Laborers Local 2 Election Officer
Barbara Zack Quindel

Dear Barbara:

 

 Nowhere did I label any individual to be a member of organized crime.  I intend to exercise my freedom of speech, however, and editorial control to portray certain slate members as "mob puppets' in due course and if the evidence warrants, "mob associates", "mob tools", or whatever other term I elect to use. "It is not a crime to be a member of organized crime" (per Coffey-OCRS-1996 House Subcommittee Hearings ) 

 

Please re-inform Reggie Robinson that Organized Crime member John Matassa, Jr did not oppose the uncontested nomination in April 1999 of Ricky Caravetta for business manager of local 2 when Matassa decided to run for president but not business manager, thereby allowing Caravetta to become elected by default as business manager. 

Organized Crime, as anyone with any intelligence knows, does not give up by default the business manager power in locals they control. Caravetta had and continues to have organized crime's blessing and approval is my reasonable argument.

 Caravetta got his former job as Cicero Democratic Committeeman from his father in law, organized crime associate, former committeeman Frank Belmonte who was the target of numerous grand juries investigating mob controlled Cicero, former headquarters of Al Capone with the blessing of elected politicians. (see web site of Illinois Police and Sheriff's News) Caravetta was soundly defeated by knowledgeable voters when he ran for office in 1994

 John Burke was not eligible to run for business manger in April 1999 because Matassa applied his dues late to disqualify him .The imposition of the emergency trusteeship on May 24, 1999 after Burke and Tomasik's troops showed up to outvote Matassa's cronies on Saturday, May 22, for the  continuation of the May 11, 1999 union meeting prevented Caravetta from assuming office.

 

 

I suggest, Barbara, that if you are going to investigate this protest and want documents,  you should peruse the web sites I have created and am in the process of creating that contain electronic images of the documents. If you want witnesses to the truth of my allegation that the slate headed by business manager candidate Ricky Caravetta is viewed by those knowledgeable about organized crime's influence in and control of the Laborers Union as the slate "Organized Crime" supports,  contact AUSA Buvinger, GEB Attorney Robert Luskin , Inspector General Gow, IG Agents Scigalski and O'Rourke, Chicago Crime Commission Wayne Johnson , former FBI agents Wacks and Luera, FBI Agent John Mallul Combined Counties Police Association President John Flood, former DOL Labor Racketeering agent Ramirez  or me. This is my opinion and I intend to publish the evidence to support it in due course. In good faith, I believe the above mentioned individuals concur in my assessment and classification.

 

Reggie Robinson's protest is a sad commentary on how ignorant members remain about organized crime's control of the Laborers Union. If Robert "Bobby count the money" Bloch as trustee of the Chicago Laborers District Council had published a newsletter that contained information about this tragedy or even explained in his two non-educational newsletters to the members, maybe the members wouldn't be so ignorant.

 

If the Election Officer had allowed my request for a mailing at the union expense or scheduled debates between the candidates, maybe things wouldn't be so bad. 

 

Further neither I nor the members of the Local 2 Coalition Slate are not using the local's name for campaigning  purposes. We do not use the Laborers logo or the even the word "Laborers". If the local the election was being held in was local number 3 ,the name of the slate would be  local 3 Coalition Slate.

 

Furthermore, no member of the Local 2 Coalition Slate, (John Burke or Mark Tomasik) tells me what to publish on my web sites that are financed by donations from individuals who are employees. The Election Officer in 1996 told me that contributions from lawyers who are partners in law firms and/or prosecutors are not employer donations.

Reggie Robinson displays his further ignorance about things he should know about when he incorrectly assumes that you have conducted background checks on him or others. He doesn't realize that all you did last Saturday was rule on his questionable status "of working at the calling" and indicate the screwed up records of local 2 show he paid his dues on time for two years. You did not do a background check much less give him an intelligence test.

 

Laborers for JUSTICE is a communion of like minded individuals who believe in "Union Democracy" and corruption free labor unions. I am its unpaid director and spokesperson exercising my LMRDA right of free speech which you, of course, will protect. I look forward to receiving future Robinson protests that will reveal his ignorance so the members can decide whether someone who can't get a job as a laborer should be paid $72.000 for depositing checks in the bank and not the safe.

If Burke's slate gets elected, Reggie can attend the classes we will teach on union democracy. the rights and obligations of union members, the fiduciary responsibilities of union officers, and the moral obligation every member has to elect  the best slate for the good of local 2 members and not because someone needs a job.