BIW union investigated for mismanagement, porn

BATH – Several officers in Bath Iron Works’ largest union have been placed on leave during an investigation into alleged financial improprieties and misuse of computers.

Leaders of Local S6 of the Machinists union, including President Mike Keenan, were escorted from the union hall on Monday, and the union is now under management of regional officers, the Times Record reported Tuesday.

The newspaper obtained a letter to union members that cited “reports of financial and other mismanagement” and “complaints of vast amounts of pornography” accessed from union-owned computers.

“We are shocked and disturbed with the pornography that has been found on them during our initial review,” according to a Feb. 19 letter signed by Paul Shemanski, a regional union official.

Other problems include a backlog of arbitration cases, a failure to account for union-labor merchandise that could exceed $100,000 in value and a required re-run election of Local S6 officials in February after the regular November election was protested for failing to follow proper procedures.

“It’s pretty much a laundry list of things,” said John Carr, spokesman for the Machinists union’s eastern territory. “The law requires us to investigate when certain allegations are made.”

The letter said that eight union members are being investigated.

Bath Iron Works says it placed the workers on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of its own investigation, which will determine if there were activities that come into conflict with the collective-bargaining agreement. “We need to understand as much as possible about what they’re being alleged to have done,” said spokesman James DeMartini.

Keenan says he wasn’t involved in any improprieties, but he wants to gather more information “before pointing the finger” at others. There was no answer at his home Tuesday afternoon.

“I am more than confident that when this is all said and done, it won’t be Mike Keenan with anything to worry about,” he said. “Any allegations that anyone wants to bring forward, I will go through each allegation and respond. I welcome the opportunity to go before the membership.”