IUOE Local 150's Dugan retires after feds raid

Nowhere in the IUOE Local 150's press release announcing President Bill Dugan's retirement is the recent raid by the feds' as reported May 31, 2008 in the Chicago Sun-Times:

Dugan -- who at that time denied any wrongdoing -- is a former Republican appointee to government boards that oversee Illinois casinos, the CTA and the state's tollway system. He has retained Joseph Duffy, the same lawyer who is defending indicted political fund-raiser Tony Rezko, to represent him, said James M. Sweeney, vice president of Operating Engineers Local 150. The union represents 22,000 heavy-equipment operators. Its leaders were not surprised by the searches by the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Dugan Retires
"I need to be with my wife right now," says longtime Local 150 President

Countryside, Illinois... Soldier. Life-long union man. Leader. Public Servant. Father. Husband.

All of those terms describe the life and career of straight-talking, country gentleman Bill Dugan, a towering figure in the history of organized labor in Chicago, which has come to be known as "Dugan Country".

It is this last responsibility, that of "husband", that led Dugan, who will turn 75 years old in August, to announce his retirement as President of Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) at a staff meeting this afternoon.

Dugan's wife, Dottie, who lives at their home in Maryland, is battling cancer. "I need to be with my wife right now," Dugan told Local 150 staff explaining to them that commuting back and forth from Maryland given his wife's current needs was no longer feasible.

After serving our nation with distinction as a paratrooper during the Korean War, Dugan obtained his operator's card in 1955. He worked his way from his first job as an oiler for cranes to President/Business Manager of Local 150, a post he has held since 1986 and to which he was re-elected seven consecutive times by the rank-and-file members.

Dugan rewarded that support by building a bigger, stronger union, providing better training, better pay, better benefits, and a better retirement for operating engineers.

During his tenure, Dugan bucked the trend of dwindling union labor, growing Local 150 membership from 10,000 in 1986 to more than 23,000 today.

Dugan's sound financial stewardship has helped Local 150's pension fund assets quintuple in the last 20 years to more than $3 billion.

Dugan's commitment to the interests of working people earned him appointments to a number of important policy-making, governmental boards including the Chicago Transit Authority Board, the Illinois Gaming Board, and the Board of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. At the Tollway, Dugan was responsible for the adoption of the first-ever Project-Labor Agreement (PLA) in the agency's history.

In the wake of Dugan's announcement, pursuant to Local 150 by-laws, Vice President Jim Sweeney was named to succeed Dugan as President/Business Manager effective today. Jim McNally, formerly Assistant to the President, was elevated to the position of Vice President.

Comments

[Mike Quigley Retired]

Dugan was a self serving, racist and hypocrite who fleeced the members while portraying himself a labor leader, good riddens.

[Oh Yeah Mr Quigley...]

Gee who got you the pension you have Mr. Q?

He paid his time busting his butt for YOUR union and he doesn't deserve to be with his wife in what could be her final days???

You are a heartless soul....

[Reality]

Dugan got us a good pension worth 3B. Now explain the loss of the other 1B in bad investments. Dugan expaned membership by by 10K. Now explain why 5K just last year before the election. Dugan busted his butt for our 150. Now explain how you do that living and running businesses in Maryland. Dugan worked for the worker. Now explain why he will be branded a thief and go to prison. A heartless soul is using your wifes illness to hide behind your failure of being an honest man.

[James M Briscoe]

mr. dugan, i am a 20 year member of this great local, and i am proud to say you are the only president i have had or for that matter, needed! thanks for all you have done for me and my union brothers and sisters.God speed. you have always done the right thing, and be with your wife. faitfully jim briscoe

[Tammy Benefield]

Local 150 has come very far over the past 20 years and in my heart I believe it's because of all the hard work put in by Mr. Dugan, fellow officers, agents, and members. I wish Mr. Dugan and his lovely wife all the best. He has been a visionary for local 150 and I thank him for all he has done for this union from my wages to the amazing training site we now have. It sickens me to read comments from men who worked with him for years who seem to have forgotten all that has been accomplished over the last 20 years of his leadership. Even more Mr. Quigley stood in our general meeting and video taped it to post it on the internet. This is a complete violation of our by-laws. A man who served this union as a BA should know better. Thank you Mr. Dugan for all you have done for my union and my family. Local 150 will always be Dugan country in my heart.

[Smokey]

Mr. Dugan might of done well for the union years ago but recently Dugan's BA's are heartless and thugs. It's so funny that the one that says things will change, always goes to JAIL at the end of the day. Dugan signed up 1500 new card members before the election. It's also great that he help build a 3B pension BUT where is the other Billion ?????????
Say Hi to George Ryan !!!! LMAO

[Antony]

Bill Dugan is an honorable man. He stood with GOPs when no other unions did.

[Vincent]

Bill Dugan is a lier, hippocrit, and self serving narcissist, Do not believe his PR, read for yourself the damage this guy has caused for nothing besides personal gain. I understand if you are member, and you may not know how you were effected by his corruption, but please do your research and understand how this ass put your pensions, and work conditions up in jeopardy for his personal gain, not yours!

FACTS: He would make false accusations about other unions about corruption, when now the truth is out where He is now resigning due to he can no longer run from his corrupt ties and underhanded politics.

It has nothing to do with his wife's health as his PR people want you to believe. It is solely due to he can no longer run from his plague he created. Many people have suffered so this Ass of a man could abuse power, for personal gain. This is just the tip of the ice-burg on what will be coming out about this sleaze. Before anyone praises this man, please do your research, and understand how he has put every one of his members in jeopardy for personal gain.

FACTS (SOON TO BE PROVEN ONCE INDICTED): He mis-used funds for his own benefit.

Fixed his elections via Balet stuffing using ties with other corrupt locals that were on his payroll.

Used Influences on Political boards for personal Benefits

and much much more. Don't praise this man, but rather understand what he has done. It is not fair to say that he was a good President for his members, because if you look at the facts he did far more damage than good, and the only way to praise him is from falsely believing what people on his payroll told you to believe. Read and educate yourself about him (Not from his own publications or paid Agents, but rather reliable info such as newspapers, court records, Published FBI Statements, and Non-Biased opinions to really understand how much this person hurt his members and other people for personal gain and ego.)

[Who's the fool?]

Perhaps some of you anti-Dugan folks should spend some time researching a spelling book. How can anyone believe anything you have to say when you can't piece together a coherent sentence. You offer up your own "facts" with no basis or proof.

And while you're putting down those who supported Mr. Dugan as fools who missed what was going on, what are you but fools for your illustrious leader, Joe Ward? Joe did more to harm the Local and tear it apart than anyone has ever done while trying to paint himself as a choirboy. You want scandal? Joe served it up in spades. Team 150 Forward? No, Team 150 FOR WARD! It was all about him, not you, not the members.

Get over it. The election was run fair and square and the members spoke loud and clear -- 61 percent for Bill Dugan and the United Engineers. The real facts are plain and simple -- Dugan DID improve the pension plan, DID improve benefits, DID improve working conditions, DID deliver the best contracts in the industry, DID build the best training facility in the world and DID provide the Local with a vision for the future, not a regression to the past.

Wake up, Joe Ward took you Team 150 folks for fools, not Bill Dugan.

[Vincent]

This post is to respond to "Who's the fool?"'s post. Before you try to present a facade of intelligence , if you would've read the entire prior post, I merely suggest that you do the research before you praise a liar, hypocrite, and self-serving narcissist. Everything I posted was and is 100% fact, and when it was not proven YET, I clearly stated that. If you want to attack my grammar to discredit my statements, then so be it. I too can run a spell checker if that would help you understand. I never stated anything besides to do the research yourself and then judge. Joe Ward is no Saint, and I never mentioned him, nor do I praise him, but he is better for 150 than Dugan hands-down in my opinion! Also before you attempt to question my intelligence, maybe yours is the one that should be questioned. I do have a Mensa Approved IQ score of 152 on Standford Binet, I have worked with many aspects of Labor Unions for 20+ years, I have spoken on many different Labor boards, and my opinions are widely valued in numerous different industries (Considering I am paid for them). I am not telling you what to believe. I am simply stating to go read about the Plague that Dugan has created, and understand that this is not the man that is being presented. He is a corrupt and power hungry individual that has dug a hole too deep to crawl out of. Time will prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt if he is indicted and a court case is pursued.

[thankful for the union jobs and Dugan's leadership]

I'm not a union member, but a family member is. I am thankful for the work, the benefits, the wages, the friends and leaders who have helped my family. Thank you Mr. Dugan. Bless you and your family. I hope after the years of hard work, you can go to MD and retire in peace. After watching the election, it wouldn't surprise me if some group of union people are the ones responsible for initiating the fbi investigation. Shame on them. Thank you again for all the improvements you supported and created for the union members.

[thankful for the union jobs and Dugan's leadership]

I'm not a union member, but a family member is. I am thankful for the work, the benefits, the wages, the friends and leaders who have helped my family. Thank you Mr. Dugan. Bless you and your family. I hope after the years of hard work, you can go to MD and retire in peace. After watching the election, it wouldn't surprise me if some group of union people are the ones responsible for initiating the fbi investigation. Shame on them. Thank you again for all the improvements you supported and created for the union members.

[patrick lacefield]

Mr. Dugan and David Fagan this is patrick lacefield and i have to tell you and bill thanks and i will fight for you guys till the day i die.

[Curious]

Curious as to what took place at the Countryside office last Friday (Aug. 15). Word is that somebody got arrested; that personal & union computers were confiscated & that the arrested individual had to spend the weekend in the pokey for lack of bond money. Anybody know whether there's any truth to that? Thanks.

[palumbo]

bill dugan was a theif and he belongs with george ryan in the pen enjoy the food bill

[Jerry G]

When a leader or so called a leader tells his men that he will be there and then he turns his back when the fire gets hot he is a coward. I say this because we all know that this was all planned. When this local recieved the information about your retirement I thought it was another lie from the Joe Ward camp then the info came back true. Well I thought to myself what a lier. I voted for you to be the president not Jim Sweeny I compared you and Joe I picked you would I been told the truth Joe Ward would of been my choice. This is not another hatefull letter it is just my thought and I do not think I am alone on this matter. Me and my family sat down and talked about this decision and we made one and we got scammed. I hope you say a prayer for this great local when you fall asleep at night because we will definitely need that prayer. Oh and Joe if you read this sorry I made this mistake we the members got SCAMMED. The way this is going Bill has made a lot more mistakes than I could have made in a life time and that is is a shame. You were a legend in a lot of members eyes and that is also shame that it is all changing now all things come back around some are good some are bad it should of been good but you made it bad.

[J. Fulco]

My daughter ran up nearly 1.5 million in medical bills, in 7 weeks, then died! If it wasnt for my health insurance and benefits,I would never see the light of day as far as my financial situation goes. Local 150 has had my back in the feild and in my personal life. I love who we are on the job, I love what we stand for,I love this union! Bill dugan is the man, and Sweeney has huge shoes to fill! Joe Ward has done alot for a lot of people! However Dugan has done alot more for all of us; the members!!!

[D Schrader]

Funny how none of team 150's allegations have ever been proven. Funny how all the rumors they have spread have all been proven to be lies. Funny ho the Department of Labor found many many counts of wrongdoing by team 2 shifty. Finally its Funny that Mike Quigley grew his handlebar mustache so he could tie it in a knot behind Joe Wards ball bag so Joes dick wouldnt fall out of his mouth while he eats