Twenty one months after the Intl. Bhd. of Teamsters seized control of Elmsford, NY, Local 456, charging the local was run as a fiefdom by and for the Doyle family, the local will be returned to self-governance with another Doyle as president. Ballots went out this week to formalize the election of Edward Doyle Jr. as president of the Local that has been operating under a union-appointed trustee since last year.
Doyle was the only nominee for the post.
Doyle, 40, was secy.-treasurer of 456 until the IBT took in Jan. 2003, after an investigation by the federal court-appointed Independent Rev. Bd. (IRB) found that Doyle’s uncle and union president, Bernard Doyle, had engaged in financial mismanagement and nepotism. The IBT appointed Dan Kane Sr., a union official from New York City, to run the local. During his trusteeship, Kane reported several instances of harassment directed at him and at those working under him.
Edward Doyle Sr. was local president from 1985 until 1999 when he accepted a seven-year suspension to settle charges by the IRB that he had engaged in a kickback scheme involving trade-ins of union cars. He continues to deny any wrongdoing. His brother, Bernard, took over in June 1999. Scott Doyle, Edward Jr.’s half-brother, is under federal indictment on charges he altered subpoenaed daily work logs from a construction site where he allegedly had a no-show job.
Election ballots will be counted Oct. 28 by the American Arbitration Association, officials said.
Julio Sophia, a member of Local 456 for 10 years, welcomed Doyle’s impending presidency, but would not criticize the trusteeship. “I’m glad they’re giving us the right to democratic elections,” he said. “I’m happy they did their job and everything worked out.” Doyle, he said, “worked his way up from the bottom, regardless of his last name. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” [The Journal News, 10/15/04]