February 15, 2008: The president of Pittsburgh Local 249 has been suspended from office for a year after the Local Executive Board heard charges of blacklisting Teamsters in the movie industry.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has charged Wayne Shatkoff with the same offense.
The NLRB does not have the power to suspend union officers, but could order the union to pay the three affected members lost wages for movie jobs in late 2006. This could be up to $70,000 in union funds. The NLRB has held a hearing, but no decision has been issued yet.
Shatkoff told us that, “I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s a political year in this local.” The Local 249 election will be later this year. The members of the E-Board ran on Shatkoff’s slate, but he now considers them political opponents.
He has appealed the decision to Joint Council 40, and General President Hoffa has issued a “stay of effectiveness.” Allowing someone to stay in office during the appeals process is a common procedure. Hoffa stipulated that Shatkoff must have nothing to do with job referrals in the movie industry.
One steward we spoke with called Shatkoff a “little dictator” and several others predicted that he will not be in office past the end of the year.
It looks like Local 249 may be headed for some changes in the near future.