On May 11, 1999 reform minded members of local 2 refused to pay the bills , (meaning legal bills), and demanded via motion an opportunity to reject the minutes of the local's executive board wherein it rejected the offer of supervisorship made by the GEB Attorney, (Robert Luskin-202-625-1200) knowing full well it could then expect to receive a complaint for trusteeship, which it did on April 28, 1999 at the nomination meeting being held at a VFW hall down the street from the local (6607 S. Archer, Chicago)

John Matassa, jr. told the members there were no minutes to read because there was no meeting. I was outside the local giving parliamentary advice to laborers not familiar with Robert's Rules of Order. Instead of putting a motion to the floor to accept the offer (we had the votes) there was so much disorder at being deprived of a union member's right of self governance, that the honest members of the local motioned to suspend the meeting to Sat. May 22, 1999 at noon in a bigger hall. the minutes of the meeting now in the hands of the GEB attorney clearly reflect the meeting is to be resumed on Sat. May 22, 1999 and that the local will send out notices to members and advise of new location as well as meeting's resumption as well as 7 days notice to nominate delegates to the District Council, which is now under Trusteeship for being under influence and control of organized crime.

No notices have been sent and when one calls the local at 773-586-5766, the clerical secretary tells members there will be no meeting. I suspect that John Matassa, jr, who was booted out of union on May 12, 1999 for being a member of organized crime, is trying to sandbag honest members. If we don't show up on Saturday he will and he will have the votes to accept the decision of executive board and reject supervision. Every political appointee working for Chicago's park district, cook County, or state government will be there to support John Matassa, jr and organized crime.

In the event union members are being deprived of the "meaningful" right to vote May 22, 1999, I expect the GEB Attorney will go into U.S. District Court in Chicago on Monday, May 24, 1999 and seek an emergency trusteeship. In which case, the U.S. Marshals will gallop out to 6607 S. Archer and seize control of the local, change the locks, and oust all the members of the executive board and appoint a trustee and capable assistants as well as new officers. I will have tv cameras at the site on Saturday and Monday as well as members of the press and the Chicago Police Department Labor Relations personnel should anything happen.

I have all the background info on http://members.xoom.com/jimcgough under the laborers and local 2, including the letter the executive board is required to read at the next general membership meeting. Whether that meeting will occur on May 22 or June 8 is in doubt. The important, critical item of information in the May 19, 1999 letter from the GEB Attorney is the reminder to members that all decisions of the executive board of a local are binding until and unless over ridden by vote of the members at the next general meeting, a provision I personally brought to the attention of the GEB Attorney when I told him I was going to use it to have my troops in local 2 take back control of local 2 by having the votes.

The real issue confronting the International and the GEB Attorney in view of the public doubt and cynicism of the legitimacy of the internal reform movement is who the GEB attorney appoints as trustee or supervisor or co trustee or assistant supervisor. Members of Laborers for JUSTICE and reform minded members of local 2 expect the GEB Attorney to appoint Jim McGough in some capacity to foster the reform movement in local 2 and elsewhere. The FBI would like McGough to be appointed as a delegate to the Chicago District Council but can not interfere with internal union affairs. DOL-OIG would love to see McGough inside the rat's nest of corruption, knowing full well he would yell bloody murder when he detected corruption.

When all is said and done, report on who the GEB appoints as an assistant to the trustee. If he appoints someone who can not devote his energies full time, bad appointment. If he appoints someone who is not intimately familiar with LIUNA's constitution-bad appointment. If he appoints someone without investigative experience , like an ex FBI official knowledgeable about organized crime-bad appointment. If he appoints someone who does not know how to use the internet and computers, bad appointment. The appointment of Jim McGough would of course be an excellent appointment according to Combined Counties Police Association president, John Flood, former head of Oglivie's Organized Crime Task Force.