(Editor’s note: Larry Seale is a retired member of the Amalgamated Transit Union and is based in Colorado. Mr. Seale had an issue with his employer and when taking it to the union found them to be of little help. the incident spurred him to begin to investigate his union’s financial activities and what he found shocked him. Since then he’s made it his business to expose shady business and financial dealings of the ATU and other unions. Mr. Seale will be adding occasional posts to TheUnionLabelBlog.)

-By Larry Seale

The union says that Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 (website) is free of mob influence. The infamous Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1181 located in Ozone Park, N.Y. is one that Federal prosecutors claimed was controlled by the Genovese crime family for at least 30 years before the “clean-up” that saw the ATU International finally putting trustees in charge on November 11th, 2006.

The International trustees ran Local 1181 from then until the trusteeship officially ended Friday, April 3rd, 2009, after the election of new local bosses in March.

For reference, here are a few stories and sources of background information:

• Here is a list of the newly elected ATU Local 1181 representatives
• Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union: “first election free of mob influence in at least 30 years”
• Ballots are in the mail in high-stakes LI bus union vote

Needless to say, elections have winners and losers and someone is going to be unhappy: Old Guard Tops Reformers In School Bus Union Vote

I was able to collect disclosure information (LM-2 forms) going back to 2000 so you can look at Local 1181 LM-2′s for the last years of mob control and the LM-2′s through June 30th, 2008 when ATU International had control.

I’m not sure what disclosure is required now that the trusteeship has ended. I belonged to a ATU LU in trusteeship, Local 1755, but we voted to join Local 1001 when the Trusteeship ended on June 30th, 2008. Local 1755 had to file a terminal LM-2 and Local 1001 had to start filing LM-2′s as of July 1st, 2008 because it now had both public and private employee members. I suspect that Local 1181 will be required (assuming that the Obama administration doesn’t gut LMRDA) to file it’s normal 2009 LM-2 after the local’s fiscal year ends June 30th, 2009; perhaps showing the change from International to Local control as a comment. Corrections to my assumption welcome!

I am curious as to why it appears that ATU International took so long to act:

Amalgamated Transit international refuses to oust Local 1181 officers accused of mob domination

I have my own ongoing disclosure battle with ATU Local 1001 and I’ve written to President George several time asking for help. When I began, I naively thought that ATU International actually monitored the LU’s and was concerned with corruption and the individual members money. I’ve now come to realize that my lone voice has about as much effect as a fart in a hurricane.

For those that have the time and interest, here are the Local 1181 LM-2′s from 2000 through 2008 (in PDF files):

2008; 2007; 2006; 2005; 2004; 2003; 2002; 2001; and 2000.

Here is some more background information for anyone interested:

• FORMER PRESIDENT OF TRANSIT UNION LOCAL 1181 SENTENCED TO 57 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR RACKETEERING
• Showdown for the BusFellas’ Union – ATU 1181
• Busfellas Take ’1181′ For Ride
• Can the AFL-CIO avoid a RICO suit in ATU L. 1181?
• Malice’s Restaurant
• George Announces Departure of School Bus Local 1181 Pension and Welfare Funds Administrator
• School bus drivers’ union members want a change

I’ll reserve any further thought and comment until a later date and perhaps share my own experience in attempting to force LU disclosure.

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