Union Democracy Should Not Be An Oxymoron

Yet for the Labourers' International Union of North America, (LIUNA) that quickly seems to be emerging as the reality. I have written previously about some of the problems besetting that organization, not the least of which appears to be a decidedly dictatorial penchant on the part of its executive.

The latest evidence of this lack of respect for its membership is reflected in a story carried in today's Star, detailing how LIUNA has denied thousands of workers the right to elect leaders in one of its biggest locals for 15 years. According to Joe Mancinelli, Canadian manager and a vice-president of the union, the problem resides with the Ontario Federation of Health Care Workers Local 1110, which, even after 15 years, still has what is known as provisional status.

Mancinelli, who has supervised Local 1110 and appointed most of the top officials over the years, says the local has problems of instability and poor management, accusing its long-time former business manager Paula Randazzo of “ineffective, sloppy management” and lack of servicing to members.

Hmm ... I suspect such accusations could be hurled at LIUNA executive members themselves, given their sometimes heavy-handed practices in Local 183.

Is Liuna Local 183 Trying To Stifle Dissent?

As I have indicated in past posts, Liuna local 183 seems to be the poster boy for bad union behaviour. Not only has it made some very questionable decisions that work to the detriment of the union movement as a whole, but now, it seems it may using the strongest measures possible to stifle discussion and dissent.

As revealed in a Star story today, the union leadership is seeking the expulsion of 13 workers who disrupted a meeting while asking questions but getting no satisfactory answers over the employment of John Manadarino, a disgraced union employee who still retains employment through his management of the Canadian Tri-fund.

If the members are expelled, they will lose their livelihoods as they will no longer be able to work on unionized construction projects.

The question people have to ask themselves is if this sanction is justified, given the physical disruption that occurred at the Mandarino meeting, or whether this is the union equivalent of corporate libel chill.

Liuna Fails Its Members

The Labourers’ International Union of North America Local 183 seems to be playing right into the hands of neoconservative forces that would like nothing better than to see right-to-work legislation that would make union membership optional.

The problems at the union, which I wrote about previously, escalated into violence yesterday at a meeting in which members demanded answers about John Mandarino, the training centre executive who showed his contempt for the members' dues in a variety of ways, including misappropriating funds.

In addition to physically removing those who wanted full disclosure about the Mandarino debacle, the union executive threatened legal action against the questioners:

Local 183 business manager Jack Oliveira told the meeting that members who asked questions about Mandarino are linked to the union’s previous leadership and are “politically motivated.” Those leaders lost a close, bitter election fight last summer.

“If there is any undermining of this organization, steps will be taken to stop this once and for all. . . . I will bring charges against you,” Oliveira warned.

At a time when union membership is at an all-time low, Liuna Local 183 seems primarily concerned with concealing cronyism and possible corruption, hardly inducements for workers to surrender hard-earned dues to an organization that seems to have lost sight of its very reason for existence.