From The Seattle Times: Just a few weeks after a strike and contentious contract vote, the Northwest Carpenters Union has been placed into a trusteeship by its international union and three top officials have resigned.
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America says it has found “evidence of voting fraud” during a recent union contract vote and is investigating other alleged misconduct.
“There is a UBC team on the ground in the Kent office conducting a thorough investigation into voter fraud, pension and welfare investment improprieties, and other areas of mismanagement,” wrote James Gleason, the new supervisor of the local union, in a statement to members on Nov. 3.
UBC General President Doug McCarron addressed Seattle-area union members at a meeting Tuesday evening.
The news of the trusteeship over recent weeks has come as a “gut punch,” said Lee Carter, a carpenter and rank-and-file member of the bargaining team during recent negotiations.
“I’m embarrassed, disappointed. I can’t believe this would actually happen,” Carter said.
The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, also called the Northwest Carpenters Union, represents about 28,000 workers across Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming and Alaska.
The union’s Western Washington members voted in September to reject the fourth tentative contract deal reached between their union and their employers and to authorize a strike. The strike began Sept. 16 and lasted nearly three weeks.
The strike was contentious, with some union members alleging union leadership was too cozy with the contractors who employ the carpenters. The effects of the strike were muted because the vast majority of the union’s members worked at job sites where the union and employers had signed no-strike agreements.
After several roaming protests and wildcat strikes not sanctioned by union leadership, union leaders temporarily paused picketing. Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant publicly backed carpenters who were agitating against union leadership and criticized the no-strike agreements.
On Oct. 5, the union announced it had reached a new tentative deal and carpenters went back to work. That deal passed with a 54% to 46% vote on Oct. 11, according to the union. The final deal included a $2.26 wage increase each year and modest improvements to parking benefits. In total, the offer included $10.02 in pay and benefit increases over three years.
The details and extent of the alleged voting problems are not yet clear.
