ST. LOUIS 鈥 The head of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters said representatives of the national union were investigating 鈥渁llegations of financial malfeasance鈥 when he decided to suddenly dissolve the union鈥檚 powerful 最新杏吧原创-based branch in late September.
General President Douglas McCarron, in a signed declaration filed Nov. 3 in a federal court case, said it had become apparent the 最新杏吧原创-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council was 鈥渘ot functioning properly鈥 when he decided to oust its leaders and put the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters in charge.
His statement is the first public acknowledgement by union leadership that they were looking into financial irregularities at the once-influential 最新杏吧原创 Council. Except for a Sept. 24 letter from McCarron obtained by the Post-Dispatch ordering the dissolution, which references an internal 鈥渞eport鈥 from three union officials, there has been no explanation of why McCarron made the move.
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McCarron鈥檚 declaration was entered as part of a case brought by longtime 最新杏吧原创 Regional Council critic Jonathan Gould, a union floor layer from Edwardsville. Gould filed the case in U.S. District Court in early October against the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and McCarron in an attempt to stop the move to put Chicago in charge of 最新杏吧原创.
The Chicago branch is
McCarron鈥檚 statement said the national office 鈥渞ecently鈥 received an anonymous complaint from a 鈥減urported former employee鈥 of the 最新杏吧原创 Council. In addition, a 最新杏吧原创 Council employee approached Mike Kwiatkowski, a United Brotherhood of Carpenters international representative, 鈥渨ith information regarding concerns about the 最新杏吧原创 Council鈥檚 operations.鈥
鈥淭hree UBC representatives (Daniel Sivertson, Mike Kwiatkowski and Anthony Pena) were assigned to look into the allegations concerning the 最新杏吧原创 Council鈥檚 operations, including allegations of financial malfeasance,鈥 McCarron鈥檚 declaration states.
On Sept. 22, McCarron said he issued a directive so that Terrence Mooney, an accountant in the Atlantic City, New Jersey, area, 鈥渃ould take possession of the records of the 最新杏吧原创 Council to do a review,鈥 according to the court filing.
鈥淧ena, Kwiatkowski and Sivertson issued preliminary findings,鈥 McCarron鈥檚 filing says. 鈥淢r. Mooney鈥檚 firm also provided information to UBC officials about his initial findings. The investigations remain ongoing.鈥
After discussing the matter with Mark McGriff, a union vice president for the Midwest, McCarron wrote 鈥渋t became apparent that the 最新杏吧原创 Council was not functioning properly and in the best interests of membership.鈥
The declaration also provided the first public admission from union leadership that former 最新杏吧原创 Council chief Al Bond had been removed.
McCarron said he decided to dissolve the 最新杏吧原创 Council, and 鈥渁s a consequence鈥 of the dissolution, 鈥渢he position of executive secretary-treasurer, which was held by Albert Bond, was eliminated.鈥
Spokespeople for the local and national carpenters union offices continue to stay silent. They did not reply to a request for comment Wednesday. It鈥檚 unclear if the internal investigations remain underway.
A Post-Dispatch review of union financial records in October found major changes in payroll were made in the local union鈥檚 fiscal year ending June 30, with many employees previously paid out of benefit funds added to regular union payroll. A former top national union regulator also told the newspaper that the union鈥檚 practice of paying some employees out of benefit funds would likely 鈥渞aise questions.鈥
Nationally, the carpenters union is under federal scrutiny following , who led the New Jersey Carpenter鈥檚 Pension, Annuity, Health and Training/Apprenticeship funds and was a former commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Following Laufenberg鈥檚 indictment on charges he embezzled pension funds and helped another person steal via a 鈥渓ow-show鈥 job, .
Gould鈥檚 lawsuit here is the latest of many he has filed against the carpenter鈥檚 union. In lawsuits filed in 最新杏吧原创 Circuit Court, he has accused local union leaders of improperly using member funds, though the union has thus far fended off the litigation.
In his most recent lawsuit, the one in which McCarron filed the declaration, Gould does not have a lawyer and is representing himself. Even so, the union and McCarron are represented by two of the biggest legal names in town: Bob Blitz, who has represented the union in the past, and Jim Martin of Dowd Bennett, who defended former Gov. Eric Greitens in his invasion of privacy case. Both attorneys鈥 law firms were part of the legal team that just won the $790 million settlement against the NFL and Rams football team.
Originally posted at 5:13 p.m. Wednesday.
