Jack Ahern: An introduction to the new head of the NYC Central Labor Council

“It never seemed to me to be a choice that I would be anything but a union member,” – Jack Ahern

Found a great article in Crain’s: New York Business about our new leader of the New York City Central Trades and Labor Council:

Jack Ahern: Organizing his world
NYC Central Labor Council head will work to protect jobs, bring federal stimulus to city
Daniel Massey

OAS_RICH(‘Left1’);

Jack Ahern got his first union card while still in high school, mopping floors in New York City public schools.

Earlier this month, he took charge of 1.4 million card-carrying workers, becoming president of the New York City Central Labor Council.

Mr. Ahern grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, in an Irish-American family of carpenters and firefighters—one where dinnertime conversation centered on the union.

“It never seemed to me to be a choice that I would be anything but a union member,” he says.

Mr. Ahern dropped out of Brooklyn College in 1973 to become an apprentice with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30. As a union member, he worked at Starrett City and Madison Square Garden, but his real education took place at a recycling plant in Hempstead, L.I., where he helped workers organize to win their first union contract.

“Coming from a union job, I could see the difference in working conditions and the way people were treated,” he says.

Over two decades, he worked his way up through Local 30, winning election as business manager and financial secretary, the union’s top position, in 1996.

Many successes

He has successfully negotiated hundreds of contracts for the 4,000-member Queens-based local, including one for 76 workers at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center off Long Island following a two-year strike earlier this decade. Mr. Ahern got Sen. Hillary Clinton and others to intervene, helping the workers win a new deal.

In 2006, Mr. Ahern became vice president of the CLC, helping the organization regain its footing after the Brian McLaughlin racketeering scandal. He was instrumental in securing the group’s deal with the city for union jobs and good wages at Willets Point. And he cemented his reputation as an even-keeled consensus builder when he brought Buildings Department, labor and elected officials together last year following several high-profile construction accidents.

“He knows people sometimes start from different points or have different perspectives,” says City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who was involved in the safety discussions. “Instead of saying, ‘Forget about it,’ he says, `How can we execute it?’ “

Big task

But now, Mr. Ahern faces perhaps his toughest challenge: taking control of the umbrella group for the city’s 400 unions during an unprecedented financial crisis.

He replaces Gary La Barbera, who left to head the powerful state Building and Construction Trades Council.

“The economy is the biggest issue in every union hall,” Mr. Ahern says.

Atop the union leader’s agenda is making sure the city gets a fair share of the federal economic stimulus. He’s also working on the city’s congressional delegation, encouraging them to make passage of the Employee Free Choice Act—which would help workers organize—a priority. Shielding New Yorkers from layoffs and working with the city on economic development deals like the one for Willets Point are also part of his plan.

“Whenever there’s an issue, he gets everybody in the room and makes sure all voices are heard,” said James Callahan, president of IUOE Local 15. “You have so many diverse opinions and personalities, and he’s the guy that can get them all together.”

PERSONNEL FILE
ORGANIZATION New York City Central Labor Council
TITLE President
AGE 55
RÉSUMÉ Business manager, IUOE Local 30; floor cleaner, NYC public schools
MANAGEMENT STYLE Consensus builder
HOBBY Reading history books

The NYCCLC site also add’s to Mr. Aherns resume:

In addition to his positions with the Operating Engineers, Jack also serves the labor movement as an Officer and a Delegate to many labor affiliates and councils. He serves as Vice-Chairperson to the NYC Municipal Labor Committee and on the U.S. Department of Labor Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship. He also served on the NYS Governor’s Transition Team, Vice President Westchester-Putnam Central Labor Council, Long Island Federation of Labor, and the Nassau-Suffolk Building Trades Council. Jack holds positions on the Stationary Engineers Committee, I.U.O.E., the Executive Board of the Northeastern States Conference of Operating Engineers and as a Trustee of the National Association of Power Engineers Chapter 11 and the Irish American Labor Coalition.

Jack, like his predecessor Gary Labarbera, is another strong labor leader who can empathize with the needs of the 400+ member unions and the common worker’s here in New York.

Any member union that would like a story covered online can contact me via e-mail

A new day and miles to go before I sleep

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Excerpt, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

To make the world a better place, this is my promise

It was a hard fought battle, and never in my life would I feel a deep sense of hope as I, along with my beautiful girl and the kids, heard the words on ABC that the United States of America has a new president elect. One who has run a campaign of hope.

We did it! This is just the beginning. We have miles to go before we sleep, but for today I will rest and plan along with my fellow unionist and working people, plan how we will further take back our country for our class, the middle class.

Now is the first day of the rest of our lives, keep reading and contributing on the net. The majority of our work is ahead of us, but I will not fade away, my constituents will not either.

As my dear friend Richie Negri explained what he read from Jimmy Hoffa’s e-mail he received last night after the winner was declared:

“This is a great day — a historic day, now let’s get this country unified and working for regular, middle-class Americans again. We elected a great man, but we can’t stop here because our real work starts now.”

The NYC Central Labor Council adds:

There is much work to do with all of our nation’s current challenges, but now we have the tools and renewed optimism to get it done.

My buddy Kirsten mentions that the “Right To Work” ballot initiative, which would have destroyed the labor movement in Colorado was defeated yesterday.

Steve from Omaha has sent a job application to President Elect Obama, for the soon to be vacated Secretary of Labor position, which is currently held by Elaine Chao, I certainly endorse Steve, talk about a polar opposite to the Bush labor ideals, here’s what Steve has to say to our next President:

Dear Senator Obama,

For the last several years American workers have suffered under the current administrations polices and appointees. I would like to apply for a job that is first and foremost for fairness of the American worker. I am asking to be your Secretary of Labor. I am much more qualified than Elaine Chao ever could be.

Twice in my life I have been fired illegally. Twice a union has won my rights through legal action. I know what it means to be the head of a family without a job during bad times. I know bankruptcy as a result of these actions too. I have also had two on the job accidents that resulted in two different partial impairments.

I have some unique qualifications that will provide for fairness to workers and employers on a case by case basis. Since you don’t know much about me, just ask my 100,000 plus friends at the Democratic Underground for their opinion. They have been reading my labor opinions for over four years.

Regards,

Steven L Dawes
Shop Steward AFSCME Local 251.

This has been a great day, but this is just the beginning.

I leave you with a quick excerpt of a comment back to someone who attacked my ideals over at NewsVine:

…You tell me, why is it happening? Why does every so-called first world country in the entire globe being invaded by illegal workers? Is it the Democrats? Is it the Republicans? Could it be unfair Free Trade agreements? Is it the people who refuse to hold their leaders accountable and believe the lies that “there is nothing we can do about it?”

Ending the corporate love affair with the slave class is tops on my agenda.

No child in my country 13 years old should work on a kill floor. No 13 year old should wind up in critical condition and see his father die while they worked on a construction site in my America. The profiteers of human misery should be held accountable, their enablers should be held accountable.

We cannot allow anyone in our America to work without rights, a citizen cannot compete. A citizen should not have to foot the bill because employers choose to fail in their legal responsibilities.

We must stop the influx and we must find a humane way to deal with those who are already here. No one benefits from the misery that has been created except the unscrupulous employers. This must end. The slavery and labor abuse that many of our ancestors fought and died fighting against must stop again.

They know that united we stand so they decided to bring us more division, they encourage us to fight worker against worker, they have had a sweet deal in the last 15 or so years, all workers here in our United States are suffering because of this. The powers that be do not want us to pull those under us up to our level, they want us to slip down to theirs. Big business would be perfectly happy if we all bargained our way to the bottom, while the few at the top generate all the wealth and the majority of us get less and less for our labor.

I blame Free Trade for the influx, more on that in another story…need some sleep, just for tonight, maybe a few days off the web would do me justice. I’m sure my girl would agree.

I just want to thank all the great labor writers, communicators, organizers and activists, who believe that we can change the world. Those who believe that all that is good will only happen if we have a strong and vibrant worker movement. Their dedication, their core belief that if we are strong, we can fight for a better world and we can do it together, but mostly above all else, I would like to thank my fellow workers, who come and read our sites and choose to be informed of whats going on. Those of you who know that that “there’s nothing we can do about it,” is a lie which is repeated by those who would chose to keep us living poor, spending more and working till we die.

We must step it up in ’09.

We have miles to go before we sleep.

New York: Green buildings promise good jobs

Now for some good news, got this in the E-Mail today

NYC Green Jobs Roundtable Initiative Gathers Steam
Over 80 Organizations Meet to Craft Comprehensive City-wide Roadmap To Connect Jobseekers with Green Jobs

New York City, 18 September 2008 – As New York transitions to a greener economy, hundreds of organizations are mobilizing to ensure that New Yorkers are prepared for green collar jobs. Representatives from over 100 groups met today to outline a roadmap to meet the City’s growing demand for a well-trained green collar workforce. The roadmap is part of the Green Collar Jobs Roundtable Campaign, spearheaded by Urban Agenda. The Campaign connects businesses, unions, community members and government agencies in a coordinated effort to close the gap between jobseekers and green jobs.

The Campaign’s roadmap analyses specific green collar sectors, such as energy efficiency, transportation and urban forestry, and will make practical recommendations around key aspects of a workforce development plan. These include training curricula, job standards and regulations, job certification, wraparound and pre-employment services, and connecting with employers, among others. The Campaign will use the roadmap in 2009 to convince mayoral and City Council candidates to prioritize a green collar workforce development plan.

Recent large-scale environmental sustainability initiatives, like the Mayor’s PlaNYC 2030 and the Governor’s 15×15, are expected to create hundreds of thousands of green job opportunities. Yet, the City’s workforce development and training system is not adequately keeping pace. “In recent interviews we held with several City-based energy-efficiency contractors, they said that in the last year they were forced to turn down dozens of new projects, because they simply can’t find the trained workforce to meet their demand,” said Joanne Derwin, Urban Agenda’s executive director.

“Businesses are a key component for growing a green economy and building a reliable workforce to make us more sustainable as a city,” said Ramon Cruz from the Partnership for New York City. “As we move forward developing this nascent sector of our economy, we need to know what the employers’ needs are. The Campaign’s roadmap will help to assess the opportunities and obstacles that employers are facing in the emerging green economy.”

Beyond meeting sustainability demands, green jobs also offer other benefits. Because they have the potential to be quality jobs – ones that provide family-sustaining wages, benefits and chances for career advancement – they could offer pathways out of poverty for many of the under- and unemployed in low-income communities. Kellie Terry-Sepulveda, from The Point, agrees. “Hundreds of green jobs already exist and with the far-sighted sustainability policy currently being considered, there’s the potential to create thousands of new jobs. At the same time, unemployment rates are extremely high – we have 24% unemployment in Hunts Point. The key is to tap into the existing social service infrastructure and develop the skills needed to fill the green jobs that are out there.”

Michael McGuire, political director of the Mason Tenders District Council of Greater New York said that since most green jobs cannot be outsourced, they can spur local economic development. “Organized labor has the infrastructure not only to ensure the fair wages and benefits workers deserve, but also to provide top-notch training. We are ready to train a new cadre of workers so we don’t miss out on the benefits of the new green economy,” he added.

“As we tackle environmental problems, tremendous opportunities exist to also advance economic justice and prosperity across the City, for all New Yorkers,” said Ms. Derwin. “We believe that green collar jobs represent a new paradigm for equitable economic development. But we need to work together to exploit the potential that’s there – that’s what the Green Collar Jobs Roundtable Campaign hopes to do.”

About Urban Agenda

Urban Agenda is an action-oriented public policy, research and advocacy organization dedicated to building a socially, economically, and environmentally just New York City.

With its experience leading city-wide campaigns and staffing effective coalitions, Urban Agenda is well-placed to spearhead the Roundtable campaign. As convener of the NYC Apollo Alliance, the organization is connected with business, labor, advocacy, workforce development, and environmental justice organizations. In addition, a close working relationship with the NYC Central Labor Council (CLC) enables Urban Agenda to tap the knowledge and reach of the CLC’s 400 affiliated unions representing 1.3 million workers.

For more information, please visit www.urbanagenda.org

Here’s another related article:
Obama: Use Old Mills for 21st Century Energy

<-last story 25,000 job losses and there are no suspects

New York: Labor Day mass at St.Patrick’s Cathederal

This ones for brother Manny, who brought this up at tonight’s union meeting, from the New York Central Trades and Labor Council:

Annual Labor Day Mass
Sep. 7 2008
Time: 10:15am
Location: St. Patrick’s Cathedral Fifth Avenue & 51 St.

Details:

FOR UNIONS
AND
FRIENDS OF LABOR

WE CELEBRATE THE DIGNITY
OF THE WORKER

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2008
10:15AM Mass
Cathedral of Saint Patrick
NEW YORK CITY

**His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan Archbishop of New York
Celebrant and Homilist

Note: Please bring your organization’s banner and stand.
Arrive at 9:45 AM for the opening processional.

Ed Ott, Executive Director of NY Central Labor Council: Lifting the bottom can avert the collapse of the middle class

“Unless we lift the floor, the ceiling is going to collapse,” “Some of the mainstream labor movement is all about fending for yourself as opposed to working together to raise conditions across the board for all workers.” –Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the Taxi Workers Alliance

Patrick Andrade for The New York Times
All union workers’ gains are vulnerable, says Ed Ott of the New York City Central Labor Council.

From “Labor Needs to Improve Conditions for Nonunion Workers, Official Warns” By Steven Greenhouse in the NY Times (excerpt 6/23/08) :

Ed Ott, the executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council, an umbrella group for the city’s labor unions, has an unexpected and unnerving warning for New York’s more than one million union members.

He warns that their wages and living standards will be threatened unless the city’s unions do far more to lift the incomes and living standards of the city’s nonunion working poor, including restaurant workers, supermarket cashiers and taxi drivers.

“Going forward, if we don’t raise the standards for the lowest-paid workers in the city, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of them, our own levels that we achieved — of wages, pensions and time off — they’re not sustainable,” said Mr. Ott, whose group is a federation of 400 union locals. “For a working class that is going to be making minimum wage or slightly above, what’s going to happen is that as taxpayers, that will create a social base for an attack on our own standards.”

Mr. Ott’s remarks, made in a recent speech at City University and in a follow-up interview, were an impassioned plea as well what he said was a “wake-up call” to the city’s labor movement. New York’s union movement has far more members than any other city’s, although it is widely viewed as less aggressive in unionizing and helping low-wage workers than the labor movements in Los Angeles and several other cities.

He said that many low-income workers who receive no paid vacation or sick days were bound to ask why many municipal workers are entitled to 40 days off per year — combining vacation days, personal days and sick days — in their first year on the job.

“There’s a danger that in the eyes of the majority of people we might be seen as too expensive,”

You can read the entire article at the New York Times

The bottom has lowered

I have always said that labor should be working from the bottom up, but at the time it was Burger King and McDonald’s that were the bottom. Labor was ineffectual against the multi-billion dollar anti-union lawyers and campaigns against organizing in that sector. I always felt that if we didn’t start at the bottom, get those into unions and covered with medical(BK, Mickey D’s, etc. routinely keep their employees part timers keeping them at a tier without benefits), actually be able to get a career out if those type of jobs, we would always be at a disadvantage.

The onslaught against the American worker by the employers and corporations, and the total inefficient immigration policies and utter neglect of legal policies of governing bodies that are supposed to stop the illegal emigration into the US have created a new divide between workers in the US. The bottom has fallen further.

Big money rules the governing agencies, and it seems that only when a company who has tolerated, in fact encouraged, the use of illegal immigrant labor, is in fear of a union organizing drive is when ICE pops up at the door, is it a coincidence?

Take a look around, give me an ICE investigator for a day and I can point out many, many workplaces where workers are undocumented. How do i know? I ask. Even in the bagel store I shop in the workers are getting paid $7 an hour for 12 hours work with no overtime pay. Would they want to unionize? Hell, they are getting a lot more than the average warehouse worker in Brooklyn who gets less than $4 an hour for 80+ hours a week, and are in a less dangerous occupation than a cement laborer who is lucky if he makes $10 an hour and is afraid to speak up on safety issues.

Middle class tolerates investing against it’s own interests

Remember when these employers do not provide the simplest necessities, such as workers compensation insurance, and the employee is told to go to the emergency room and say it happened on the soccer field, the burden of payment winds up directly on the tax payer. This is just one case in point.

The bottom line is that the legitimate working class are directly subsidizing the employers legally bound responsibilities, while creating a tremendous wedge between workers on both sides of the equation.

So how bad is it going to get?

If we don’t act, it can get worse, in fact the writings on the wall, theres bills and laws sprouting up across the country that are making the slave class a legal entity.

Did you know that in Kansas, there is a bill that has been passed before its Senate that will exclude punishment for the employers of undocumented workers, but would fine a union who lets the worker into it’s ranks. You got that? They do not blame the employers, they want to stop anyone from helping the workers.

Of course it took the vote of 19 Republicans in Kansas to pass the bill, you can read the entire article here entitled “KS: State passes bill that will encourage more illegal immigration and punishes unions who try to help the workers“(4/20/08):

This is a new low for the Kansas Senate. A majority of them are happy to turn a blind eye to the hiring of illegal aliens and will use immigration reform to bust unions.

So here is the scenario:

• An employer, knowing that he will not be punished for hiring an illegal, puts the illegal alien to work side by side with unionized American workers.
• The union, believing that the employer would not hire illegal aliens (that is illegal, you know), signs the employee up as a member of the union.
• The union is now subject to criminal action and fines even though the union has no ability to verify the legal status of a worker

How much longer before this type of law spreads into your state?

The bought off politicians are speaking drivel about border fences and absolutely doing nothing in reality about it, creating a wedge issue for the upcoming election, while the last 8 years has proven that the current administration has encouraged the slave class here in the United States.

Over 140 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and 40 years after the death of Martin Luther King, there is more slavery in the United States than ever before, whether it be working without absolutely no rights, visa and legal immigration systems that deny employees a voice, credit debt that you shouldn’t have been issued in the first place or the indentured servitude that usually flies under the radar.

Remember the surest form of conquest is divide and conquer, and multi-national corporations which control the main-stream media help to further the agenda. Human nature, fear and ignorance add to it.

Ed Ott says what he means, and acts on it. How many of you out there are going to try and change the world? How many of you are going to stand up on your feet and fight before you will be dragged down to the bottom and live on your knees?

Turn off the TV and open your mind

“By means of shrewd lies, unremittingly repeated, it is possible to make people believe that heaven is hell – and hell heaven. The greater the lie, the more readily it will be believed.” – Adolph Hitler

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” – Joseph Goebbels, Hitlers propagandist

Teamsters 237 Rallies Against Bush’s Housing Cuts

Update to: Stand with 500,000 New Yorker’s, Teamsters and Housing Authority workers on 5-1-08, Rally at City Hall! (4/10/08)

From Joshing politics (5/1/08) :

Teamsters Local 237 was outside City Hall today on the Broadway side of the park. They had a nice sized rally with a great band to get the rhythm going. The issue at hand is the massive amount of cuts that the Bush Administration has handed the NYCHA and the hundreds of layoffs within the city agency. That dismantling of public housing in New York City is a serious detriment to those that can not afford the rents of five borough. Obviously George Bush doesn’t care, but these spirited Teamsters do.

Stand with 500,000 New Yorker’s, Teamsters and Housing Authority workers on 5-1-08, Rally at City Hall!

Local 237/NYCHA members are stretched to the point of collapse, and residents of public housing – 500,000 citizens of NYC – are threatened with destruction of core services.

From Central Labor Council e-update
Teamsters Local 237 Rally at City Hall to Stop NYCHA Cuts – Thursday, May 1st, 12:00pm at City Hall. During the last eight years, the Bush administration has slashed the budget for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) by $611 million. As a result of the latest cuts announced by Bush, NYCHA has now announced it may be forced to lay off 190 more employees. Local 237/NYCHA members are stretched to the point of collapse, and residents of public housing – 500,000 citizens of NYC – are threatened with destruction of core services. Teamsters Local 237, representing 8,000 employees of NYCHA, has called a rally to spotlight the Bush destruction of public housing in NYC. Show your solidarity by supporting our Local 237 brothers and sisters at this rally!

From Teamster Local 237‘s website:

The layoffs, scheduled for mid-April, include only one of the 8,000 Local 237 members who work for NYCHA, but lacking support staff, “Members will have to work even harder,” President Gregory Floyd was quoted in The Chief Leader as saying. About 1,500 of our members both live and work at HA facilities. “I hope the residents of public housing who have been silent and who need these services desperately begin to speak out.”

At press time, NYCHA was planning to send a caravan of 20 buses to Albany filled with public housing tenants, tenant advocates and labor union representatives to lobby for increased state funding for NYCHA.
Read More

Join the Unions and community organizations in 3-19 rally to reverse City and State funding cuts

Got this from my E-Mail

KEEP THE PROMISES! -TO BUILD MORE SCHOOLS -TO FUND FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN -TO LOWER CLASS SIZE -TO IMPROVE MIDDLE SCHOOLS -TO EXPAND ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS PROGRAMS -TO KEEP AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND TUTORING SERVICES We may face uncertain economic times ahead, but this much is certain: We must keep the promises to our kids. Show your support for the KEEP THE PROMISES COALITION BRING YOUR UNION’S BANNER! What: “Keep the Promises Coaliton Rally” Where: City Hall Park When: Wednesday,March 19th Time: 4:00PM

Click the picture below for leaflet, had to convert from PDF to JPG so it isn’t very clear

Heres more info from New York Teacher from 2-14-08

‘Keep the Promises’ coalition forms to reverse city, state ed funding cuts

A diverse coalition of education advocacy groups, community organizations, clergy, labor unions and dozens of elected officials has launched a major campaign to fight state and city budget proposals that could cost New York City public schools $700 million.

Members of more than 60 community groups, parent organizations and unions, as well as some 40 state and city elected officials, gathered on the steps of City Hall on Feb. 10 to announce the formation of the “Keep the Promises” coalition in response to budget reductions and proposed cuts in education for city schools. The list of cuts includes the following:

• The city has imposed an immediate 1.75 percent cut to schools — a $100 million, midyear cut that will disrupt schools’ programs, schedules and staffing.
• The mayor’s 2009 budget proposal cuts New York City education by $324 million.
• The state budget proposes to give city schools nearly $200 million less than was expected in the Contract for Excellence, stalling progress in class size reduction, full-day pre-kindergarten expansion, improving middle schools and other programs and services.

The state is also proposing to cap building aid, which will slow school construction.  

“When government promises to safeguard the quality education of our children, parents and the public have a right to expect those promises to be honored,” UFT President Randi Weingarten said to reporters as she stood on the City Hall steps flanked by dozens of her coalition colleagues.

She said that “in the absence of an independent Board of Education and an independent schools chancellor, public school children need champions to intervene and protect them. That’s why we are part of this coalition launching this campaign.” Weingarten said the coalition would fight to have the funds restored because the city’s children deserve the quality education they’ve been promised.

“Make no mistake,” Weingarten added. “School-based educators would never dream of saying, ‘Now that we have less we will do less.’ Instead we will fight the school cuts.”

Geri D. Palast — executive director of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, which took the state to court to win increased funding for New York City schools — noted that after 13 years of litigation, New York State “legislated a promise” to add $2.35 billion in classroom operating aid for New York City over four years. At the same time, Mayor Bloomberg said the city would add $2.2 billion. The state also said it would provide $11.2 billion to subsidize the city’s $13.1 billion school construction plan to “finally fund the constitutional right to a sound, basic education,” Palast said.

However, she added, both the state and the city are proposing $700 million in cuts in these commitments. “Long overdue funding of these promises tied to accountability for this catch-up plan must be immunized from short-term economic fluctuations,” Palast said. “A generation of kids has already paid the price for delayed funding with their futures.” (Click for: Full Story)

NY former top labor leader Brian M. McLaughlin guilty, takes plea

NY Times 3-08-08

Annie Tritt for The New York Times– Brian M. McLaughlin, 55, outside federal
court in Manhattan after pleading guilty on Friday.

By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS
Published: March 8, 2008

The former head of the nation’s biggest municipal labor council painstakingly detailed years of thievery from his own union and the state on Friday as he pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in federal court in Manhattan.

Standing and facing the judge as he spoke, the defendant, Brian M. McLaughlin, once a seven-term assemblyman from Queens and the leader of a million workers as president of the New York City Central Labor Council, delivered his 45-minute catalog of wrongs in a tone that at times seemed blasé and at other times abjectly cooperative.

But he never, even after the proceeding was over and he was asked to comment, expressed contrition.

“Do you have anything to say to the members?” a reporter asked when it was over, referring to the rank and file he stole from. To that, Mr. McLaughlin, 55, walking toward the elevator, replied, after a slight hesitation and a barely visible wince, “I don’t have any comment right now.”

Earlier, in reciting his crimes — contained in two counts encompassing 21 separate criminal acts — he sounded as if he were reciting a biblical passage about plague and destruction, so repetitive were the verses. The crimes took place from 1995 to 2006.

He said he had sent out letters asking for contributions to benefit members of Local 3, one of the 400 locals under the labor council’s umbrella, and “those contributions were at times used for personal purposes by myself and other members of the group.” Mr. McLaughlin was apparently referring to unnamed co-conspirators referred to in the indictment who were part of the racketeering enterprise.

He said he had “falsely and misleadingly” persuaded people to give personal contributions and government support to a youth athletic association in Queens that he used as a personal piggy bank.

There were two separate checking accounts for the athletic association, one that provided funds to the youth programs and another that “wasn’t necessary to fund the athletic programs,” he said. The proceeds of the second account, he said, “were used by myself and members of my group for personal use.”

He said he also stole money from his Assembly campaign committee, requiring his campaign treasurer to disguise personal expenses as legitimate political ones.

Judge Richard J. Sullivan of United States District Court asked for a “ballpark amount” that he had siphoned from his campaign committee.

“A considerable amount,” Mr. McLaughlin said.

“Tens of thousands of dollars?” the judge pressed.

“Yes, your honor,” Mr. McLaughlin replied.

He said he had created no-show jobs within the Central Labor Council and on his Assembly staff, and made it look as if “they had real responsibility and were working real hours.”

In reality, the judge asked, were they giving kickbacks from their salaries to Mr. McLaughlin?

“Yes, your honor,” he replied.

He said he had siphoned money for personal purposes from the William Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club in Queens; solicited the use of automobiles from companies that employed union members; and asked members to perform “favors, errands” and household chores for him, like hanging Christmas lights.

And he had lied on a mortgage application, saying that he was renting his house to a union officer, he said.

The assistant United States attorney on the case, Daniel A. Braun, told the judge that Mr. McLaughlin, who remained free Friday on $250,000 bail, could have to forfeit up to $2.2 million in illicit proceeds, as well as his Long Island home and a car that was paid for with $60,000 in kickbacks from a company that used union members as unpaid labor.

The Central Labor Council released a statement on Friday saying it had made changes to improve accountability within the organization since Mr. McLaughlin’s arrest in October 2006. “That being said, we wish the McLaughlin family well at this difficult time,” the statement said.

The original indictment charged Mr. McLaughlin with illegally obtaining $2.2 million from taxpayers, labor unions and contractors. He pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering and one count of making false statements to a lender.

The judge told him he could be sent to prison for a maximum of 50 years when he is sentenced in September. It is more likely, however, that given his guilty plea, he will be sentenced under federal guidelines to about 8 to 10 years, the judge said.

From the Village Voice 3-07-08

Brian McLaughlin Takes Plea, Faces 121 Months in Federal Pen
Posted by Tom Robbins at 5:14 PM, March 7, 2008

Ex-city labor leader and Queens assemblyman Brian McLaughlin once touted himself as a potential mayoral candidate. Instead, he’ll do his public service in a federal pen.

Under a plea deal with prosecutors, McLaughlin, 55, pled guilty to racketeering in Manhattan federal court this afternoon, agreeing to serve a prison sentence of from 97 to 121 months.

In a plea allocution that took him a solid hour to recount, McLaughlin admitted to having ripped off everyone from his fellow union members to his local little league in Queens. Along the way, he also hit up five street lighting contractors for bribes, and stole from his own political club.

McLaughlin refused comment as he exited the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan, brushing aside questions from reporters. Asked if he had anything to say to the one million city union members he once led as president of the city’s Central Labor Council, McLaughlin declined comment. “I’ve been advised by my attorney not to talk about it,” he said.

The Voice told the ragged tale of McLaughlin’s colossal fall in 2006 in “The Sinner Within.”

Tell the Senate Banking Committee to block Wal-Mart for good! With a dash of Toxic product, health care, UAW, USW and Chinese product news included

Figured I’d get a bit of info out there today.

FROM: Wal-Mart Watch

The Senate Banking Committee is currently considering legislation to permanently block commercial retailers like Wal-Mart from receiving industrial loan charters. Please send a note to the Senate Banking Committee and ask them to stop the Bank of Wal-Mart.

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Toxic products, the newest issue of Wal-Mart Watch shows the utter lack of the corporation taking responsibility. *Clicking the link orpicture will open a PDF file.

Danger for Sale: How Wal-Mart’s Unethical Practices Endanger Consumers

In this issue, “Danger for Sale,” we expose Wal-Mart’s woeful record on consumer product safety issues. Whether it is E. Coli in the meat, melamine in the dog food, or lead paint on the children’s toys – far too many dangerous products have turned up on Wal-Mart’s shelves, and far too little effort has been given by Wal-Mart to ensure the safety and well-being of its customers.

As the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart could use its clout to push manufacturers into raising the safety standards of their products. Instead, Wal-Mart continues to demand low prices at any cost and any standard from manufacturers, putting consumers at risk.

Click here to download Issue 4 of Wal-Mart Watch In Depth: Danger for Sale >>

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In other news Trader Joe’s is eliminating 1 ingredient products from China from it’s shelves. More info on that and background can be found below

• [SFGate.com] Food Conscious: Battle over country of origin heating up

(1-16-08) “I wouldn’t buy it,” McPherson says. She likes to buy American, because she thinks “made in the USA” makes a product better and safer, and also because she wants to support the U.S. economy.

It seems that Trader Joe’s is hearing directly from consumers who feel the same way. Customer concern about Trader Joe’s selling fresh garlic from China prompted the chain to announce that it would phase out “single ingredient” foods from China early this year. Processed foods that contain ingredients from China would still be sold, presumably.

• [USA Today] Trader Joe’s to exclude some food imports from China

(2-11-08) By April 1, Trader Joe’s will phase out single-ingredient Chinese imports such as garlic, frozen organic spinach, ginger and edamame, a green soybean, says spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki. The ban doesn’t include products with ingredients from China, a leading source of vitamins and minerals used in many processed foods.

With 285 stores in 23 states, Trader Joe’s is known for good prices on a wide selection of exotic items, from Australian licorice to Indian pilaf. Trader Joe’s says the products it bought from China were safe. But “our customers have voiced their concerns about products from this region, and we have listened,” Mochizuki said.

Federal regulators last year warned about contaminated Chinese pet food ingredients, fish containing antibiotics not allowed in human food, and toothpaste laced with a chemical used in antifreeze.

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And let’s not forget, I got the Health Care survey, which the AFL-CIO has been asking people to take, reminded to me again via the NYC Central Labor Council’s E-Mail. So heres a reminder:

Take the AFL-CIO Health Care for America Survey

Make your voice heard on health care
Take the 2008 Health Care for America Survey today.

In solidarity,

Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO

More Info:
Tell Us Your Health Care Story at AFL-CIO WebBlog

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This is also some noteworthy news.

• [Guardian.co.uk] British union plans merger with American steelworkers

(2-11-08) Two of the largest British and American unions are hoping to announce an agreement this summer to create a transatlantic super-union capable of defending workers’ rights in the globalised marketplace.

Unite, which has about two million members, and the United Steelworkers union (USW), which represents about a million members in the US, Canada and the Caribbean, see the creation of an international union presence as the key to meeting the challenges posed by the onward march of globalisation.

Unite’s joint general secretary, Derek Simpson, said: “Unions which are organised nationally are not in a position to successfully challenge multinational companies over employment terms. There are some things over which you have no control or influence at all and many where you have so little it amounts to nothing.” Simpson argues that, by contrast, multinational companies can use the threat of relocating to other countries to make their influence felt.

• [Bloomberg] Ford May Cut 9,000 More U.S. Plant Jobs, Person Says (Update4)

(2-11-08) The cuts would be in addition to the 33,600 union workers who left through buyouts and early retirements in 2006 and 2007, when Ford lost a combined $15.3 billion. Further reductions may help Ford restore profit by speeding the hiring of new workers who would be paid about half as much as current employees.

Can’t say I didn’t see that one coming, I tried to warn you guys, now your stuck with a POS contract and the entire US auto industry, which by the way isn’t securely staying on American soil (no wording in the contract), is a $19 an hour job.

• [UnionReview by me] UAW: Some Reasons for GM Workers to Vote NO!

(9-29-07) They said (UAW) the strike was for job security , that management (GM) wouldn’t meet them at all in negotiations, what they came back with doesn’t address job security, only an empty promise that the company (GM) would try to invest in US manufacturing, This contract from an outsiders point of view is a disgrace , it takes away wage increases under the terms of “bonuses” instead of raises, it gives a union that seems more focused to organize outside of its natural boundaries , writers , student workers, etc. complete control of all welfare monies of its GM membership. And lastly it divides the entire group of GM workers into two separate tiers, who obviously will not be able to ever fight as a unified body ever again.

Nobody listens anymore.