Looks like the union chief of the electrical workers in Philadelphia has been getting “free” work by union members, big gifts, and sudden piles of cash from union coffers of late. It also looks like the authorities have taken notice, too.

In a new court filing, prosecutors investigating John J. Dougherty’s extensive home renovations disclose what they say is the labor leader’s explanation for how he paid for some of the work: His father-in-law provided $200,000.

That Gus Dougherty gave John Dougherty a $5,533 ladies’ Cartier watch that the union leader, in turn, gave to a “personal friend” as a birthday gift in 2004.

That Gus Dougherty improperly collected $900,000 from a special union fund even as he failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars into a separate union health and welfare account. Prosecutors say this is additional evidence that the contractor had a motive to do free work for John Dougherty.

In their new filing, prosecutors say Gus Dougherty’s firm, Dougherty Electric, got $892,000 between 2001 and 2005 from a special fund intended to subsidize contractors who hired union workers to help them compete against nonunion shops.

He withdrew most of this money as cash, and spent it on such items as a $40,000 entertainment system for his Shore home, prosecutors say in the documents.

Remember, unions are only there for the little guy. And, heck, if the union bosses happen to get a Cartier watch, or a $40,000 entertainment system once in a while, well, what’s the harm, eh?

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