District Council Supervisor Frank Spencer, reported that Local 2287 President-Business Representative, Jeffrey Passante has resigned his as president, Spencer made the announcement at the May 12, delegate meeting.
The "investigation into misuse of local funds by executive delegate-business representative, Michael Zemski and Passante is ongoing" Spencer said.
Spencer appointed business representative, John McGraft to assist with the day to day operation of local 2287.
On April 25, Page Six reported that: Zemski and Passante were suspended without pay on April 15, for allegedly stealing petty cash and using the locals credit card for personal use. The extend of the financial wrong-doing has not been made public. Sources say both men have refused to answer questions by the Independent Investigator, William Callahan. It is not known if formal charges will be filed against the two men or an independent financial audit ordered for the local. UBC supervisor Frank Spencer has no official comment and has not placed the local under supervision.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Local 2287 President Resigns Amid Spending Scandal
Friday, September 21, 2007
Judge Urged to Replace A Union Investigator
The United States attorney in Manhattan, Michael J. Garcia, filed a 25-page petition last Friday that repeatedly belittled the investigator, William Callahan, saying his ''tenure has been marked by incomplete and slow-moving investigations'' and ''virtually no new evidence of corruption.''
Mr. Garcia, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, accused Mr. Callahan of failing to follow up on strong investigative leads, not telling federal officials the truth about his investigations and betraying the anonymity of union members who confided to him about corruption.
Two years ago, the union, the New York District Council of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, persuaded a federal judge to let it name Mr. Callahan to replace a highly aggressive independent investigator whom the United States attorney wanted to keep.
In his court papers, Mr. Garcia said the former investigator, Walter Mack, did a far better job than Mr. Callahan, saying Mr. Mack had found ''voluminous evidence of both corruption and the union's inability or unwillingness to detect or stop it.''
Mr. Garcia made his request to replace Mr. Callahan in papers filed with Judge Charles S. Haight Jr. of Federal District Court in Manhattan.
Judge Haight helps oversee the carpenters' district council as part of an agreement that the 25,000-member union signed with the federal government in 1994 after prosecutors accused it of being a morass of mob influence, payoffs and off-the-books work.
Mr. Callahan's two-year term officially expired on Aug. 26, but Judge Haight provisionally extended it after the government said it would file papers seeking to have him replaced.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Callahan vowed to fight the government's request. ''Certainly this will be litigated before Judge Haight,'' he said. ''The only comment is we totally disagree with all their conclusions. There have been many accomplishments, but that will be spelled out in our response to this petition.''
Mr. Garcia asserted that Mr. Callahan had failed to pursue evidence that Mr. Mack had developed about off-the-books work, fraud against the union and organized crime involvement in construction at the Cipriani banquet hall at 200 Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street. Among the evidence given to Mr. Callahan, federal prosecutors said, were firsthand reports that two convicted felons, ''known labor racketeers,'' were at the construction site.
The United States attorney said that Mr. Callahan's follow-up report reflected no further investigation and no indication that he had interviewed witnesses or took depositions.
Mr. Mack had found many job sites where companies had paid off union officials so that carpenters could be employed off the books, enabling companies to avoid paying benefits or overtime.
Mr. Garcia also attacked Mr. Callahan for not pursuing an investigation of On Par Contracting even though Mr. Mack had given him voluminous evidence of fraud, including omissions of workers from shop steward reports, unreported overtime and jobs where there were no shop stewards to make sure union rules were followed.
Mr. Garcia said rank-and-file carpenters had lost confidence in Mr. Callahan to such a degree that the number of calls to the anticorruption hot line had plummeted.
Charles Stillman, a lawyer for Mr. Callahan's company, Unitel, said, ''From everything I've heard, they've done a first-rate job, and there is no reason for them not to continue.''
On Monday, Judge Haight issued a contempt citation against Michael Forde, the top carpenters' official in New York. Judge Haight fined Mr. Forde $10,000 in ruling that he had rigged the job-referral system in favor of a friend. Judge Haight found that Mr. Forde had told his friend to list certain specific skills that a contractor was looking for, enabling him to jump the line to get a carpenter's job.
Judge Haight wrote that Mr. Forde's conduct was ''dishonorable and revealed his personal contempt'' for the job-referral system and the union's agreement with the government.
Judge Haight cited a report by Mr. Callahan that stated that ''violations routinely occur'' in the job-referral system.
Mr. Forde and the district council's lawyer, Gary Rothman, did not respond to several voice mail messages.
On Nov. 26, Mr. Forde faces a retrial on bribery charges in state court in Manhattan. In 2005, a state judge overturned his conviction and that of a union business agent, Martin Devereaux, finding that jury misconduct had skewed the trial in favor of the prosecution. The two had been convicted of taking payoffs in connection with the use of nonunion workers at a renovation job at the Park Central Hotel.
2007-09-14briefreplacecallahan(2)
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Carpenters Hire New Independent Investigator
September 13, 2005 Delegate Body Meeting—President Peter Thomassen informed the delegate body Judge Charles Haight of Federal Court for the Southern District of New York has appointed Unitel Intelligence Groups Inc. as Successor Independent Investigator for the NYC District Council of Carpenters.
As of August 22, The Independent Investigator (Unitel Intelligence Groups Inc.) shall have the authority to investigate allegations of wrongdoing concerning the operation of the job referral system, and/or corruption or violations of federal, state, or local law by District Council representatives, including without limitation officers, employees, delegates, business managers, business representatives and shop stewards, or District Council signatory contractors; to recommend disciplinary charges against District Council Representatives as well as against officers, employees and members of the constituent local unions for such wrongdoing or for the failure of any officer or member to cooperate with the Independent Investigator; to make referrals to the District Council and/or law enforcement agencies for further investigation when appropriate; and to report to the Court and/or the Government as appropriate. "Wrongdoing" as used in the foregoing sentence shall include, without limitation,
(i) manipulation of the job referral rules for political or personal gain;
(ii) falsified reports, including without limitation shop steward reports;
(iii) kickbacks and bribes; and
(iv) permitting contractors to pay workers in cash or violate the "50/50 rule.
The Independent Investigator shall operate the toll-free "Anti-Corruption Hotline," 1-800-279-4707, telephone service in order to solicit and receive allegations of wrongdoing or corruption by any person in connection with the operations of the District Council, whether or not such allegations relate to the job referral system.
The Independent Investigator shall also conduct an assessment of the District Council's anti-corruption efforts.
Click here for the full text of the court order.
