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Union Head Sues Sullivan
Brothers A federal lawsuit alleging numerous civil rights violations has been filed in federal court against Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan. The suit also names Governor Mitt Romney, former Lawrence Mayor Kevin Sullivan and several members of Romney’s cabinet. The 70-page lawsuit stems from Mayor Sullivan’s firing of the independent, business-led Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board. The suit was filed by Boston Attorney Walter Underhill on behalf of Michael Gagliardi, business manager of the Local 175 Laborers’ Union. Gagliardi’s complaint, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Boston, charges these local and state officials with civil rights’ violations, including violation of his First Amendment rights. “These allegations stem from actions taken in November when Mayor Sullivan terminated members of the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board, without cause and due process, and with the support and encouragement of the state administration,” Gagliardi said. The complaint alleges that in removing the board members, Sullivan has prevented the board from carrying out its federally mandated oversight of the federal workforce funds in Lawrence and 14 other cities and towns. The Sullivan administration is also accused of threats and intimidation of the Workforce Investment Board members. The complaint states that, late last year, members of the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board uncovered a $1.1 million fund under the control of Sullivan that had been undisclosed to members of the Workforce Board and not being used for the federally-mandated training of unemployed residents. Following the discovery of this fund in 2005, the city and state both initiated a process to undercut the authority of the Workforce Board, which led to its disbanding on November 18, 2005. “It is clear, and we charge in the complaint, that Kevin Sullivan, the brother of Mayor Sullivan and former cabinet secretary, used his influence to secure the removal of the board in retaliation for the political support some members offered to Mayor Sullivan’s opponent in the recent mayoral election,” said Gagliardi. The complaint further continues that Mayor Sullivan sought authority to dismiss Workforce Board members and staff who disagreed with his policies, at will, which the Workforce Board refused. The board has no legal requirement to carry out the policies of the mayor, but rather serves as an overseer on the use of federal and state workforce funding. “We allege that board members were fired when they refused to follow the policies of Mayor Sullivan,” Gagliardi said. “These board members are bound by federal workforce development laws and the Consti-tution of the United States, not the unilateral decrees of the mayor of Lawrence.” The Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board is one of 16 workforce investment boards in Massachusetts established under the federal Workforce Investment Act. The 37-member, private-sector-led Merrimack Valley Board is comprised of local business, education, labor and workforce leaders. The complaint alleges that the members were carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the federal law when they were fired. “This was an unprecedented action both in Massachusetts and nationally,” says Gagliardi. The complaint alleges that the commonwealth departments responsible for workforce development colluded with the mayor in the termination of the independent board, in an effort to exercise control over the board and to interfere with the board’s efforts to reform the disjointed and duplicative workforce system. “In fact, with both the discovery of the secret fund and a review of the operations of the One-Stop Career Center, the board had sought changes to streamline and increase accountability for the system, which the state resisted,” says Gagliardi. Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board, Shaw Rosen, who also has a lawsuit pending against Mayor Sullivan, is also being represented by Attorney Walter Underhill. *Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com |