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Shipyard union’s trusteeship terminated
By Seth Koenig, Times Record Staff
BATH — The largest labor union at Bath Iron Works, Local S6 of the Machinists union, has been returned to local control after 22 months being operated by its parent organization.
But at least one former Local S6 officer who lost his position during the trusteeship said he believes the international Machinists union will continue to keep the local lodge under “tight control.”
Representatives of the international parent organization seized control of the operations of Local S6 in March 2008, suspending the local’s elected officers and claiming the moves were necessary in response to allegations of financial mismanagement, illegal elections and pornography on union computers.
The Machinists union ultimately held a closed-door internal inquisition for four of Local S6’s elected officers. As a result of that process, the union barred former Local S6 president Mike Keenan and former chief Bath steward Mike Cyr from running for union offices.
In September 2009, the Machinists union organized a new election, and a slate of candidates replaced the suspended officers.
Keenan, Cyr and two other former S6 officers took their case to court. A federal judge last spring refused to overturn the trusteeship, but did not rule on the quartet’s claims of defamation. Connecticut attorney Leon Rosenblatt, who represents the four former Local S6 officers, said last month he plans to file new lawsuits in state and federal courts to revisit the defamation and illegal discipline charges.
When reached Friday, Cyr said that despite the Machinists union’s announcement that it has lifted the trusteeship, he doesn’t believe Local S6 is truly back under local control.
“I don’t think they’ll ever not be under the (Machinists union’s) tight control,” said Cyr, who left the shipyard two weeks ago but still plans to participate in the lawsuits being filed.
Todd McPhee, a Woolwich selectman and chairman of the Lincoln-Sagadahoc Multicounty Jail Authority board of directors, was elected president of Local S6 in the September elections.
He said Friday he’s optimistic the local lodge can move forward from the controversial past two years.
McPhee said his first priority is to dig through a backlog of paperwork, including what he described as nearly 900 grievance forms and 450 arbitrations “that look like they’ve been sitting here for several years.” He added that his experiences in town and jail administration “have been a lot of help” as he begins to organize Local S6 affairs.
news@timesrecord.com
But at least one former Local S6 officer who lost his position during the trusteeship said he believes the international Machinists union will continue to keep the local lodge under “tight control.”
Representatives of the international parent organization seized control of the operations of Local S6 in March 2008, suspending the local’s elected officers and claiming the moves were necessary in response to allegations of financial mismanagement, illegal elections and pornography on union computers.
The Machinists union ultimately held a closed-door internal inquisition for four of Local S6’s elected officers. As a result of that process, the union barred former Local S6 president Mike Keenan and former chief Bath steward Mike Cyr from running for union offices.
| • Todd McPhee, a Woolwich selectman and chairman of the Lincoln-Sagadahoc Multicounty Jail Authority board of directors, was elected president of Local S6 in the September elections. He said Friday he’s optimistic the local lodge can move forward from the controversial past two years. |
In September 2009, the Machinists union organized a new election, and a slate of candidates replaced the suspended officers.
Keenan, Cyr and two other former S6 officers took their case to court. A federal judge last spring refused to overturn the trusteeship, but did not rule on the quartet’s claims of defamation. Connecticut attorney Leon Rosenblatt, who represents the four former Local S6 officers, said last month he plans to file new lawsuits in state and federal courts to revisit the defamation and illegal discipline charges.
When reached Friday, Cyr said that despite the Machinists union’s announcement that it has lifted the trusteeship, he doesn’t believe Local S6 is truly back under local control.
“I don’t think they’ll ever not be under the (Machinists union’s) tight control,” said Cyr, who left the shipyard two weeks ago but still plans to participate in the lawsuits being filed.
Todd McPhee, a Woolwich selectman and chairman of the Lincoln-Sagadahoc Multicounty Jail Authority board of directors, was elected president of Local S6 in the September elections.
He said Friday he’s optimistic the local lodge can move forward from the controversial past two years.
McPhee said his first priority is to dig through a backlog of paperwork, including what he described as nearly 900 grievance forms and 450 arbitrations “that look like they’ve been sitting here for several years.” He added that his experiences in town and jail administration “have been a lot of help” as he begins to organize Local S6 affairs.
news@timesrecord.com
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