From staff reports
The Laborers' International Union of North
America Local 423 has elected a new vice president nearly two
months after the federal government said the previous VP was ineligible
to hold office.
Local 423, which represents 1,400 central
Ohio construction workers, elected Pat McGovern vice president
and delegate for district council, a body of union representatives.
McGovern replaces Pat Murphy. The Labor Department
said Murphy couldn't hold office because of a felony conviction
14 years ago. Murphy spent nearly two years in prison after being
convicted in 1984 of second-degree robbery.
The Labor Department oversaw the Jan. 30
vote, where McGovern faced three opponents.
"The vote was not close,'' said Local
423 Business Manager Bob McCaskill. "McGovern is trustworthy.
He'll do a good job.''
McGovern has spent more than 23 years with
Local 423.
A spokesman for the Cleveland offices of
the Labor Department said 10 percent of union elections are protested,
and of that number, 10 percent result in new elections.