BY
Alison Gendar
|
Review Office Dennis Walsh clamping down on lavish spending. | |
|
|
|
The court-appointed watchdog for the carpenters' union has his work cut out for him.
Even as a slew of union leaders was headed to prison on corruption charges, other bigwigs were clamoring for union dues to pay for a swanky Vegas soiree, the Daily News has learned.
With the open bar the union delegates wanted, the bill for the bash could easily have topped $20,000 - but review officer
Dennis Walsh wouldn't loosen the purse strings.
"They ought to be spending the union's money - which is their members' money - like it's their grandmother's Social Security check," he told the Daily News.
Walsh was tapped by a federal judge to clean up the
District Council of Carpenters and prevent the remaining bosses from ripping off the rank and file.
Eight union officials, including chief
Michael Forde and his top two lieutenants, have pleaded guilty to cheating the 20,000-plus members of its 11 locals.
Their replacements, though, apparently have no shame when it comes to spending.
Walsh is cracking down on union cars, and vetoed the feast at
Panevino's Italian restaurant in Sin City after the national union's convention last week.
"The message is: This is the members' money. You can't take your posse to Sparks every time you get hungry," Walsh said.
The union declined to comment.
While he's keeping an eye on the bills, Walsh's real mission is to bring more far-reaching change with a new process that allows the rank-and-file to bring corruption charges against higher-ups in a fair forum.
"Before, if you had a problem with a shop steward, and you made a complaint, basically it went nowhere and you never worked again," said one union member.
Under the new system, each of New York's 11 locals will elect two
trial members to hear charges starting Sept. 7.
Nine trial members will be picked from a hat to hear each case, and each side can knock off two - leaving five to weigh the charges.
The role of judge will swing between former New Jersey Chief Justice James Zazalli and former federal prosecutor
Walter Mack.
Mack ferreted out corruption in the carpenter's union in the late 1990s until union leaders got him canned for being too good at the job, rank-and-file members said.
Walsh says this time, there will be real change.
"Before, you could bring charges against someone, he would be found guilty and nothing would happen - except the guy who brought the charges would get punished somehow," Walsh said.
"This will be different."