By Laura Maggi
States News Service
WASHINGTON
-- The challenger for the top leadership job at a Hartford- based
local of the Laborers union told a congressional panel Monday
that "unprecedented criminal behavior is occurring there"
Speaking before a House hearing about problems
with union democracy , Stephen Manos of Glastonbury testified
that after being elected vice president of Local 230 of Laborers'
International Union of North America in 1995, he was harassed
and threatened by the union's local leadership, including business
manager Charles LeConche.
Manos also said that since he has become
a candidate for business manager, the top position at the local,
he has been deprived of work and was physically assaulted by union
officials at an executive board meeting last July. The business
manager election will be held next month. Due to House rules,
Manos did not mention LeConche during his testimony. "Hartford
Laborers' Local 230 is run by a part-time business manager. He
is also the business manager of the Connecticut Laborers' District
Council. He exercises one man rule in Connecticut and is insulated
these positions," Manos said.
But Michael S. Bearse, general counsel
of the Laborers' International, told lawmakers that Manos accusations
have to be considered within context of a heated political battle
to win the leadership job.
"Manos has had every opportunity for
review of his complaints," Bearse said. He also told the
House Employer-Employee Relations Subcommittee that .the construction
union had restructured its process for investigating complaints,
establishing an independent inspector general's office.
Union under scrutiny
The Laborers' International is basically
on a probation period which began three years ago, after the union
signed an agreement with the Justice Department. Extended by one
year this February, the agreement gave the union some time to
clean itself up, or face a government takeover, according to Carl
Biers, executive director of the Association for Union Democracy,
a watchdog group for members rights in unions.
Robert M. Cheverie, Local 230's lawyer,
said in an interview after the hearing that Manos' charges were
all unfounded.
In response to Manos' assertion that he is
barred from speaking at meetings. Cheverie said that the vice
president is allowed as much time to speak as any other member.
He called Manos' charges that he is being denied employment an
"absolute fabrication."
The congressmen's reactions to Manos' testimony
were partisanly divided. Rep. Donald M. Payne, D - N.J., the
subcommittee's senior Democrat, grilled Manos about one of his
charges- - that he was forcibly ejected from a meeting by the
union's sergeant at arms, Frank Freeman, after being threatened
by LeConche.
Manos said the assault occurred at an executive
board meeting attended by a Laborers' International vice president
and one the union's lawyers --on July 30 at the Capriccio Ristorante
on Franklin Avenue in Hartford.
Responding to a question from Payne, Manos
said that he brought his accusations to the Labor Department,
the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office in Connecticut, the Hartford
Police Department, the union's inspector general, and general
executive board attorney - but none of those organizations took
any action.
"The FBI are pretty thorough"
said Payne. "They look thoroughly through things. How do
you attest that they found your charges insufficient?"
Manos told Payne that neither the FBI nor
the Hartford police made a full investigation of his charges.
"We have been abandoned by certain entities for inexplicable
reasons." he said.
Confrontation taped
But Rep. Harris W. Fawell, R-Ill, chairman
of the subcommittee. said he was by what he read in the transcript
of the attack -recorded secretly by Manos.
"I cannot see how it was justified,
the extent of the force and profanity that Mr. Manos was subjected
to," he said. Fawell said he bad considered playing Manos'
tape recording during the hearing but that it was too liberally
peppered with expletives, though none were uttered by Manos.
Manos distributed copies of the tape to reporters
after the hearing.