Last May the National Legal and Policy Center reported on two CWA local 1101 members who were threatened, harassed and physically assaulted by their fellow union members for reporting a union time-padding scheme to Verizon security. The union not only failed to take action to protect the two whistleblowers, union vice presidents Joe McAleer and Mike Luzzi allegedly encouraged the retaliation. “We have to deal with these spies on a personal level,’ they allegedly told a meeting of members, “like take them outside of the yard, off the company property and off company time and take care of them, because we can’t be ratting each other out.” McAleer and Luzzi have since been named as defendants in a civil complaint that goes to trial later this year. Now it appears the two are on the other side of that whole rat issue as both have come forward to charge the local’s president and executive VP with double dipping, expense fraud and other financial improprieties. McAleer and Luzzi have accused Joseph Connolly and Angel Feliciano of collecting forty hours pay from both the union and Verizon, collecting $156,000 in undocumented expenses and pinching the local for $225 meals and $600 hotel rooms while not necessarily on union business. The investigation is stalled awaiting DOL action while the alleged double dippers refuse to turn over tax records and Verizon refuses to cooperate with the CWA’s internal investigator. Meanwhile, it remains unclear if McAleer and Luzzi suddenly developed a conscience or were attempting to appear more conveniently rat-like before the suit against them goes to trial.
