Douglas J. McCarron
General President
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001

 

Dear Doug:

You asked the AFL-CIO how belonging to their association has benefited a UBC member on the job.  What real benefits have you brought to the UBC members on the job.

Weren't you at one point interested in becoming president of the AFL-CIO?  Weren't you also interested on point of becoming president of the BUILDING TRADES?

How have you benefited the UBC member on the job in Southern California from the time period of 1986 to 1995?

Didn't we have around 45,000 members in Southern California in 1985, and it eventually went down to 10,000 members?  How many signatory employers have gone away from our union since 1986?

Do you call it a benefit to the members when you merged all the local unions taking away their autonomy? 

I'd like to ask you how many members have voted to approve the disaffiliation with the AFL-CIO?  Since the members are the ones paying you salary and the salaries of your yes men, wouldn't it have been wise to get at least some kind of feed back from them?

You claim to have brought many benefits to your union and it's members (tool carrying members), I ask you the following: 

• What real benefits do the members receive for the $20.00 per month we pay for carrying  a union card?  That equals $9 million per month, if you talk about 450,00 members, plus the supplemental dues from members on the job.  Here is an example:  for 10,000 members that are working you get around $1Million per calendar month.  You do the math with the total working members in the nation.  That's a hell of a lot of money. In the past 22 years the pensioners have not received a cost of living increase?  You just give your own an increase but not the hard working member.

 

• The recent Pension increase you gave in Southern California of $200 per year for all those who work 1800 hours or more,per year plus making it retroactive since 1991. Do you consider this a benefit for the tool carrying worker?  How many members that carry tools, work 1800 hours per year?  Have you ever in worked 1800 per year when you were carrying tools?

 

• What do you exactly mean by organizing workers?  Are you talking about the same as in 1992 when you brought illegal mercenaries from Mexico.  The ones whose rent and bills you paid for with our money?  The same ones that were given precedence over the long standing member, so they could be sent out on jobs and cause havoc?  If you are going to be doing this, don't forget that you had to pay a hefty sum when the Southern California District Council and several local unions were sued by several contractors in San Diego.

 

In 1992 you started something called "WORK PRESERVATION" in which the member would work for 80% of his normal wage.  You said this was to benefit small signatory companies.  What company was really the one to benefit from this, was it Tutor-Saliba?  Weren't carpenters doing the job of the steelworkers when Tutor-Saliba was building the subway tunnel?  If this is true, then the steelworkers jobs were been taken from them? 

How many members finish the apprenticeship training?  Is it 4%?  Is this the reason you are putting concentrated efforts into Training Centers?  Aren't these Training Centers subsidized the the government?  If so, why aren't more trained carpenters coming out of these centers?  The numbers aren't very impressive.

Between Nevada and Southern California you have a total of 141 plus Business Representatives.  These representatives are headed by your brother Mike McCarron who receives a salary of almost $200,000.00 per year, and has two assistants to help him with his public speaking since he doesn't do very well on his own.  Your brothers' claim to fame is harassing small companies by sending unemployed non-union members to hand out bills and carry a large sign.  Is it true that you only pay them $7.00 per hour?  Is it true that at one point you paid them cash and handed them a 1099 at the end of the year.  Are these people protected by Workers Comp Insurance?  If not, why not? 

 We spend $10Milion a year for the 141 Business Representatives in So. California and Nevada.  The question is who do they represent and what do they exactly do besides sitting on their butts figuring how many pension hours they'll have when they retire.  How many times have these 141 Reps have represented a member on the job???  

How can you organize companies to become union when you don't even use union workers go out and picket?

Isn't it true that five Business Reps where fired for wanting to get paid overtime from Carpenters Cooperation Committee in Southern California which is a watchdog organization for companies that don't pay prevailing wage.  Isn't it true that you and Ron Tutor are on the board of this organization?

Isn't it true these five Reps sued the union and won their case?

You mention that you have non intention or organizing other trades.  What about your interest in taking over the Laborers when Louie Bravo was heading them.  Weren't you also interested in organizing the Operating Engineers and the Painters. 

Do you still have the same opinion you use to have about training two monkeys for two hours, that they would be able to do what any carpenter worker can do?

McCarron, I believe that you are the one that needs organizing and make it a purpose in your life to be a real union leader and not a dissident.  The constitution states that those who bring dissidence among the members should be expelled and you qualify to be one of them, by trying to confuse the members.

 

Sincerely,

Horacio Grana

 

cc: John Sweeney
     John Aschcroft