Maybe it was something in the glue? Union Mailers Heading to Jailers

This is worth posting based on the New York Post's headline alone. However, as you read the story, it gets even better in a curious kind of way.

From the Post:

A union leader who was sent in to clean up the newspaper mailers union after the previous president embezzled a six-figure sum from the union yesterday admitted he also had embezzled cash from the union.

Larry DeAngelis, who was dispatched by the Communications Workers of America in mid-2008 to lead CWA Local 14170, also known as Mailers Local 6, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling for siphoning $60,000 from the union.

DeAngelis' confession came two days after his predecessor, Wayne Mitchell, pleaded guilty to the same charge after admitting he embezzled more than $200,000 from the union he had led for decades before he was forced out.

Wow!  The CWA sent in a thief to clean up after a thief???  It's hard to believe that any union would be that irresponsible but...

Maybe they were sniffing the glue from the envelopes?

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

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Obama Taps Another Union Boss for a Nomination

President Obama is adding to the list of special interest-group appointees going on to the federal payroll:

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate William J. Boarman as the 26th Public Printer of the United States.

Boarman is currently a vice president of the Communications Workers of America and president of the union’s Printing, Publishing & Media Workers Sector.

Boarman’s career in print started in the apprenticeship program of the International Typographical Union and served as his apprenticeship at McArdle Printing Company in Washington, D.C. He became a Journeyman Printer at the Government Printing Office in 1974.

More here...

And here...


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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

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For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Seeing Red: When a Union Beats Up Its Own Members

You may have seen them climbing in and out of sewers, or climbing a telephone pole.  They may have come into your house or you might have seen them astro-turfing at a town hall meeting last summer. 

Who are they? 

They're the Communications Workers of America and, the chances are, if you've ever had a telephone repairman into your home, he was a member of the CWA.

Their shirts are red, not purple.  However, they can sometimes be just as nasty as their purple-clad cousins over at the SEIU.

A case in point:

Two members of the Staten Island local of the Communications Workers of America say they were beaten and harassed - and one had a dead rat put in his locker - after they reported that union brothers were being paid for work they did not perform. The men say the union supported the retaliation: that a local vice president told members that "we have to deal with these spies on a personal level, like take them outside of the yard, off the company property and off company time and take care of them, because we can't be ratting each other out," according to the federal complaint.

....

According to the complaint in Brooklyn Federal Court, DiStefano was a member in good standing with the union when in the summer of 2007 a union manager overseeing worked for Verizon on Staten Island told his men that so long as they did three "fiber to premises" jobs each day, they could put in for a full day's pay no matter how many hours they actually worked.

DiStefano says he refused to participate in the scheme, and told other workers, supervisors and union management that the practice was illegal. When Taravella went to work at the Verizon garage, he says, he expressed the same reservations.

DiStefano and Taravella say revealed the scheme to Verizon's corporate security in May 2008. From then on, they say, they were subjected to increasing abuse from union brothers, shop stewards and union chiefs.

They claim that Richard Meltz, a union chief, told angry union members to "do whatever you want with those two guys."

Immediately afterward, the two men say they were brought up on false charges that they had made "discriminatory" gestures" to their co-workers. The case was supported by affidavits signed by many of their union brothers.

As a result, DiStefano and Taravella say, they were "terminated" from the Staten Island garage, relocated, demoted, and placed on bogus "final warnings" due to the false charges of "discrimination" and "harassment" and "making gestures" to their union brothers.

When they complained to superiors, they were told, "You guys did it to yourself," according to the complaint.

Soon after that, Taravella says he discovered that somebody - allegedly shop steward Manny Rincon - had put a dead rat in his locker.

A month later, a union member called DiStefano a "rat" while hitting him about the face and head, an attack that left him with two herniated discs, he says.

In neither case did the union take action against the alleged perpetrator. Instead, in DiStefano's case, he says the incident led to his termination for allegedly starting the fight.

The plaintiffs say the union encouragement the violence against them. They say that at an August 2009 meeting, Joe Macaleer and Mike Luzzi, two vice presidents of the Local, told members that the company was "having a lot of problems right now 'due to a couple of troublemakers,'" and that "We have to learn that we can't call corporate security because we don't want those people getting involved in our business."

The complaint claims that Macaleer said, "I don't want nobody in this room to call corporate security any more." [And] "I don't care if somebody comes to work with a gun saying they're going to shoot people, you don't say anything ... we have a lot of problems here due to the fact there are 'spies 'in the room." [Ellipsis in complaint.]

Macaleer added, "You know who you are," while looking directly at the plaintiffs, according to the complaint.

DiStefano and Taravella sued the CWA Local 1101, seeking damages for reckless indifference, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. [Emphasis added.]

This isn't the first time the CWA local's heavy-handedness has...well...gotten out of hand.

Following the Verizon strike of 2000, then-CWA boss Jim Trainor sent a letter to his members bragging about charges the union had filed against 'scabs' (people who had crossed the union's picket line to work).

Imagine, paying a union that (allegedly) turns a blind eye to fraud, then beats the person who turns them in. 

And union bosses wonder why they keep losing members! [Ha!]
 
Photo credit: Molly Theobald
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Follow LaborUnionReport on Twitter.

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com

AFL-CIO Mouthpiece Admits Big Labor's Strategy is to Use NLRB to Push Americans into Unions

As Big Labor's nominee to the National Labor Relations Board, Craig Becker, has his Senate hearing this week, Stewart Acuff, the AFL-CIO's main point person in pushing the delusionally-dubbed (and recently doomed) Employee Free FORCED Choice Act shared the Big Labor backdoor strategy on Huffington Post.

It [sic] we aren't able to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, we will work with President Obama and Vice President Biden and their appointees to the National Labor Relations Board to change the rules governing forming a union through administrative action to once again allow workers in America access to one of the most basic freedoms in a democracy--the freedom of speech and assembly and association so that workers can build the collective power to challenge the Financial Elite and Get America Back to Work. [Emphasis added.]

As we noted yesterday, the leopard (Becker) isn't likely to be changing its spots--despite what he tells the senators in Washington.

This is also why the Communications Workers of America is pushing to get Craig Becker confirmed at the NLRB before Scott Brown gets seated in the Senate.
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"I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes." Thomas Paine December 23, 1776

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Cross-posted.

Union Meets to Plot War Strategy Against New Jersey's New Governor

The Communications Workers of America, the red-shirted behemoth that represents a large chunk of public employees in New Jersey is planning its attacks on the Garbage Garden State's newly seated governor, Chris Christie.

About 800 shop stewards from the Communications Workers of America -- New Jersey’s largest state workers union -- are meeting at the Trenton War Memorial this morning, less than 24 hours after Gov. Christopher Christie took the oath of office in the same building.

Strategizing on how to deal with the pugnacious new governor – who was short on specifics in yesterday’s inaugural address but has vowed to make deep budget cuts -- will be Topic A.

Bob Master, the union’s regional political and legislative director, said that the meeting will address “our preparations to face what we expect to be the most serious attack that we’ve seen,” where union officials will lay out steps for “internal mobilization.”

The meeting also comes just a few hours a Quinnipiac poll showed overwhelming public support for furloughs and layoffs of state workers (58%-35%) and freezing wages (71% - 23%). Pollster Maurice Carroll said that amounts to a "chopping license" for Christie.

“It’s not dissimilar from polls that have been out already. We know that when you have people scapegoating you for years on end, this is the result,” said Master. “And unfortunately, I think we have to work overtime to get our message out to the public about what we actually do and who we actually are.”

Given that New Jersey's last governor, ousted-Democrat Jon Corzine slept with now ex-CWA boss Carla Katz (who apparently ruined Corzine's marriage), it is a safe bet that, at least with Christie in office, the governor's bedroom will not be a place that too many union deals are made.

One question that is not answered by the above-referenced article:  Who paid these 800 shop stewards while they are busy plotting their strategy?  Hopefully, it is not New Jersey's taxpayers.

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"I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes." Thomas Paine December 23, 1776


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UNION BOSS BOOED OUT OF TOWN HALL MEETING LEAVING CWA 'RED SHIRTS' POWERLESS

THIS IS A MUST-SEE VIDEO:

The red-shirted union goons from the Communications Workers of America were out in full force at New York Congressman Tim Bishop's town hall meeting. Unfortunately for the CWA goon squad, however, they were outnumbered by ordinary citizens who did not appreciate a union boss from outside their district taking the mic.

The fun begins at about 2 1/2 minutes into the video.




Hat-tip to MAinfo who writes: "Red is SUCH an appropriate color. They stand together for Obama's Red Communist Agenda."

ANOTHER UNION BAILOUT? THE CWA WANTS HIGH SPEED INTERNET TO BE AN AMERICAN RIGHT

The Communications Workers of America, of which we're all too familiar, is looking for a bailout of sorts. That is, the CWA (that old dinosaur union from the old Ma Bell days) wants to convince America that high-speed internet is an American birthright (something akin to Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness and, of late, Nationalized Health Care).

"Every American should have affordable access to high-speed Internet, no matter where they live. This is essential to economic growth and will help maintain our global competitiveness," said Larry Cohen, president, Communications Workers of America, in a statement.

We recently blogged about this topic, stating:

In any case, comrades, we expect to see the White House, its union allies at the CWA and IBEW, as well as the main stream media to begin an attack on these greedy capitalistic companies and their evil executives for their concerted denial of a basic American Right...high speed internet in every home.

Well, a little more than a week later, it seems that we were right again. The CWA is coming out with a full-court press claiming all Americans deserve to have high-speed internet.

[Note: The attacks on internet providers AT&T, Verizon and Comcast haven't begun in earnest yet, but they will soon.]

This week, the CWA issued a study (its third) making its usual claim that America is inferior to other civilized nations in providing high-speed internet. The union even set up a website [called speedmatters.org] and began issuing press releases complaining about high-speed internet's lack of speed across America. The sum of the union's releases are that poor, rural Americans are being denied a critical need and have the right to have high-speed internet.

So, what is this issue really about? As always, the answer lies in the old adage: Follow the money.

The CWA, a union that has lost hundreds of thousands of dues-paying members since the break-up the old "Ma Bell" system and the invention of primarily non-union wireless telephone industry, wants its members to install the high-speed internet. According to ChannelWeb:

For every $5 billion invested in U.S. broadband infrastructure, 97,500 new jobs in the telecommunications, computer and IT sectors will be created, according to a study by the Communications Workers of America.

Of course, 97,500 members at $600 per year each in union dues means $58,500,000 to the union's coffers every year.

Perhaps this isn't about the right to high-speed internet so much as it is about the right to take taxpayer money to line CWA bosses' pockets.

Editor's note: The writer of this blog post is a former CWA representative and activist.

Good News & Bad News on the Union-Free Front: EFCA's in a "Holding Pattern"

There's good news and bad news on the union-free front.

First, the good news: The moronically-named Employee Free Choice Act (that job-destroying bill that union bosses have been pushing for the last few years) may now be on the back burner until after Labor Day.

According to the Communications Workers' of America (CWA) top boss Larry Cohen:

“...[T]he trouble we have is with cloture.” He explained that “unions don’t have solid promises from both Arkansas senators and from Sen. Specter yet that they will vote to break a filibuster.”

Blaming Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman, Cohen stated:

"Republican obstructionism that keeps one of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seats vacant, plus congressional concentration on health care, are combining to put consideration of the Employee Free Choice Act in a holding pattern."

In addition, there are apparently 12 "wavering" Democratic Senators. These include Evan Bayh, D-Ind., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Thomas Carper, D-Del., Mary Landrieu, D-La., Michael Bennett, D-Colo., Arlen Specter, D-Pa., Kay Hagan, D-N.C., Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and both senators from each of two states, Arkansas and Virginia, according to the CWA's Annie Hill.

According to the People's Weekly World, EFCA may have to wait until after Labor Day:

The same congressional committees that would deal with labor law reform are now busy with overhauling health care.

The result is that labor will likely have to delay its goal of having the Employee Free Choice Act on President Obama’s desk by Labor Day.

If this is indeed the case, it would appear that President Obama's effort to nationalize America's health care will be taking precedent over the job-destroying union bail out bill...And that is the bad news.

Despite candidate Obama's ridicule of Sen. John McCain's proposed health care plan last year, it would appear that Democrats are proposing to tax Americans for their health care after all.

According to Fox Business, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), is proposing “options to limit allowable tax free health benefits."

The Baucus Plan, which is estimated to cost more than $1 trillion, will tax one in eight Americans for their health care coverage. However, in a payback to his Big Labor backers, Max Baucus plans on exempting union members' benefits.

As Human Events notes: It would penalize every non-union recipient of employer-provided healthcare benefits.

As unbelievable as this seems, Baucus apparently feels that discriminating against more than 87% of Americans who are not paying union dues is all right.

Of course, should this reprehensible discrimination against those who choose not to be unionized make it into the socialized medicine plan, Baucus and his union backers know full well that this will create an incentive for workers to unionize.

Unfortunately, if this causes more workers to unionize, it will cause less companies to offer benefits and, for those that do, it will cause a greater incentive for those companies to dump their workers onto the government's plan. Thus, the speeding up of the transition to full blown national health care will occur.