Jack Franks – Labor Unions’ Million Dollar Man – Part 13

Midweek brings us to campaign contributions from a Political Action Committee connected to Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers–the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC.

Picture taken of Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager, Govenror Bruce Rauner and State Rep. Jack Franks at the Opera House, the site of the meeting that Local 150 claimed that McHenry County Board members broke the Open Meetings Act.

Picture taken of Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager, Govenror Bruce Rauner and State Rep. Jack Franks at the Opera House, the site of the meeting that Local 150 claimed that McHenry County Board members broke the Open Meetings Act.

Could this be the conduit through which Local 150 got State Rep. Jack Franks the exact same amount as the McHenry County Board paid Local 150 to go away when it filed suit claiming that the County Board violated the Open Meetings Act meeting with Governor Bruce Rauner at Woodstock’s Opera House?

$25,000 in “legal fees” was the County Board line.

Only problem with that representation was that the union did not submit an itemized bill for legal fees.

franks-union-chi-land-operatorss-pac


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Jack Franks – Labor Unions’ Million Dollar Man – Part 13 — 11 Comments

  1. 3 ‘birds’ of a feather!

    All three are POISON, each in their own lying way.

  2. IUOE Local 150 has a Public Sector Division.

    IUOE Local 150 Public Sector Division has several bargaining units in governments in McHenry County.

    – McHenry County Conservation District Land and Facilities

    – McHenry County Division of Transportation

    – McHenry County Facilities Management Maintenance

    – Algonquin Public Works (Algonquin is in Kane & McHenry Counties)

    – Crystal Lake Public Works

    – Huntley Public Works (Huntley is in Kane & McHenry Counties)

    – Village of Lakemoor (Lakemoor is in Lake & McHenry Counties)

    – City of McHenry Public Works

    – Woodstock Public Works

    +++++++

    IUOE Local 150 Public Sector division also has bargaining units in Kane County including:

    – East Dundee Public Works

    – Hampshire Public Works

    – South Elgin Public Works

    +++++++

    IUOE Local 150 Public Sector Division also has bargaining units in Lake County including:

    – Lake County Department of Health Maintenance

    – Lake County Department of Transportation

    – Lake County Facility Operations Department (Lake County FOD)

    – Lake County Public Works

    +++++++

    IUOE Local 150 also has a bargaining unit with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

    +++++++

    There is a collective bargaining negotiated between the government employer and IUOE Local 150 for each of these bargaining units.

    The collective bargaining agreement should be posted on the government website.

    If not, it can be obtained by submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

    Transparent governments will ensure the collective bargaining agreement posted on their website is both searchable (allows use of find feature in Adobe for instance), and allows copy and paste (to consolidate information to another document).

    Furthermore, taxpayers should insist the collective bargaining agreements posted on the website include all the cover page, appendixes, addendums, memorandums of understanding (MOU), riders, side letters, letters of agreement, and anything else that modifies the agreement.

    Also, taxpayers should insist the agreement is indefinitely archived on the government website.

    And, the agreements should be easy to locate with the search feature on the website using keywords such as collective bargaining agreement, union contract, etc.

    In addition, the collective bargaining agreement change document should be posted. The change document allows one to easily identify the changes from the previous agreement, using for instance, underline text for additions, and stricken text for deletions, a commonly used practice used by the Illinois General Assembly to identify changes in bills and laws.

    A transparent government would allow the taxpayers to comment on the agreement a few weeks before it is finalized.

    A future reform would be to require collective bargaining agreements to be voter approved, just as is the case in bond referendums (communities with home rule are not required to hold a referendum to issue bonds).

  3. IUOE Locals are also present on construction projects utilizing heavy equipment operators, including road construction and maintenance projects.

  4. The Illinois State Board of Elections (SBE) committee ID for the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor Management (COJM) PAC is 22986.

    The PAC is located at 6170 Joliet Road, Suite 200, Countryside, IL 60525.

    The officers of the PAC are James Sweeney, Chairman, and David Snelten, Treasurer.

    IUOE Local 150 has several entities at a few addresses in Countryside.

    +++++++

    All IUOE entities have contributed $49,875 to Jack Franks PACs.

    That makes IUOE the sixth largest of union contributors to Jack Franks PACs.

    +++++++

    IUOE Local 150 officers are:

    James Sweeney, President and Business Manager

    Kevin C Burke, Vice President (Kevin Burke)

    Steven Cisco, Recording Corresponding Secretary

    David A Fagan, Financial Secretary (David Fagan)

    Marshall E Douglas II, Treasurer (Marshall Douglas)

    ++++++++++

    The IUOE Local 150 Executive Board Members:

    District 1 – Paul McGrath, Countryside

    District 2 – Donald L Schuck Jr (Don Schuck), Joliet

    District 3 – Ronald L Schrader (Ron Schrader), Lakemoor (28874 Route 120)

    District 4 – Christopher Beran, Rockford

    District 5 – Andrew P Moreno (Andrew Moreno), Utica

    District 6 – George Dockery, Lakeville, Indiana

    District 7 – Darryl L Vargo, Merrillville, Indiana

    District 8 – Wayne Foss, Rock Island

    Trustee Scott Watson

    Trustee Kurt Eberly

    Trustee Richard Chiado

    Auditor Erik Smith

    Auditor Chandler A Helton (Chandler Helton)

    Auditor Frank Fudala III

    Conductor – David J Reda

    Guard – Patrick J Feeney

  5. IUOE Local 150 is an AFL-CIO affiliated union.

    AFL-CIO = American Federation of Labor, Congress of Industrial Organizations.

    IUOE Local 150 is a member of these AFL-CIO umbrella organizations:

    – McHenry County Building and Construction Trades Council

    – Chicago Federation of Labor. This is a Central Labor Council (CLC).

    – Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC).

    – DuPage County Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC)

    – Fox Valley Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) – covers Kane County & Kendall County.

    – Lake County Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC)

    – DeKalb County Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC)

    – Northwestern Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) – covers JoDaviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Carroll, Ogle, Whiteside, and Lee Counties.

    – Will and Grundy County Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC)

    ———

    The AFL-CIO umbrella organizations promote union labor and coordinate among rules.

    ——————-

    The Treasurer of the McHenry County Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) AFL-CIO, Tom McTavish, is also the Chair of the Jack Franks PAC (Supporters of Jack D Franks).

    Mr. McTavish is also:

    – former President of the McHenry County BCTC

    ———

    – Board member, Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO), which is a union labor – union management (employer) organization that promotes union labor.

    ———

    – Business Manager & Financial Secretary of IBEW Local 117

    ———

    – Secretary of the NECA – IBEW Local 117 Joint Apprenticeship and Training (JATC) Program.

    IBEW = International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

    NECA = National Electronic Contractors Association

    This is a union management (employer) – union labor organization for training union labor.

    This is a fringe benefit line item on many contracts.

    ———

    – Board member (current or former Board President) of the NECA Northeatern Illinois – IBEW Locals 117 / 150 / 461 Labor Management Cooperation Committee (LMCC).

    This is a union labor – union management (employer) organization that promotes union labor.

    This is a fringe benefit on some contracts.

  6. The AFL-CIO umbrella organizations promote union labor and coordinate among union locals.

  7. Fringe Benefit Funds

    ————————

    The private sector side of the IUOE Union controls several fringe benefit funds.

    Fringe benefits are hourly line items in the labor contract which IUOE signs with the bargaining association (MARBA, CISCO, etc) or employer.

    Fringe benefits can vary from contract to contract.

    The fringes are considered when the government develops prevailing wage.

    Here are some sample fringe benefits.

    – Health & Welfare Fund

    – Pension Fund

    – Retiree Healthcare Fund

    – Retirement Enhancement Fund (seriously)

    – Vacation Savings Fund

    – Apprenticeship and Skill Improvement Fund

    – Industry Advancement Fund

    – Construction Industry Research and Service Trust Fund

    The fringes can be 67% of the salary.

    ————-

    Fringes are a reason why IUOE is for state mandate prevailing wage as it exists today, and against the Governor Bruce Rauner administration Turnaround Agenda.

    Some non union employers offer fewer fringes and / or at a lower hourly rate.

    With such competition, union contractors would lose some business, which would mean fewer hours for employees, which means less money to the union.

    Private sector projects that don’t involve government funds are not subject to prevailing wage.

    Some private sector companies still choose to use union contracts and labor on construction projects.

    Wal-Mart for instance employs union contractors and labor in the Chicago area when building a new store, and they are not subject to state prevailing wage law.

    ———-

    Dues Check-off is not a fringe benefit but this money is deducted from net wages by the employer & sent to the union.

  8. The name of the IUOE Local 150 fringe benefit funds is:

    Midwest Operating Engineers Fringe Benefit Funds.

  9. Let’s look at the funds that were received by the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor Management PAC (COJLM).

    ++++++++

    AGL Resources – $20,000

    AT&T – $10,000

    COMED – $50,000

    Engineers Political Education Cmte Separate Education Fund – $50,000

    Intl Union of Operating Eng Local 150 State County & Local Area PAC – $52,694

    Midwest Operating Engineers Construction Industry Research and Service – $12,196,462

    People’s Gas Lights and Cole Company – $26,600

    Total: $12,405,756

    +++++++++++

    98% of the total was from the MOE CIRS Fund, which IUOE abbreviates as CRF.

    +++++++++++

    The Construction Industry Research and Service Fund is a line item in the wages section of collective bargaining agreements negotiated between associations representing union contractors, and the unions.

    Or in some cases the employer negotiates directly with the union.

    This line items has been hiked considerably over the years.

    It might be 38 cents or so now.

    A decade ago it might be 18 cents or so.

    The line items is the split 3 ways:

    – Employer (management) gets 38% or so.

    – CISCO gets 1 penny or so.

    – Midwest Operating Engineers Construction Industry Research and Service Trust Fund gets the remaining (the majority of the original total).

    Much of that seems to end up in the Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor Management PAC.

  10. $12 Million Dollars in political contributions to 1 PAC originating as an hourly line item in labor contracts

    ++++++++

    Summary of funds received by the IUOE Local 150 join labor management PAC

    +++++++

    The IUOE Local 150’s Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor Management PAC (COJLM PAC) receives 98% of its funding from the IUOE Local 150’s Midwest Operating Engineers Construction Industry Research and Service Trust Fund (MOE CRF).

    To date, the MOE CRF has contributed $12,196,462 to the COJLM PAC.

    ——

    Terms used above:

    Labor = Union

    Management = Employer, or group of employers (such as a multi-employer contract association).

    ——–

    Construction Industry Research Service and Service Trust = hourly line item in Union – Employer labor contracts.

    Often an multi-employer union contractor organization such as MARBA (Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association) negotiates the contract, including the CRF line item, on behalf of a group of union contractors.

    +++++++++++

    IUOE Local 150’S Midwest Operating Engineers Construction Industry Research and Service Trust Fund (MOE CRF) is a 501c-5 organization.

    It’s IRS EIN (employer identification number) is 36-4041715 and it files a Form 990 with the IRS annually.

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