"I Knew He Liked the Broads"
Tom Robbins of The Village Voice narrates the sordid tale of Brian McLaughlin, the former head of the New York City Central Labor Council, currently under federal indictment on 43 racketeering charges. The headline I’ve used above is a quote from an unnamed “veteran unionist” to account for some of McLaughlin’s off-the-books spending.
McLaughlin will enter the hall of shame inhabited by Pat Tornillo, Barbara Bullock and other notorious crooks who used their union offices for personal gain. You can find criminals in every field of endeavor, but lousy financial oversight makes repeated appearances in union crime.
Robbins writes:
“Technically, McLaughlin was accountable to an executive board, composed of more
than 30 representatives of the city’s largest unions. But according to several
board members (many simply didn’t bother to attend the monthly meetings), there
was little discussion of the council’s own operations. ‘I never went to a
meeting where they approved an expenditure,’ said one member. ‘I don’t remember
ever seeing an audited financial statement.’”
Pretty good old-style labor reporting by Robbins. And read his sidebar on the future of the New York City Central Labor Council. Great quote: “Trying to figure out the council’s shifting alliances takes a Kremlinologist.”
