Chicago SUN-TIMES
BY DAVE
NEWBART Staff Reporter
March 5,
2004
A federal
judge Thursday denied a powerful labor union's request to stop a trustee from
taking over its leadership.
Saying he had
"no grounds” to interfere, U.S. District Court Judge Robert
Gettleman denied Laborers Local 1001's request to block enforcement of a ruling
that places the 2,800-member union into trusteeship.
The ruling was
entered this week by independent hearing officer Peter Vaira, who said the
local continues to be infiltrated by organized crime. The union, which
represents hundreds of city workers, is run by Nicholas Gironda, who was
brought to power by his cousin Bruno Caruso and by Ernest Kumerow, son-in-law
of mobster Anthony "Big Tuna” Accardo. Kumerow and Caruso were
ousted from the union by Vaira in 2001 because of their ties to organized
crime.
Local 1001
attorney Matthias Lydon argued the findings that the union was tied to
organized crime were old. But a lawyer for the international union, Robert
Shapiro, said the trusteeship was essential to clean up the union.
Hearings on a
permanent injunction to stop the trusteeship will go forward later this month.