendered his resignation from his position as President of the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters on Friday, September 21, 2012. Due to personal reasons that include the tragic passing of his wife this year, Brother Lebo is unable to devote the full time and attention that is required to fully serve our membership and fulfill the responsibilities of President.
Fraternally,
Michael R. Bilello
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
NYCDCC
(John's note: Once again the membership is being mislead by Bilello, this letter is total BS)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Lebo Vetoed!
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| You're Fired! President Lebo. |
Lebo was elected last December along with new EST Mike Bilello. Bilello hired Lebo as his "assistant" in January, at a annual salary of $185,000.
Walsh has been continuing to conduct investigations into troubling allegations that the District Council remains influenced by organized crime, the informed source said.
The District Council has been plagued by corruption for years. In 1990, the federal government brought a racketeering suit against the union, beginning a two-decade period in which the organization has been under monitoring by U.S. officials. In 1994, the government entered into a consent decree with the union, which among other things barred union officials from associating with organized crime figures, and in 2010, a federal judge appointed Mr. Walsh to oversee the operations of the union and its benefit funds.
In November 2010, the union's previous leader, Michael Forde, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes from contractors.
Mr. Bilello has promised to root out corruption at a union, “Corruption at the District Council can be ended once and for all,” Mr. Bilello said in a statement in a union election newsletter. “It starts at the top. The union has to be led by people who love the union, not people who love money. The organization wasn't created for people to make it to the top to enrich themselves and leave everyone else behind.”
Mr. Walsh did not respond to an email seeking comment...story still developing.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
OPINION & ORDER
Judge Richard M. Berman, has issued the following Opinion & Order, in response to the August 28, 2012 letter by Veronica Session , denying Ms Session's application as follows:
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Patrick Nee letter to Judge Berman
Dear Judge Berman, I am writing to the court to ask that it deny any decision in relation to the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed between the District Council and the Wall and Ceiling Association until such time as the delegate body fulfill its obligation to the members of the New York District Council of Carpenters.
The four page summary which was presented was insufficient to allow that a considered decision was reached by the delegate body. Nor were the delegates allowed sufficient time to cogitate the conceivable consequences in approving this contract.
Status of World Trade Center Site 11 Years Later
Office towers, transportation hub under way at World Trade Center site 11 years later
By The Associated Press
Eleven years after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, the new multibillion-dollar World Trade Center once again dominates the lower Manhattan skyline. Hundreds of construction workers are at the 16-acre site every day, and tourists snap thousands of photos of the two towers that are nearing completion.
The status of the trade center's major components, according to developers:
— Most of the 8-acre memorial quadrangle at the World Trade Center opened last year on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Since then, 4.5 million people have visited the memorial, with its twin reflecting pools where the towers stood. But a museum being built in a cavern beneath the plaza is still incomplete. Work all but stopped last fall because of a funding dispute between the memorial foundation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but on Monday the two parties announced an agreement that will pave the way for its eventual completion. Joseph Daniels, president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said that once construction resumes it will take more than a year to finish the job, meaning the museum might not open until 2014.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Legoland comes to Brooklyn
Decision looms on plans for world's tallest prebuilt towers in downtown Brooklyn.
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| SOARING EXPECTATIONS: Forest City Ratner exec MaryAnne Gilmartin is hoping to strike a breakthrough deal with unions. |
Architect Christopher Sharples knows what most people think of when they hear the term "modular construction."
"A bunch of shoeboxes sitting on top of one another," said the SHoP Architects principal.
Soon he hopes to shatter that negative stereotype in record-setting fashion. Mr. Sharples is part of a core group of 18 people brought together by Forest City Ratner to design a 32-story residential tower made up of 930 prebuilt modules containing portions of finished apartments—everything from bathrooms to kitchens—bolted to a steel frame.
It will not only be the world's tallest modular structure but likely the least uniform one as well, boasting four different façades. It will also take a prominent position next to the Barclays Center, in the developer's Atlantic Yards project in downtown Brooklyn. There it may ultimately be joined by 15 other modular apartment buildings, at least one soaring as high as 50 stories.
"We can show we can build modularly and be creative," said Mr. Sharples. "This type of project is why we are in business."
What remains to be seen, however, is whether it actually gets built. Forest City will construct a prototype module this month and then decide by Christmas on whether to build modular towers or conventional ones. The choice hinges largely on whether Forest City can ink a deal with unions that would require them to take significant pay cuts to help the developer achieve its goal of lowering construction costs by up to 25%. Saving that money is especially important because 50% of the 4,500 rental apartments planned for Atlantic Yards are designated to be affordable or low-income housing. Forest City hopes that its system eventually will become a model for other large-scale developers.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
An Open email to Director of Operations Matt Walker
From: Demian Schroeder
Date: Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Subject: [Corrected] New Agreement between NYCDCC and Wall-Ceiling
To: Matt Walker
Cc: K Patterson
Dear Mr. Walker,
I am writing to inquire why the Memorandum of Agreement between NYCDCC and WC&C is being referred to (on the website) as the 'New Agreement'? In fact, what the Delegate Body approved was a contract proposal, or 'Tentative Agreement.'
I understand the District Council runs content for posting on our website by the in-house legal team; in this case, the absence of any up-front clarification, that the Review Officer, U.S. Attorney, and Judge Berman must approve any such Tentative Agreements, as consistent with purposes of the Consent Decree, before going into effect, is also misleading.
Carpenters Nail New Agreement, Maybe?
Updated: September 10, 2012
A seemingly never-ending labor saga that has left 25,000 carpenters
without a contract for the last 15 months may have hit a snag and a new delegate vote may be required.
On August 22, 2012 on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, led by EST Mike Bilello, the 100-member delegate body of the District Council, by a vote of 60 to 26, approved terms amending the current collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Wall-Ceiling and Carpentry Industries in significant respects.
Delegates left the meeting thinking, in exchange for substantial wage increase, carpenters have a "new agreement" and have finally ended the never-ending contracts talks.
Proposed agreement may hit a snag
The proposed agreement that the delegates approved includes "full mobility," a controversial clause that allows contractors to hire union
members without official referrals from the out-of -work list.
Because the "full mobility" clause represents a change to the hiring
ratios (67% - 33%) mandated in a May 2009 federal court order, it will have to be
approved by the court. The union's federal-appointed monitor, Review Officer (RO) Dennis
Walsh, and the U.S. Attorney's Office must also approve the deal, which includes that the employers and District Council "must develop an appropriate compliance program."
Friday, September 7, 2012
Newly Required Forms for All Shop Stewards Due by December 3,2012
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR ALL SHOP STEWARDS–From NYCDC
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Section 39 of the Bylaws adopted August 5, 2011 by the District Council for New York City and Vicinity of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America set forth requirements that members must meet in order to serve as Shop Stewards. This section provides that:
Carpenters Union backs Staten Island's Grimm for re-election
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| Rep. Michael Grimm picked up the endorsement of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Locals 926 and 20 Thursday. He met with union leaders outside the Bulls Head construction site of the 121 Precinct. From the left, Eamonn Carey, council representative; Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn); Martin Tuozzo, Carpenters steward and vice president of Local 926; Michael Quinones, Carpenters steward, and Salvatore Tagliaferro, president of Local 926. |
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two Carpenters Union locals endorsed Rep. Michael Grimm Thursday, saying the freshman lawmaker understands working-class voters.
"We strongly support the congressman for re-election," said Salvatore Tagliaferro, president of Local 926 outside the Bulls Head construction site of the new 121 Precinct. "His voting record is one of standing up for the working class. We hope everyone comes out and supports him."
Grimm called the backing of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Union Brooklyn Local 926 and Staten Island Local 20 "special because they represent hard-working families."
RO response to Session letter
On behalf of the Review Officer, Dennis M. Walsh, Esq; we write in response to the August 28, 2012 letter by Veronica Session to the Court.
(John's note: The contract has not been signed and may not be implemented without the RO's and the government's approval of the required compliance component before it is submitted to Judge Berman for consideration).
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Labor Day Parade set for September 8, 2012
The New York City District Council of Carpenters is once again holding its annual Labor Day Parade on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. Numbers in the past few years have been low, but this year under a new administration, we want full membership participation. There will be floats, t-shirts, hats, stickers, food and beverage, and the always popular Pipe and Drum band. Please bring your family and friends and help spread the word!
Labor Day is a very important part of our union's history. Founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Peter J. McGuire is credited for coming up with the idea of Labor Day as a national holiday in 1882. This is a day for all labor to come together to celebrate and show each other support. This is your day brothers and sisters and we encourage all to come out.
Parade Day: Our members will be lining up at West 44th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway between 8:30 am and 9:30 am. Get there bright and early!
Crisis worsens for unions in NYC
by Greg David
The economic downturn represents a watershed for unions in New York City, argues a new report, accelerating their long-term decline in the private sector. That’s true, but more interesting is the way the process is playing out in key industries and how that affects the increasingly angry debate over inequality in New York.
Let’s not get carried away—as the annual update on the state of unions in the city from Joseph Murphy Institute at the City University of New York does in part.
New York remains the most unionized state in the nation with 24% of all workers belonging to a union and New York City remains 22% unionized. The ranking is primarily because of the way unions dominate the public sector—73% of government workers are unionized in both the state and the city compared with 37% nationally.
Veronica Session letter to Judge Berman
In a letter dated August 28, filed on September 4, 2012 in federal court in Manhattan, rank-and-file Local 926 member, Veronica Session, request Court intervention on, full mobility, the new three dispatch rule and the MWA Arbitration crisis.
Dear Judge Berman: I am writing on behalf of myself and the many rank and file members of the District Council. These members request your intervention over several matters of concern. As a long time member and a shop steward for about 13years I have firsthand knowledge of the many trials and barriers to a corruption free union.
Judge Berman ordered, "The RO, Mr. Walsh, is requested to respond by 9/11/2012."
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
All memebers welcome to Sign the Petition
We the undersigned members of the NYC District Council, urge the Honorable Richard M. Berman to schedule a status conference.
(iPhone users click here to sign).
The recent ratification of a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Wall and Ceiling Association was conducted in total contravention of any Democratic processes. The Executive Committee provided less than twenty-four-hours notice of the vote. Further, it failed to provide a copy of the contract to the delegates. Instead, it placed a three page synopsis of the contract on the web the night prior to the vote. Thus, the local delegates had no opportunity to fulfill their duties to “review all contracts” as provided in our Bylaws and discussing it with the members.
Read the petition.
Open Letter to the Communications Director
The following email was sent on Wednesday September 5, 2012 at 2:04 pm, to Kwame Patterson, Communications Director NYCDC.
Dear Kwame;
Thank you for your work revamping the District Council website!
While I understand that it is a work in progress, I am disappointed to observe that the archive section doesn't go back before 2012, and other documentation from the old website is missing. I assume there is virtually unlimited space to accommodate any and all relevant information, going back as far as possible-- with hope that relevance is determined by the needs of the membership, rather than a bureaucracy seeking to deflect criticism seen as undermining its agenda.
I am disturbed to see member's 'letters to the editor' will need to be approved by the Executive Committee, as if such encumbrance of censorship will not affect a decision to submit our views, and the Administration has unlimited time to winnow through the opinions of a free and democratic community to determine whether they are appropriate for consumption by our Union Brothers and Sisters. At times I feel like we are definitely living under the boot of a totalitarian state, which is the District Council.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
N.Y. unions and employers did some serious bargaining this year
On Labor Day, they can look back on some successful negotiations
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| Con Edison workers protest during lockout in July, That was followed by a new contract. |
A fact worth proudly noting on this Labor Day: Collective bargaining is alive and well in New York.
Since America last celebrated the country’s end-of-summer holiday honoring working people, some of the city’s major private-sector unions and their employers came to terms after hard-fought bargaining.
The achievement is notable both because unionism in the general economy, as opposed to the public sector, is often thought of as a spent force and because this era of high unemployment, globalization and downward pressure demands enlightened approaches be taken on both sides of the table.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
District Council Goes Paperless
Compliance Program Institutes New Method for Reporting Work Hours
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Motorola ET1 Enterprise Tablets |
The District Council Goes Digital
As part of the new agreements, the days of paper reporting for shop stewards will soon be over. One condition of the new Wall-Ceiling Agreementincludes the creation of a compliance piece that requires the establishment of a program for the website that enables shop stewards assigned to a job to log in and report member work hours in real time. This compliance program has been tested and approved and will be rolled out in the coming months.
Carpenters union okays $200,000-a-year pay deal
By Al Barbarino
The New York City District Council of Carpenters union has approved a contract that will help members rake in nearly $100 per hour and well over $200,000 annually in wages and benefits by 2017.
Members of the union approved the new five-year contract with the Association of Wall-Ceiling and Carpentry Industries last week (Wednesday), passing the deal by a majority vote of 60 to 26.
“This contract is about saving jobs and increasing wages for thousands of hardworking New Yorkers in a time when the industry is suffering, non-union contractors are on the rise and everybody else is taking cutbacks,” said Michael Bilello, executive secretary treasurer of the New York City District Council of Carpenters.
The union carpenters currently make $85.03 per hour, broken down roughly as $46 per hour in wages and $39 in benefits (which includes medical coverage and pensions).
Upon implementation, the hourly rate will immediately increase by $2.13 to $87.16, and the carpenters will thereafter receive a $2.40 bump every three months, until maxing out at $99.16 on July 1, 2016.
That’s a total annual increase of nearly 17 percent, from the current $176,862.40 to $206,252.80.
It took the 25,000-member District Council 20 months of haggling with Wall-Ceiling to reach the agreement, having rejected several previous contracts.
