With the Police and Firefighters Monopoly Bargaining Bill looming on the horizon, here's a portent of things to come from the Cal Watchdog blog:
North Bay firefighters launched a boycott of a Napa Valley winery this weekend after its owner criticized their wages and benefits in a letter published in the St. Helena Star. But more than a boycott was launched, as the winery owner has received veiled threats online from some public safety employees, potentially refusing to fight a fire at his home or winery, or save him from choking in a restaurant.
A concerned winery owner has the temerity to point out that public sector union bosses have bankrupted California. In return, he's threatened by union operatives who say they'll refuse to fight a fire at his home or place of business. The union militants' reaction is all the more thuggish in light of the original letter to the editor, which is about as mild as political criticism gets, putting the blame squarely on the politicians:
Napa Valley winery owner Dario Sattui of V. Sattui Winery wrote a letter to the Editor of the St. Helena Star, venting about the benefits and pensions that firefighters receive. In his April 9 letter, Sattui wrote, “I thought I was doing well in the wine business. Had I had any real brains I would have become a firefighter. What a racket they have. While I respect the work they do and the inherent dangers, they are greatly overpaid, work only two days a week (a third of which they sleep) and get to retire at 50 years old at 90 percent of their pay after working 30 years. I don’t blame the firefighters. Good for them for getting as much as they can. The blame goes to the politicians and the government administrators. What do they care? It isn’t their money.”
The skyrocketing costs of public services are an inevitable consequence of public sector unionization, which relentlessly expands government and drives up taxes. Union operatives' threat to ignore a fire at the winery owner's home also highlights the dangers of the Police and Firefighters Monopoly Bargaining Bill, which would leave state and local public safety employees at the mercy of Big Labor organizing drives. Once Big Labor bosses are firmly in control of public safety organizations, they'll have no qualms about leveraging their influence over firefighters and police departments to threaten anyone who dares to question their monopoly bargaining powers.
Comments
Unionism
Very good points. However, the government is greatly over-run with union interests now, which I wouldn't mind, if it weren't at the expense of non-union members.
I know quite a number of former union business agents that have successfully run for public office, continuing to press legislation that benefits unions at the expense of non-union workers. I continually encounter unionised government workers that press for union contracting advantage, either above or below the table.
I do see the need for support of America's workers, but it bothers me that unions use their political clout to gain advantage over other American workers. I'm tempted to suggest that unions are America's third major polititical party, and possibly the most powerful.
unions
I have had little to do with unions as I was 18 yrs old and worked as a roofer. After 30 days I was told, "You have to be in the union", so I said< "ok" and filled out a form. I then started seeing my union fees on my check. Four weeks later I received my union hand booklet. I read it, then at the next meeting I asked the Rep a few questions, seven in all. He did not answer any of the questions 6 weeks later, at the next meeting. There were some new guys there with tanned skin and black hair, silk shirts and gold chains. I was the first guy to raise my hand to ask a question. One of the guys said to me, "Ya, you MFer, I heard about you trouble maker"! All four of these guys got right in my face. Lucky for me my work friends were there so they backed off, but I'm sure had I been there by myself I would have got my but kicked hard. I then talked to the plant manager and told him I was not going to pay any more union fees and to stop taking them out of my check. The rep came down to talk to me and I told him what happened. He told we those guys just check up on the unions to make sure they are not having problem with workers. I told him I want out then. He told me I would lose my job. That didn't happen as we opted out and made everybody mad. I worked there for 6 another months longer, then left that job but have never forgotten that union encounter.
Unions
Unions are comprised of a bunch of bullies !!They are mean, arrogant, overpaid and WAY out of control. America has to get
them under control or they will destroy the hard working honest people who are America! You hear talk about bullies in the school yards and how damaging it is to children - - union thugs are adult bullies and threaten, beat and harrass adults.
Mafia unions
Don't let them push America into a corner any longer. Overthrow the unions!
firefighters, et al...
I am a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT, have been since '93. I am also a substitute schoolteacher. I will not become a FT teacher because of the stranglehold unions have in this field and what NEA supports that I disagree with - and I despise unions in general and what they've become. Even if I were to take a full time job and NOT join the union, dues would be taken out of my paycheck!
As for the volunteer firefighting: I must put in 25 years before I can draw on the pension fund I've been paying into; if I were to quit now, I'd only be reimbursed exactly what I've put into it, no more, not even the interest the FD has been gaining on my investment. When that retirement does finally kick in, it will be a mere $200/month! Whoopee. I'm on call 24/7, including my "day job". Add to that the hours we put in for training, and if we have a spell where it's inconvenient for us to leave the day job, we get called on the carpet for our "lack of commitment." Fortunately for this department, several of my (volunteer) FD brothers are farmers and able to set their own hours. Frankly, where I live & work (WA state, a county dept), I see the volunteers doing a LOT more work than the "white shirts" and with none of the attitude of the career guys. I see the career guys getting paid more than I feel they should for doing less than I do; too many think they are GOD's gift to the world, and the union thugs reinforce this arrogance. I fully agree with Mr Satuii's comments and wish him the best.
Pension?
Did you become a volunteer firefighter to serve your community or to get a pension. I was a volunteer firefighter from 1968 - 1976, 1982 - 1988, and 1988 - 1991. The reason for the changes was I moved into different ares that had volunteer fire companies and joined to serve my community. That never interfered with my full time job: Firefighter/Paramedic in a large municipal department. The two "jobs" never crossed paths and I always went to my paying gig even if I was on a call taht took longer than I thought it would - with the blessing of the volunter chief. I joined those volunteer departments to serve my community not for a pension. In fact when I joined "pensions" for volunteer firefighters were unheard of. Insted of railing against the career firefighters may be you should take a good look at yourself, stop whining and join the Kiwanis where maybe your talents would be better served. Sounds like you are jealous of the career members and if you worked for me with that attitude you'd be out the door looking in.
Ooh, I pushed somebody's
Ooh, I pushed somebody's union button, huh? I joined the VFD STRICTLY to serve the community. I had no clue as to "benefits" until after about 6 months in the service. I just mentioned the pension as a by-the-way comparison of what we get compared with what career guys get. Although my FD is not unionized, it was strongly "suggested" I pay into the retirement fund. Whatever, since eventually I get back what I put in, it's ok, basically just a savings account. Jealous of you career guys? Not even. Obviously, you're a union member/thug and drawing a fat pension. Outlandish pensions have bankrupted the US, whether from private or public sectors. The money's gotta come from somewhere other than a printing press, and it all seems like a pyramid scheme if you look closely.
Whining? Hardly, stating simple facts. I stand by my first posting: unions suck and I will never join any or pay any union dues for any position; I'd rather do without their "perks" than further enable their thievery. Apparently, you totally glossed over my original comment that I will not take a FT teaching job because I refuse to pay into the union scam. I have all I want or need without being a pig and expecting or demanding more, more, more. Furthermore, I would not desire to work for you, so there's no chance of my "being out the door looking in"; if unions took over anywhere I worked and required my membership, I'd quit immediately.
Nice job patting yourself on the back for your selflessness. Yes, the Volunteer Chief sent you on your way to your day job with blessings, because that's the difference between the volunteers and the career guys - you think you're God's gift to the world; we're just there to help others. Get over yourself, bud.
Firefighters
Been there done that! 18 years as a volunteer ff/EMT/ fire investigator. POositively against the unions, They suck the life blood out of the fire service. As to the threats against wine owner no ff should do this we signed on to serve & protect. It doesn't matter who's place is on fire or who needs medical help we train to help people regardless of who they are.
Police and Firefighter unions
I believe the Right to Work organization does a disserivice to itself when it says police and firefighters will put their union affiliation before serving the public and/or public safety in general. I and my son and nephews all joined the NYPD because of our upbringing and sense of duty to our community and America. That's why many of us are also veterans who support the principles upon which America was founded, freedom and limited government. Our unions negotiate the salary and benefits we receive and help protect our members from political interference in applying another American principle, "Equal Justice Under the Law". Even though our police contracts have no strke clauses in them, we would never neglect our sworn duty and endanger the public by striking.
Jack Coughlin, Director and Newsletter Editor
NYPD Superior Officers Association Retired
Police & firefighters unions
My respect for the police and firefighters goes without question, but the unions that represent them, are not fair to the American people. Their benefits are usually more than sufficient. I know personally firefighters that are retired who make more than 100% of what their salary was while they were on the job. This is wrong! No one should have that kind of pension, no one.
My father ran heavy equipment and belonged to the Teamsters. He never liked the way they treated people and always said, "No one should have to pay to have a job." He also didn't like them telling him to vote for the Democrats. He always voted Republican.
In times past Unions may have done some good by helping workers get better pay and better working conditions...but that does not apply today. Unions are obsolete and have become corrupted. The plain truth is, they just aren't needed anymore.
Unions
Does your equal service include threatening people who voice their opinions? You are disgusting. 50% of cops should be the ones behind bars. And any firefighter that makes a remark like the arses that threatened this vintner should be suspended without pay till he is finished with HIS sensitivity training>
what comes first
Right to Work did not make that statement. The letter writer in California did.
Do you don't think someone with a "calling" to be a first responder would then threaten a victim with non-response?
Some calling.
Every officer and fire fighter has a calling? Every one?
I was in NY on 9/11. No one doubts what the firefighters and police of NYC are made of. May God bless you abundantly. And I would guess not a single one of them checked with their union that day, either. They answered the call.
That said, a union bully is still a bully no matter how you paint it.
In America, we can criticize one bully of a group without smearing another member who is honorable. Just because he's a union member, doesn't erase "bully" from his actions. Actions either make or break the deal. Were the theats made to intimidate a potential fire victim or not?
NYC cops and firemen saved how many from the bullies who attacked them on 9/11?
Please don't besmirch the maximum effort put forth on that day by defending a different bully because you both belong to a union.
I pray you are very different.
If anything, shouldn't you join in the defense of those who would suffer for the lack of protection?
And it's all about money and power. Now there's a calling.
Disservice
Dear Mr. Coughlin: No one can ever dispute the heroism and the dedication to service that our firefighters and our policemen give to our fellow citizens every day. Every time you put on your uniform (and even when you don't) and step out into the streets of the city you serve, you place the needs of others above your own. There is never one day that your fellow citizens do not appreciate the fact that you put your lives on the line to take care of others. We applaud you. However, it's just too bad that once unions are formed there are some within the unions who use and hide behind that union banner and feel free to intimidate others. Sometimes unions can become mob rule. There is nothing wrong with forming unions as long as the unions are also there to serve, not to intimidate and undermine the public which it serves. History shows that unions can become mob rule, and there are forces outside of the unions themselves which would just love to infiltrate and stir up dissension here in our beloved free republic.
Unions are out of hand
Thank-you for being a volunteer and putting up with the BS you've had to endure. It seems this country has gone from, "We the people" to "you the people - take care of me and don't expect me to work much". We owe it to ourselves and the other hard working American's to tell our story. We we too have a voice. Our voice is against the direction Unions and their puppet Obama are taking us.
Unions
Come on your being to your to tough on the unions. First they destroyed the ship building industry in Loraine, OH than the steel mills in Ohio and PA, and now the Auto companies, GM and Chrysler. Because of the Unions the education in this country sucks. May be they will get it right now HAHAHAHAHAHA
fire fighters, unions!!
I agree with shelman! The unions are being paid off. The union is not like it should be to protect jobs., My husband worked in a gov plant for 25 years. The Unions didn't protect his job. When he was on strike they brought in Immigrants and his job was given to an immigrant and the Union did nothing! He retired early and after 25 years he recieved 75 dollars a month. When he died I didn't get one penny from the retirement.
I am not sure you will do any better with the teachers Union. My daughter is a teacher. Election time is close! Maybe we should move to AZ.
If I had that job, I'd want only two days a week, too!
I have no desire to back people who threaten to let somebody's business burn down, but I can understand why some firemen got pissed over that guy's letter.
First of all, I suspect that "two days a week" actually means 48 hours in a row at the firehouse, and on duty even while sleeping. You get called to a fire an hour after you go to bed, take six hours to put it out, and go back to bed, you probably still have to be up an hour later. If any firefighters from Kookiefornia read this, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Inherent danger is an understatement, of course. I'm sure some of these fine folk eventually wish they had become policemen instead, so they could merely be shot at, rather than run the risk of having burning buildings collapse on them, perishing from some rookie's mistake, dying of smoke inhalation, having a heart attack trying to drag some fattie out of a burning building, etc.
As far as retirement after 30 years goes, I would have to understand how well firefighters perform after age 50 before I make a judgement call on that one.
Perhaps the LW should hang out at the firehouse for 48 hours and walk a mile in the firefighters' boots, as it were, before he makes a snap judgement on how "cushy" they have it.
And no, I'm not a union thug "seminar writer," either.
Professional Fire Fighters and Police Officers
I have the honor of having served in both law enforcement and the fire service during a 32 year career. As a taxpayer and as a conservative voter I am appalled by the stories being shared here and elsewhere on the internet about union thugs intimidating taxpayers who voice their concern over the out-of-control public sector unions. First, let me begin by saying that the men and women who choose to serve in in law enforcement and the fire service do so because they want to SERVE and feel that they are doing something honorable. It is NOT a job....it is a calling that only a few can understand. Many of my friends died in the line of duty, either in a shooting or while fighting structure or brush fires to protect the lives and property of citizens they served. They went to work each day secretly knowing that it could be their last and did so because they loved what they were doing. Sure the money was good, but that was not the reason they choose their career. Over the years we have enjoyed good benefits and wages that supported a middle class lifestyle. Unfortunately unions (encouraged by its members -- myself included, kept going back to the "trough" every few years for more and more and more even though we were paid enough. We never thought about what could happen if we went to the "trough" to often. The union dues deducted from our salaries were used without our permission to elect politicians who were sympathetic and easy to influence. In effect, the unions paid for their votes. I never thought much about it until recently. I have to share the blame as a union member who did not recognize what we were doing to our neighbors and fellow citizens. The state I live in is on the verge of if not already becoming bankrupt. Some of it is due to employee unions and their political involvement in promoting the Democrat (Socialist) Party. Unions like SEIU, Teacher's Unions and others have ruined state after state. I encourage everyone to study the issues and get active and vote out the Socialists and elect conservatives who will fight to dismantle the public sector unions. I know that it would be difficult to alter the contracts that are in place but I do feel that new employees should enter the government service knowing that the free ride is over and that they will no longer have power hungry unions to represent them at the bargaining table. We have to regain some sanity in the way our local, state and federal governments are operated--much smaller....much much smaller.
RTVTbEJvGfLnEft
Hey, youÂre the goto expert. Thanks for hanigng out here.
Smokin' Hot Fatties? Na, Ah.
"... having a heart attack trying to drag some fattie out of a burning building, etc."
LOL! If I could add a few more OLs on there without looking more stupid than I do just for typing LOL in the first place, I would!
Screw McDonald's, I'm headed to Winery McBurn's; at least they serve alcohol.
Union bill
It is always amazing to me how a comment can be twisted to make the person exercising his right to free speech and responsibility as a citizen to keep restraint on runaway politicians look like a monster. This person merely said that the policiticans and union leaders are putting the public at large in danger by allowing unions to control any municipality's ability to pay their police and fireman according to their budget. Then when a person makes comment that unions will not serve the public well the fireman threatens to not respond to his emergency to fight a fire or save a choking person. So what I see is that these hard working fireman, which is a given, now feel that they should have a union that allows them to not only believe but expect to be paid amounts that no one can afford or they will not perform those duties. And additionally threaten the individual with personal neglect of property and death by negligence because he feels that a union is not beneficial. As you can see the bill to force open voting by employees for a union or something they are proposing is the same thing. A negative vote will result in harrassment and threats. How sad it is where this country is going.
If I had that job...
Nobody has put a gun to the fireman's or policeman's heads forcing them to choose that career.
I don't mind paying them a fair wage, but I shouldn't have to pay for their pension or healthcare. After all, they are not paying squat towards mine.
to Boxer
Of course they are paying for your pension in the form of taxes if you are a public employee and if you are in the private sector the company you work for has some sort of retirement plan I would think. The working firefighter/police officer's taxes also pay for your social security if you are collecting it. I am a retired firefighter, on disability permanently disabled with a back injury - I have the 7" surgical scar to prove it - and somedays I can barely walk. How should I go about paying for my health care and pension since I retired? And, you talk about fair wage? Have you ever worked for a municipality before? Work for one and then tell me about a fair wage. I took the job of firefighting because it was my calling but that doesn't mean I should have to work two extra jobs to feed my family because the city wouldn't give us a decent wage. We prevailed and I am proud I was a union firefighter. All these scare tactics about strikes are just so much hot air. Firefighters in the USA are, by law, prevented from striking. Don't believe everything you read in here - it's just not true.
I couldn't agree more. I
I couldn't agree more. I work without a union and I make a preety fair wage. I don't like being taxed to death just to pay for their union dues or their outrageous benefits. I will have to make due with my retirement why can't they!!!
S3194
I need more information. From what little of the actual bill I have managed to find online, it seems to be saying it will be illegal to go on strike. Yet your first email on this subject pictured a burning house, saying that this could happen as a result of this bill.
I talked with my police department and they said they knew nothing about this and that it is already illegal for them to go on strike.
I want to be able to talk intelligently about this issue, but I need to know more of what the bill actually says.
Strike
It's always been illegal for police and firefighters to go on strike.....it has been for over 50 years!
So-called 'No-Strike Clauses'...
To JB Bennett:
I think you need to go back and look at the history of so-called "no-strike clauses." The most important fact you need to pay attention to is the fact that they are habitually broken. They have no teeth. There is no enforcement mechanism. Putting those in bills are just ruses to get support from people that you may not think you would.
The NY Transit Strike a few years ago was called even with a "no-strike clause" in the contract. Of course the Air Traffic Control Strike during the 80s was called even though there was a "no-strike clause." Not to mention, "blue flu," where union bosses tell workers to stay home or not come to work.
"No-strike clauses" are worthless. They mean nothing.
Work hours
I have had to work 36 hour days with 2 hours off on a cement floor with workers around on other jobs.
Not my choice of hours. But if the fire department is properly manned, it is not impossible. Of course, ideally the taxpayers will supply the money for appropriate shifts.
I am not really convinced on a few long hours being a problem, having done such at various times in my life.
Besides, there are many Illegal Immigrants who would love working that much for the money the Firemen get! Import a few from AZ!!
Threats are not called for, ever, and shows the true character of those making such threats. Nor work slowdowns. Where are the honest lawyers to protect the workers??
Public Sector Union Bosses Respond With Threats
Unions are what Obama wants. His goal is to bankrupt America and he has a very good start at it. If you think I am kidding, read "Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky. Lets not forget that all Fire Fighters and Police Officers took an oath to "Protect and Serve", not pick and choose who or when they are going to protect and serve. Should they refuse to render aid when they are on duty and it is needed, they are responsible for derelict in their duty, and can be liable for criminal charges. They also take an oath to "...protect and defend the Constitution of The United States of America against all enemies both foreign and domestic...". If you want my two cents worth, unions are nothing less than communism in motion, and an enemy under the Constitution.
You like Obama, equal results, and unions?
I was in the IBEW for 32 years, then CWA for 7. Unions are a perfect example of the statism that Obama is pushing this country towards. EQUAL RESULTS are what both unions AND the Democratic Party believe in. IF YOU DON'T SEE THAT, IT'S BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO. Who would want to work side by side with someone who sits in a private drinking club instead of going out to fix someones phone line during working hours, all while making the same pay as you? How about if that same person then takes a late job to get some overtime, then doesn't even go to the sub's home. What's done about that? Nothing! If the company tried to discipline him, he'd complain of harassment and take stress leave. THIS IS NOT an isolated example. Or HOW ABOUT A PHILLY UNION MEMBER (98) who cuts the temp electrical feed on a building under construction because we were there to do our job but weren't in their union. We were in CWA, and had a contract, like they did, but no, I wasn't in their union. THEY were even calling us scabs! I had to talk to their leadership and explain who we were (Verizon) and after agreeing to 'let' us stay, a shop steward had to go out and tell the union members to leave us alone. The elec feed was then cut, shutting down the job. EQUAL RESULTS FOR ALL THAT BELONG TO THE SAME UNION, but nothing if you are in another. You can't work if you're not in their union. Unbelieveable! Keep voting in those socialists Dems!
location
if it won't make you a target, would you mind letting us know which state you were in?
Thanks,
Pat
Union monopoly bargaining
Unions have been a very important part of American society throughout the 20th C. Labor's ability to unionize and to negotiate with business has been a part of the free enterprise system that has made us a global attraction today. HOWEVER, public sector employees that are unionized have no checks or balances. Union dues go to legislators who do their will thinking that there is no end to the public's money. Civic employers are saddled with labor costs and regulations that discourage or prohibit their operation or service, and the citizens' standard of living is depleted.
Firefighters and policemen have dangerous jobs and the public should provide excellent medical and life insurance benefits. But they should work as long as the rest of us before they receive their pensions, if not as firefighters or policemen, in some other form of public service.
Should this not give the
Should this not give the most hardened liberal pause to think in which direction our nation is heading? Where as once men who freely risked their life or limb for the good of their communities and their fellow man, now would hold that society hostage for the all powerful buck. Unions, originally, was a beneficiary thing to the working man. The institution of them brought America out of the "sweat-shop" and "child-labor" era. But they've overstepped their demands of earned wages and benefits and now, in this case, demand more for themselves than they care for their fellow man.
fire firghters
Here in Tampa Florida, when a city fire fighter retires they give them a check in the amount of One million, four houndred thousand of your hard earned tax dollars. There is a big hole in this boat, everthing that goes in goes out twice to the police and fire fighters. Most of them also retire with full pay for the rest of their lives.
Oh no, we are not smart enough to know this. The Fire Fighters Union also purchased every Obama yard sign for the presidential elections and printed them for free for good old Oboma. I say fire at least half of all fire fighters and Police and cut their pay. The illegals will do the jobs they do not like.
some how, I belive that.
some how, I belive that. including myself, I know of several guys that have worked more hours and getting paid junk compared to firefighters. if there were people in a burning building, i would go in to get them out. you dont need to be a hero or get a huge paycheck to do that. now they threaten civilians? they all need to be canned!
Sweat shop and child labor
I was part of the early 60's when I was a teen, we could work for the local grocery store or paper root, I even cartoned eggs for a local farm delivery service. I blame alot of society's ills on the child labor laws , because you able to go to work for a few dollars, and now the kids stand on the corner waiting for a mark to rob or sell or buy drugs. If kids were able to go to work instead causing trouble for neighborhood people, then maybe crime wood be down and the unions would'nt have as much power. I started working when I was 8 years old delivering groceries and turning in bottles for local grocery store. I even washed bottles with that funny bottle washer and dry the bottles on the pin racks for 1/2 cent per bottle. Well thought would be a little better as the country got better equipped for the ages, guess not.
Sweat shop and child labor
I would agree with this post. I was raised well out in the country and helped shoot stumps using dynamite when I was five and six. I did not handle the explosives but lit the fuses. By the time I was seven I could handle dynamite as well as any adult. We also had guns and they were always loaded. I was well aware where the area of danger was and stayed outside that area. We raised snap beans, cucumbers, etc. and we did our part. This is as much training as any other phase of school. Today, these opportunities no longer exist and we are the poorer for it.
union bullies
New York CWA Local Dissenters Victimized by Union Terror; File Complaint
Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 05/28/2010 - 16:58
Email to friendPrinter-friendlyAnyone who believes labor unions have forsaken menace as a tool to be used against internal dissent hasn't hung around Communications Workers of America Local 1101 lately. A civil complaint filed in Brooklyn, N.Y. federal court against the Staten Island-based union this past February provides apparently damning evidence that the labor organization is run by thugs and thieves. Salvatore DiStefano and Sebastian Taravella, union members and longtime heavy equipment operators for Verizon, allege they were continuously subject to harassment and violence after reporting an illegal union time-padding scheme to the Verizon security team. The pair is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
According to the complaint, DiStefano, an employee of Verizon's Staten Island Garage, in the summer of 2007 was in the presence of a first-level union supervisor, Bob Rios, who told crew members that if they performed three "fiber to premises" jobs in a given day, they could falsely put in for a full day's pay regardless of how early they finished. DiStefano openly refused to participate in this scam. He then voiced his disapproval to fellow union members. Taravella, also a garage employee, expressed the same view. In May 2008, the pair went to Verizon's corporate security staff, informing them of the scheme. Corporate security, however, did not keep the resulting report confidential. Big mistake.
Outsiders might have seen DiStefano and Taravella as whistle-blowers; CWA Local 1101 saw them as rats. The union hierarchy proceeded to subject the pair to unrelenting abuse. Bosses brought them up on phony charges of "harassment" and "discrimination" against fellow members. As punishment, during or about November 2008 DiStefano and Taravella were terminated from employment at the Staten Island Garage and relocated to other garages, demoted in rank, and given "final warnings." When the pair complained to union officials Pat Lascala and Richard Meltz, they allegedly were told, "You guys did it to yourself." In March 2009, shop steward Manny Rincon allegedly put a dead rat in Taravella's locker. A month later, union member Chris Tremble called DiStefano a "rat" while hitting his face and head, and leaving him with two herniated disks. DiStefano complained about the incident to union officials, who promptly accused him of "starting a fight." DiStefano eventually was terminated in July 2009. In October 2009, a union member, Joe Sedita, threatened Taravella with death for allegedly getting a fellow employee fired. All the abuse took its toll. Taravella and DiStefano since have been undergoing counseling.
Union officials not only took no action against acts of wrongdoing, they openly encouraged them. In November 2008, the aforementioned Richard Meltz allegedly told members to "do whatever you want with those two guys." And at an August 2009 garage meeting, two local vice presidents, Joe Macaleer and Mike Luzzi, told rank and file that Verizon was "having a lot of problems right now ‘due to a couple of troublemakers'" and that "We have to learn that we can't call corporate security because we don't want those people getting involved in our business." Macaleer allegedly stated: "I don't want nobody in this room to call corporate security any more. [And] I don't care if somebody come to work with a gun saying they're going to shoot people, you don't say anything...we have a lot of problems here due to the fact there are ‘spies in the room.'" He then added, looking directly at the plaintiffs, "You know who you are." Finally, the complaint alleges that Macaleer told members, "(W)e have to deal with these spies on a personal level, like take them outside of the yard, off the company property and off company time and take care of them, because we can't be ratting each other out."
These allegations carry more than a ring of truth. It is the nature of any racket to protect participants by creating a wall of silence and exacting vengeance upon those in their ranks violating it. Some 40 years ago New York City cops operated in this manner, inadvertently supplying the raw material for such movies as "Serpico" and "American Gangster." All evidence strongly suggests that Communications Workers Local 1101 leaders operated an illegal featherbedding ring. That one or more Verizon employees may have taken part can't be ruled out either. DiStefano and Taravella's only crime was standing tall in the face of corruption and intimidation. Their lawsuit hopefully will yield a measure of justice for themselves and integrity for unions everywhere.