Sent:
Subject: Court RICO Monitorship ended over Chicago Laborers District Council-
Joey Lombardo, son of Joey "The Clown" and Tony Solano, son of deceased La Cosa Nostra Boss Vince Solano, charged by Court monitor . More later on the Laborers Network Vince Solano, Sr ordered the “hit” against Ken Eto who survived and joined the witness protection program. Ken Eto will be a witness in the upcoming trial against former Chicago Police Chief of Detectives, Hanhardt, who is accused of working for and with the mob jewelry thieves DeStefano, Siegal,
Joey Lombardo and
Vincent Solano charged today by court monitor as
Monitorship over Chicago Laborers
District Council is prematurely ended
before members are ever informed of
reasons for monitorship (control over
and influence by organized crime)
More news later on The Laborers Network http://www.thelaborers.net
______________________________________
Chicago Laborers End Court Supervision,
Emerge Stronger than Ever
CHICAGO, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal Judge Robert
Gettleman
today
approved the termination of the two-year old Consent Decree entered in
the matter of United States of America,
et al v. Construction and General
Laborers' District Council of Chicago
and Vicinity, Case 99 C 5529.
Termination of the Consent Decree on
one-half years of trusteeship and court
oversight of the Chicago
Laborers' District Council.
The Chicago District Council, an umbrella organization for 21
affiliated local unions representing
20,000 Laborers in metropolitan
placed under trusteeship on
Union due to alleged organized-crime
influence and lack of democratic procedures.
Near the conclusion of the International
trusteeship, the
the Laborers' International Union filed
a civil RICO action against the
Chicago District Council, which resulted
in the Consent Decree that ends
tomorrow.
Upon the filing of the civil RICO action, District Council
delegates from its 21 affiliated local
unions faced a difficult decision whether to
contest the lawsuit or negotiate a
settlement. Testing uncharted waters, the
delegates democratically voted in
August, 1999 to accept a consent
decree in return for limitations on
court oversight, including an agreed
termination date.
"Extended and indefinite court supervision has been a thorny and
often contentious issue that has
bedeviled many Unions under government
scrutiny," said Robert Bloch,
Court-appointed Supervisor. "The District Council's
acceptance of a finite oversight period and its successful completion
make the Chicago District Council's
experience unique," Bloch said.
The Chicago District Council's gamble on reform has paid off
handsomely.
Under the
Consent Decree, new officers were democratically elected in
March,
2000.
These officers welcomed participation in District Council
affairs by the affiliated local unions
on a level never seen before in the
They also negotiated an historic labor
contract in June, 2001 providing the
largest wage increases in the
substantial
work rule changes benefiting Union members.
The Consent Decree provided for Robert Bloch to supervise the
affairs of the District Council, a
Court-appointed Monitor, Steven Miller, to
prosecute corruption cases against
present and former officers and members, and a
Court- ppointed
Hearing Officer, former Illinois Supreme Court Justice
Seymour Simon, to hear and decide the
charges filed by the Monitor.
The Court-appointed Supervisor supported ending the Consent Decree
as scheduled on August 31, as did the
International Union. Due to the
successful transition by the District
Council, the United States Attorney accepted
these recommendations. The Monitor
and Hearing Officer retain authority to
resolve to completion all disciplinary
charges filed by the Monitor by August
31.
SOURCE
CONTACT: Robert
Bloch of Dowd, Bloch & Bennett, +1-312-372-1361,
or Edward M.
Hogan of Hogan, Marren & McCahill, Ltd.,
+1-312-946-1800, both for