Dirty Tricks Scandal at Local 157 – Part FourWith all the controversy continuing to swirl around the Trusteeship of Local 157, an important question remains. What did D’Errico know and when did he know it? There have been many different versions of an answer to this question put forth by sources close to D'Errico, but so far the newly appointed so-called “leader” and candidate for president of local 157 has avoided being questioned or held accountable in connection to the corruption in local 157.
Background...
In a still sealed report, (because it involves an ongoing investigation) to the District Council dated November 13, 2007 issued by the Independent Investigator, William Callahan describing the allegations relating to Local 157 stated, among other things, that "the local is in disarray and a missed managed mess where business representatives come and go as they please doing little if any work and following few if any rules."
In a letter dated December 5, 2007 addressed to the membership of Local 157, District Council EST Mike Forde said, “business representatives (which we now know were Bill Hanley, George Dilacio, Fred Kennedy and Danny Demorato) assigned to work in Local 157 were not performing their jobs in the manner expected of them by the District Council and that they had, in other respects, acted inconsistently with the standards expected of District Council employees."
On December 11, 2007 UBC Eastern District VP Frank Spencer said, “Local 157 is an atrocious mess where the left hand don’t know what the right hand is doing.”
Last-man-standing...
Lawrence D’Errico is the Recording Secretary of Local 157, Labor Trustee for the NYCDCC Benefit Funds and one of the five business representatives assigned to local 157. Mr. D'Errico was a part of this "disarray, atrocious, missed managed mess", "where the left hand did'nt know what the right hand was doing,” who witnessed daily, the other four business representatives "doing little if any work, following few if any rules, not performing their jobs and acting inconsistently with the standards expected of District Council employees."
D'Errico has been accused of defrauding the membership, enabling and covering-up acts of corruption and using union funds to promote himself through the locals official newsletter and website. Rank and file members are expected to file formal charges against D'Errico for "Defrauding the Brotherhood."
Sources said council insiders close to District Council President Thomassen tipped off D’Errico to the hot line call and D’Errico knew about the pending investigation of local 157. D’Errico has insisted he was “never tipped off to the investigation and has no recollection or knowledge about the activities of the other four business representatives.”
Informed sources maintain that D’Errico knew and helped orchestrate the events that brought down the local officials, “when you speak to Lawrence he can’t look you in the eye”, this source said. Is it "consistent with the standards expected of a council employee" to witness, enable, cover-up and keep silent about acts of wrong doing?
Mr. D’Errico would have you believe that somehow he worked in a self-imposed bubble with blinders over his eyes and was unaware of the day to day functioning and activities of the other local business representatives, day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year. This not only defies logic and common sense, it is absurd.
Mr. D’Errico would also have you believe that it was not his responsibility to keep record of the other business representative’s time, whereabouts or activities and because his time records were accounted for and accurate that somehow excuses him of his trust, fiduciary duty and obligation by law, from acting in any manner adverse or contrary to the interest of the membership of this union. Again this defies logic, common sense and is absurd.
Mr. D’Errico also believes that the membership should just “trust” him and not raise any questions or issues concerning the trusteeship or the events that led up to it, especially on this blog. This also defies logic, common sense and is absurd; D’Errico has stated he is "running for president of local 157," he has avoided being questioned or held accountable about his direct knowledge of the corruption in local 157. The membership of Local 157 has the right and duty to question and hold elected officials accountable.
Lastly, Mr. D'Errico is claiming ignorance as a defense after finding himself at the center of the worst corruption scandal in the history of the carpenters union. By being ignorant and turning a blind eye D'Errico has seriously violated his fiduciary duty and trust and has contributed, enabled and encouraged acts of corruption to fester and flourish.
So if Mr. D’Errico knew enough about the business representatives daily work, constantly praising their hard work and efforts, weekly to our shop stewards and monthly at our union meetings, why does he now say he has "no recollection or knowledge" about what these business representatives ever did?
Here is a fact of my own, these words are nothing new. They reflect who Mr. D’Errico is and who he has always been. It all comes down to honesty and believability. There is a lesson I assumed all union leaders have learned from Watergate, the cover-up is always worse than the original offense.
Series at a glance:
Week one: The Set-Up, Union Politics
Week two: The Sting, Callahan’s Investigation
Week three: The Trusteeship, Defrauding the Membership
Week four: The Cover Up, What Did D’Errico Know and When Did He Know It
John, we know you are intelligent and have a lot of experience. But how can we help you to combat the MACHINE of the District Council and the International who supports Lawrence D’Errico. I know there is strength in UNITY of the membership. But the members are worried that you know, when you oppose them they just try to destroy your livelihood.
ReplyDeleteI've been brought up on Charges for ridding Scott Danielson so called out of work list and for no apparent reason before. That's because i call the hot line on Lawrence.And that Callahan didn't keep it confidencial.Thats how they try to distroy you. HELP US JOHN MUSUMECI
ReplyDeleteFor your information this shit happens in every local. They just chose to expose 157. And for all of you that think John is doing this for you, he's not. He is doing this to promote himself. If he should get voted in beware, he will sell you out just like he sold out the men he knew for the last 20 years including his own brother in law. John is nothing but a rug rat (pun intended). He will sell out his own mother for a dollar.
ReplyDeleteThis Lawrence D'Errico is such a fake fony fraud.He even has the nerve to except an award for Boy Scout of the year in that rediculous costume and he was never even a boy scout. Brothers and sisters we will UNITE to stop this insnaity and we will not allow the council to steal this great local from us and try to hand it Lawrence. No June meeting just to stop us from geting our aliances to gether. Spencer is planning to shut down the July meeting That is when we join together and remove him as superviser of out so called unjustified trusteeship. When Spencer strikes the gavel to ajernment of the meeting . That went our mmeeting begins no leave an I have alot of info for the memebers. My silences is over the truth must be told.
ReplyDeleteI haerd that Lawrence has all the contrators in his pocket.The members of 157 will obey.That is why Pete Thomason and Lawrence sold out the members with the contractor request. They don't vote the way boss say they with out a job.Lawrence D'Errico said" all the members that stay on the out of work list are stupid anyway"
ReplyDeleteTo the anonymous poster who said "this shit happens in every local." Really name me a local in the entire UBC that had its officers forced to resigned in disgrace, fired, suspended and sent to prison.
ReplyDeleteYou say John is "promoting himself", its more like John is informing us with this blog. Of course you must be a Lawrence supporter, that is your right, but instead of attacking John why not challenge what he has written with some of your own facts instead of just name calling.
Please explain and back up your statement with some facts "John sold out the men he knew for the last 20 years."
ReplyDeleteWhat is really key to the point at hand is that all of you are partially right, except to the posting which dares to find trusteeship at any other local.
ReplyDeleteTo him I point out your error lies in asking where there has been trusteehip at any other other local. The claim by knowledgeable bretheren is that corruption takes place union wide and that the 157 scandal was just waiting to happen for some 15 years now. Much like the others though with Hanley and Kennedy being who they were - arrogant sons O B's we all know them to be, - they became sacrificial in a sense for the DC and for covert purposes of keeping Callahan in and why the fuck are we letting them keep their pension....
There's a scandal everywhere, every year when the DC runs the show and approves of criminals running the locals and disses the members,creates fear, where no-one trusts.........
In answer to post # 1.....
" But how can we help you to combat the MACINE of the District Council etc..."
Thy will be done in the form of directly confronting them for real issues most honest members face.
I'm talking about exposing it all and tearing down the control we've been thumbed under way too ling now.
I don't care if they were free elections if you run virtually unopposed as Forde did and you pay attention to the reasons Forde was imperfect and look at the real meaning of this imperfection frankly it plays havoc with establishing itself as a democratic system.
Look,- there is a place,time, and enough substance to make this happen for those of you who really mean it. If you can't see this ask for all the "credible evidence and you will.
Better yet the first time someone directly challenges the issue of a corrupt 157 doing business as usual for the past 15 years subsequent to the Consent Decree and the DC keeping all of it and us who spoke out quiet..... NO MORE
If I'm capable of giving one gold star to Callahan, and by that I mean that's all he earned for his efforts was a sticky backed 1/20 cent worth of grade school gold star to put on the wall it would be for his 157 findings will haunt the District Council later when its shown they puposefully kept it away from themselves while 157 ran amuck. This includes Lawrence, for with the left hand not knowing what the right was doing he was at last a finger on the crooked hand.
There's only two reasons he still there 1- He's working for DOJ Or as the puppet by the UBC to continue this McCarron/NYCDCC cash cow.
Shake em up at 395 Hudson and hit em with the truth were not stupid.
Lawrence D’Errico should be fired if the explosive allegation that he covered-up the corruption in Local 157 is true.
ReplyDeleteVP Spencer reported that the local 157 business agents were paid to work a combined 481 days, yet could not account for 117 full days (24%) plus 226 partial days (47%).
This would not be possible if it were not for the cooperation of D’Errico covering-up for these business agents.
Why didn’t Callahan’s office, the District Council or Spencer question D’Errico’s involvement in the plot to defraud the membership of Local 157, It is as if they didn’t want to hear about D’Errico.
This whole scandal is shocking and the members of Local 157 should demand a full investigation and if the allegation is true that D’Errico covered-up for the business agents we should demand that D’Errico be fired.
Dam It! D’Errico is a benefit fund trustee, if he is claming ignorance as a defense how can he be trusted with watching out for our benefit funds. This whole thing stinks to high heavens.
...
ReplyDeleteI am sorry, but I cannot blame anyone in 157 for the activity of the BA's. The BA's work for the District Council. If anyone was being defrauded, it was the members of the DC - not the members of 157 - Which Head at the DC is going to roll because of a failure to manage the BA's.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking to the last post;
ReplyDeleteHeads will be rolling @ 395 Hudson for that very reason but the twist you may not be aware of is that when the Local agents illicitly porofit from cash/no-show or no-work men the district council has allowed them in no uncertain terms because as I accuse most likely the DC profitted themselves. Lets face it the paperwork stops with Thomassen and that means everyone below him especially since 1994.
Since the DC was well aware of the idiots @ 157 some time ago ( This will be proven ) the DC had every responsibility and an expert legal team to go after these guys a long time ago.
Prepare your integrity, then we'll see who's talking and who wants to walk.-----------------
ReplyDeleteWhat would you do if provided the opportunity to raise all the present day issues which I've come to see on the job and at this site over the past years.
We've slid backward in many ways because honest men feel they have no chance in hell against the enterprising machine. This is about to change and if you don't catch the wave when it first appears you'll have missed that bus. If in fact what I've read here comes from something more than a bunch of disgruntled comments (realizing the extent of corruption its more likely true than not ) I'll have to assume all those who really want to make a difference will. ---------------------------------------Were you someone affected adversly by the leadership either @ 157 or perhaps victim of the same scenario at another local.
Have you pressed an issue with a stew or BA and find them not interested. Or perhaps an issue further up the chain of command which you know to be wrongfully handled.
Look I'm not going into everything because we as a regional council have the most darkened ledership in the country hence there's too much too cover here. Let me just reiterate that when the time comes and these issues are put before a deciding authority if you miss the opportunity to at least make a difference don't say I didn't forewarn you.
The defrauding started and stopped with D’Errico this guy is so arrogant he thinks all the members are fools. He is in for a rude awakening at local 157.The members will join together to combat the machine.
ReplyDeleteFraternally
Members local 157
If anyone dear to oppose me 'The ALMIGHTY LAWRENCE'Mike Fraud will take you out. have you heard the buzz at 608.Mike is the ALMIGHTY and there is no stopen this guy now . He's above the law and I,m in his corner HA HA HA
ReplyDeleteHA HA HA John GOD bless you. I'VE been out of the loop for some time, I transfered to 926 With SAL who fights for his men. But anyone who can make such a joke out of this " FAKE PHONE FRAUD" Lawrence D'Ericco I take my hat off to you. I had to deal wiht this sneaky bastard years ago with a problem I had on a job. He did nothing for me. And any member who thinks this piece of garbage will help them Just look at him . He will never look you in the eye.
ReplyDeleteMY GOD HELP
LOCAL 157
To Dick
ReplyDeleteBilly did nothing for john and that's why he didn't have a spot. look at all he did for his best friend Mickey. what's he getting 5 years and the other 1 Frankie got 6 months. some pal he is.
john is the only one with enough balls to tell the truth, my be you should read the blog again apparently you didn't get it the first time. or do you like just sitting back and getting up the a-s Dick.
IN SIDE THE D'ERRICO CAMP .THIS GUY SOLD THE MEMBERSHIP OUT NOW HE'S TAKING LOCAL 157 LIKE HE OWNS IT WITH NO RESPECT FOR ANYONE. I WORKED WITH HIM YERS AGO HE WAS ALWAYS A SNEAK.
ReplyDeleteIf rude, mean, obnoxious comments are not welcome and will not be approved to post. Why are all these postings on here. Or is it only approved when it's about Lawrence, Danny, Billy, Georgie and, Freddy. John I find it amazing that when anyone writes anything bad about you whether true or not you remove the post. Aren't you being a hypocrite. RE: Dick Smega Special Report
ReplyDeleteRE: Dick Smega Special Report, you crazy fool with absolute no mind. freak of the week. idiot
ReplyDeleteJohn - it's funny how every negative post that uses the word "phony" is spelled with and F. Obviously, it's YOU that's writing all of those negative comments about Lawrence D'Errico. Get a life DICK HEAD.
ReplyDeleteThe "phony" D'errico obviously lost his pension and job due to his knowledge and documented foot prints by the investigators. reading things after the fact is great to see this trash was taken out.
ReplyDeleteThankful for a such wonderful blog yours...!
ReplyDeleteall types of crane lease in qatar