Robert Bloch was Regional Adjunct Election Officer for the Great Lakes region (Chicago) under Goldberg, is a labor law attorney in his firm Dowd & Bloch, about 45 years old, noted for instilling democratic procedures in unions, was appointed with the specific approval and sign off of the U.S. Attorney in Chicago.He will make a good trustee. His appointments as assistant trustees of Sladowski, Romano and Guilfoyle are good appointments.

Sat near AUSA Oswald, Buvinger, and FBI Luera all day at the court hearing. Met the dapper Luskin and the methodic Gow, a few more investigators for the Inspector General office who are Chicago Police detectives(know my sister who is Deputy Superintendent-Chief of Patrol-and well liked by the rank and file police).Also met my phone contacts at the Chicago Crime Commission for the first time (Wayne Johnson -chief investigator-who replaced my friend Jerry Gladden) Wayne was a former Chicago police officer who specialized in organized crime section-Jack Dineen's section. Both were crucial witnesses in the Chicago district Council trusteeship hearings.

Met Bruno Caruso and Joseph Lombardo, Jr-both likeable guys that contend they are victims of Coia's revenge against political opponents. Both will testify on Wednesday on their own behalf.

In attendance before U.S. District Court Judge James Moran at the 11am hearing on the Trusteeship matter were GEB Attorney Dwight Bostwick and Chicago co-counsel Robert Shapiro of Barack, Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Perlman. Sherman Carmel appeared as defense counsel for the district council, George Leighton for John Matassa, Bruno Caruso's attorney, and two female attorneys for Leo Caruso and Joseph Lombardo, Jr (both equal opportunity employers).

Stephanie Mensimer, our good looking reporter friend from the Washington Post flew in for the hearing which was covered at my request by Chicago City News, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun Times (Robert Manor). TV crews from local stations were not allowed in the courthouse. Newsweek, Time, and the New York Times were also alerted but I didn't see them there. I gave Stephanie the 1997 annual reports from the various funds to assist her in her expose of LIUNA corruption.

Met David Roscow, LIUNA Public Relations-Bullshit expert who asked me why I didn't put LIUNA press releases on our web site. Told him I would put whatever press releases he issues on the web site if he would send them to me. Told him that I would file a complaint with Luskin if I saw one more press release that says LIUNA has a membership of 750,000+ when everybody knows Coia fraudulently adds the 300,000 associate members of the Mail handlers Division to the 450,000 members who pay dues to LIUNA. The 300,000 "associate" members of the Mail Handlers Division of LIUNA do not pay dues to LIUNA, are not covered by LIUNA collective bargaining agreements, and are not eligible to vote in LIUNA elections. They are not members. They pay a one time fee to participate in LIUNA health and welfare plans which are better than the government plans. Told Roscow that I was going to get rid of that "son of a bitch" who is in charge of LIUNA's disinformation campaign.

Also told "wet behind the ears" David Roscow that I found it deceptive to put The Laborer magazine on LIUNA's web site www.liuna.org and not include the reports issued by the LIUNA Inspector General (Gow)and The GEB Attorney, Robert D. Luskin. Curiously, Luskin's column announcing the charges against Arthur A. Coia for associating with members of organized crime, permitting organized crime's influence in the union, and taking kickbacks was the column omitted while Arthur A. Coia serves as editor(Coverup?). Luskin got my verbal complaint and will receive a written complaint which will be posted on the web site with other complaints from other members in keeping with our new policy of making "public" all correspondence to Gow and Luskin. Some members who will be brought up on fraudulent charges will request that the hearings before Viara be broadcast on the internet.

My goal is to report everything and let the members decide. We have nothing to hide and a lot to expose that warrants full disclosure. More tomorrow

In Luskin's eloquent testimony, he revealed that he does not tell the members of the General Executive Board about his investigations, that Coia's disciplinary hearing is scheduled for April, that the title GEB Attorney is really a misnomer and should more likely be LIUNA prosecuting Attorney. He is not general counsel to LIUNA. He is independent of the General Executive Board and most assuredly does not collaborate with Arthur A. Coia nor report to him. He announces what he is going to do and tells the GEB what it has to do to comply .

He of course reports to the US Attorneys from Chicago who monitor his performance. Sometimes there is disagreement on what Luskin in his professional judgement refuses to do. He is independent and his own man. Doesn't agree with me all the time either. He is usually right, however.Sometimes, however, he is wrong as in his refusal to charge Coia with filing fraudulent LM-2 reports -reports filed under penalties of law

I have asked for electronic copies of the hearings and will send them to you for mounting on the web site when and if I get them.