March
13, 2006 -- Labor union benefit
funds are seeking to destroy Esperanza Unida,
a south side social service agency, by suing
it for allegedly past-due benefit payments,
according to documents filed in federal court.
"Plaintiffs
have continued the hostility against the Mexican,
Puerto Rican, and African-American communities
displayed by the labor unions by seeking to
destroy the only community-based organization
which has repeatedly and historically challenged
the "whites only" membership and
leadership practices of the underlying labor
unions that give reason and substance to the
plaintiff funds," wrote Esperanza attorney
Nirciso Aleman.
The
allegations are made in a filing related to
a federal court lawsuit filed against Esperanza
Unida alleging that the agency failed to make
more than $3,800 in payments to building trades
and carpenters' union benefit funds on behalf
of agency employees.
Benjamin
Menzel, attorney for the funds, could not
be reached for comment early Monday morning.
Court documents filed by Menzel, however,
said the union funds are seeking past due
contributions and interest, as well as court
costs.
Esperanza's
filing portrays an agency in trouble both
financially and administratively, with records
and financial reports removed or lost.
Esperanza
Unida denies that it owes any money. It said
that it contracted with labor unions more
than 10 years ago to establish training and
apprenticeship programs "to break the
(unions') exclusion of Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Latinos and African-American workers from
their ranks and their leadership. It was a
contract resisted by plantiffs' leadership."
When
agency director Richard Oulahan suffered a
brain aneurysm in 2004, "Esperanza Unida's
funding became uncertain," Aleman wrote.
The agency sought relief from creditors, and
most were willing to renegotiate obligations
in "view of the organization's devastating
financial reversal," he said.
The
labor unions refused to do so, even though
Esperanza Unida ended the training programs
because of lack of funds.
"Esperanza
Unida's management and the board of directors
have undergone several complete changes,"
Aleman wrote. "The new Board of Directors
has been left without records, information,
documents, and financial reports. Plaintiffs
continued to demand payment on work that was
no longer being done and through this action
seek to destroy Esperanza Unida Inc."
To
read the filing, click here.
To
read the original lawsuit, click here.
