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Wrong Impression

Wrong Impression

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in response to the article in your Dec. 9 paper, "Past, President Heads Clash; Tech Guild Politics: Tale Lies in Tape." This article discussed a current dispute between President Claude Fort and Mitchell Feder, Uma Kutwal and Vaino Ader over an action taken in support of reinstatement of Roy Commer.

The article has a gratuitous statement, "Mr. Commer accused his predecessor, Louis G. Albano, of being too close to DC 37 officials who were later either convicted of stealing from the union or removed for allowing the looting."

For the record, I turned over Local 375 to Mr. Commer in the middle of April 1998, and resigned as V.P. of the executive board of DC 37 at the end of December 2000. I am in my seventh year of retirement.

In December of 1998, over 200,000 pieces of paper covering all the Technical Guild's records for four years were turned over to the Manhattan District Attorney. At no time was I called for questioning by that office. In addition, the firm of KPMG was assigned by AFSCME to review all of the 56 [DC 37 locals'] unions' records in 1998. Their report, which was published, requested that the Guild make some minor changes in its record-keeping process. KPMG turned over to the Manhattan District Attorney the records of a number of unions which they felt might face potential criminal charges. Other unions were required to make significant changes in their record-keeping. Quite a number of the councils and local union leaders were charged and tried because of the misuse of union funds and the illegal handling of contract ballots. Some went to jail.

After all of these investigations, not one of Local 375's officers who served with me was charged with any misconduct.

LOUIS G. ALBANO, Former President, Local 375, District Council 37