Friday, September 7, 2012

Carpenters Union backs Staten Island's Grimm for re-election

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.
By Judy L. Randall

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."

"You hear the sound bites about how Republicans don't care about the working-class, the middle-class," said Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn). "That shows how little they know about me. Here is more proof, added to the other union support I have gotten and will get. They know I have stood up for them and fought for their families. I do my homework on the issues. I won't be swayed. I have broken with the Republican Party 70 times to stand up for our labor force."

One time was on project labor agreement legislation, to guarantee skilled union labor at the prevailing wage on job sites, said Grimm and Tagliaferro.

"Some people think the congressman is a shoe-in," added Tagliaferro. "But you never take your opponent lightly. You have to fight the fight. He fights the fight for us every day. He rides the wave; we ride it with him."

Tagliaferro also noted that Grimm grew up in a union household. The congressman's father was a roofer.

The Carpenters Union is one of the largest building trades unions in North America.

14 comments:

  1. A union roofer?????

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  2. Shouldnt tjhe fat Stewards be working instead of posing? Feel sorry for the contractor on this job.

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  3. DROP DEAD UNITY TEAM !

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  4. Good I am happy that the two locals can be on the same page to endorse 1 candidate.Lets keep this blog to constructive criticism your not showing off any of your skills as either a human or a carpenter by disrespectful insinuations.

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  5. No wonder the politicians never do anything for us, with those morons out there representing us.

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  6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Grimm_%28politician%29

    Michael Gerard Grimm (born February 7, 1970) is the U.S. Representative for New York's 13th congressional district, which consists of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former FBI agent, businessman, and Marine, having served in the Gulf War.


    In 2011, The New Yorker magazine reported that Grimm had been the subject of an internal investigation into allegations he abused his authority as a FBI agent in a nightclub in 1999. According to the article, written by Evan Ratliff, the incident resulted from a dispute between Grimm and his date's husband. A former NYPD officer working as a bouncer at the time said that Grimm remarked about the husband, "I’ll f—ing make him disappear where nobody will find him." Grimm reportedly then returned to the nightclub twice, pulled out his gun once, and brought FBI and NYPD officers the second time.

    [ ... ]

    Since 2008, he has co-owned and served as principal and chief executive officer of Austin Refuel Transport, an Austin, Texas-based bio-fuel company.[12] Grimm still owns 28% of the company.[13] Since 2011, the company had eleven safety violations in its first two U.S. Department of Transportation checkups.[14]

    [ ... ]

    He won the Republican nomination in an upset victory over Allegretti, who was endorsed by the Republican Party and key political leaders, including former six term Republican Representative Vito Fossella. Their primary was marked by bitter negative attacks against each other, including one assertion by Allegretti that Grimm was "living a lie" for using a photo where he was wearing military badges he was not entitled to.[17] (Grimm said he received military ribbons by means of an administrative error, which he only learned of in 2000 but despite knowing this he used a photo dating back to 1993 where he was wearing an Army Presidential Unit Citation, Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, and a Joint Meritorious Unit Award).[18]

    Grimm's win was divisive for the Republican Party leadership,[19] which was more in favor of Allegretti, as Grimm won in large part due to the effect of the endorsement of the New York State Conservative Party and Tea Party voters.[20]

    [ ... ]



    Michael Grimm's campaign gained national attention from Tea Party Republicans and the National Republican Congressional Committee, which contributed $90,000 to Grimm's campaign.[21] He received endorsements from high-profile Republicans, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani,[22] John McCain,[23] Sarah Palin.[24][25] and former President George H.W. Bush, who applauded his service in the Gulf War and as part of the intelligence community.[26]

    [ ... ]

    Grimm reportedly admitted in an interview with the Staten Island Advance newspaper that his former restaurant in Manhattan, Healthalicious, had been on the verge of bankruptcy, forcing him to sell his stake in it.[29] It was later revealed that his restaurant had earned 30 healthcode violation points during a NYC DOH visit in late October 2008.[30]

    [ ... ]

    Grimm stated that the stimulus was a "huge waste" of taxpayer money and was ineffective in generating job creation and economic recovery, whereas McMahon cited improvements in the state budget and renovations on the Staten Island Expressway and the Saint George Ferry Terminal as direct successes of the stimulus.[31]


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  7. [ ... ]



    Campaign finance scandal

    Grimm is currently under federal grand jury investigation due to accusations that he accepted contributions over the legal limit and from non-citizen donors without green cards from Ofer Biton, a former aide to Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto. Allegedly, Grimm would in turn assist Biton in obtaining a green card.[44][45] Allegations persist that Grimm accepted a $5,000 cash contribution in close proximity to the FBI building in New York. Three witnesses confirmed to the New York Times that Grimm and Biton gave them personal assurances that they would accept campaign contributions above the legal limit. Paul Duffy, a Staten Island voter, filed a complaint against Grimm with the Federal Election Commission over the issue.[46]

    On August 17, 2012, Ofer Biton was arraigned Brooklyn, New York. He is charged with lying about his finances when he applied for a visa for foreign investors two years ago.[47]

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  8. More highly questionable dealings by highly questionable NYCDCC representatives with allegedly highly corruptible politicians. Here we go again boys!

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  9. http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/127075/michael-grimm
    Like him or not heres his voting record for all to fact check

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  10. wasted money on this yes man Carey. What a fucking sad joke

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    Replies
    1. he costs 150,000 with bennies + hasn't ever done a real days work. were doomed

      Delete
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