Carpenters Union Local’s Job Control Restored

A federal judge has rejected the International Carpenters Union’s attempt to seize control of the 700-member Los Angeles local that supplies foremen and workers for downtown-area construction projects.

In the ruling this week, U.S. District Judge Lawrence T. Lydick also directed the international to certify the election of two officials of Local 25 who have been at the center of the five-year dispute.

Lydick found there was clear evidence that officials of the international union and the union’s Los Angeles County District Council “conspired to quiet those who oppose them” and attempted to gain control of the local through trusteeships “intended to influence the outcome of elections at the local, to effect policy decisions more properly left to the democratic vote of the union membership, and to arbitrarily remove elected union officials.”

Judge’s Order

The judge ordered the restoration of the local’s job jurisdiction, so that carpenters referred to work within the area are cleared through the local union office. Officials of the local contended that the union’s district council had refused to issue union cards to members of Local 25 unless they paid their dues directly to the council.

David Rosenfeld, a San Francisco attorney representing the international, said the union will appeal Lydick’s decision, which he termed “wrong” and “biased.” Although Lydick specified no direct monetary judgment in the case, he prescribed several steps to “restore the fiscal soundness” of the local, including reimbursement by the international of monthly dues to the local’s members until 1991, as well as the waiver of unpaid per capita taxes due the international by the local over a 10-year period.

Lydick said the reimbursement of monthly dues was intended to “punish” the international.

Paul M. Posner, a lawyer representing the local, estimated that the union would gain about $1.2 million, including reimbursement for legal fees.

Lawsuits, Confrontations

The union dispute, which over the years involved a series of lawsuits, National Labor Relations Board actions and tense confrontations between members, centered on allegations by local officials Robert Dale and Kenny Scott that the union’s district council opposed them because they had uncovered union corruption. The district council contended that Dale and Scott had mismanaged union money.