Carpenter Outrage Over Blue Card Signing

Douglas J.McCarron
Carpenters National Headquarters
101 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001


Dear Douglas J. McCarron,

I’m writing you today to report unfair labor practices by the NYCDCC and its fund manager. The NYCDCC is withholding monies that belongs to the rank and file members who refuse to sign their blue card (a card that lacks transparency) and agreeing to assessments/or fines or penalties as designated, or as hereafter designated by the NYCDCC and their Local Unions.

The NYCDCC grossly violated their fiduciary responsibilities toward its members when they resulted to extortion to get us to accept an unpopular policy that they imposed on us from their board of trustees. Also our title I (Landrum – Griffin Act) rights may have been violated as well.

This is why a dictatorship within our Union does not work for the Carpenters best interest. It doesn’t work for our own federal government (we have the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial) and it doesn’t work for our Union as well. Our forefathers set up the way that we are governed to keep our government honest; therefore they created a system of checks and balances. Our leadership is not greater than that of our country, therefore the NYCDCC should not be allowed to rule with an iron fist to impose policy on its membership without first giving us the opportunity to accept or reject whatever they are purposing.

We the rank and file members of the NYCDCC have a right to a democratic union and a right to have a leadership to work for our best interest according to the Union bill of rights under title I of the LMRDA. I purpose, that a letter be sent to every member of the NYCDCC in good standing, to inform them of a secret ballot vote to see if they want the right to vote on rates of dues, fees and assessments, as well as the right to accept or reject collective bargaining agreements that are negotiated by the board of trustees. Mr. McCarron, our trustees simply cannot be allowed to impose policy on its membership without conferring with its membership for approval. This fiduciary malfeasance has got to stop now.

Peter J. McGuire, a man whom the UBC models itself after, sums it up best when he said: “We organize to assist each other to secure employment for mutual aid in case of sickness or disability, to protect each other’s rights and redress our wrongs, to obtain adequate legislation that will secure our wages from the unscrupulous sharks that infest our trade…”

We the rank and file members of the NYCDCC are not mindless drones Mr. President, we want a voice in our union and a change in the way we are governed; I’m sure a man of your position will champion our cause and right our wrongs. Please Google and monitor this online petition: “Carpenters unite against unfair labor practices by the NYCDCC.”

This ongoing petition represents the rank and file members who want change in the way that we are governed, and a true democratic union amongst other things. Thank you in advance for your consideration and what I hope to be a satisfactory support in rectifying this matter.


Respectfully,

Sheldon Johnson


CC:
NLRB
OLMS
United States Department of Justice
New York State Attorney General
New York City District Attorney Office
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
Rep. Jerrold Nadler
Assembly member, Deborah J. Glick
Assembly member, Richard N. Gottfried
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Governor David A. Paterson
Rank & File Members of the NYCDCC
Various Media Outlets
Board of trustees of the NYCDCC