International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades. Painters District Council 9 of New York City

Founded in 1887 as the Brotherhood of Painters and Decorators of America and also known as the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America, the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 9 (IBPAT DC 9) quickly rose to a prominent position in New York City and the surrounding area. Its membership generally reflected the various waves of immigrants coming into the country, the development of different political tendencies, and the tensions brought on by changes in the U.S. economy.

After a series of conflicts with rival union the Amalgamated Association of Painters and Decorators, the Painters District Council 9 added the Alteration Painters Union (with branches in Harlem, the Lower East Side, Brooklyn and the Bronx) to its ranks in 1914.

Racketeers were a major force in Painters District Council 9 (as they were in many other NYC building trades unions) until the membership, under the leadership of Louis Weinstock's Communist Party-oriented administration, attempted to break their hold in the 1930s. Weinstock's alliance (with its base in the Rank-and-File Clubs) had its own drawbacks, and some members felt that their interests were neglected in favor of the CP's all-out efforts in support of World War II, including the no-strike pledge.

In 1946, the Progressive Painters Club ran Martin Rarback as a new reform candidate for secretary-treasurer of the District, and he won the post in 1947. Rarback's promised militant program led to some progressive changes in the union, but he soon became a party to dubious practices that pre-dated his administration.

After 1947, the Rank-and-File Club carried on its opposition fight, but the Cold War political climate and the conservative drift of the labor movement made for an uphill battle, and the group experienced several years of setbacks, including the expulsion of its key leaders from the union. In spite of undercurrents of discontent, there were no contested district-wide elections from 1953 to 1961, and the Rank-and-File Club was barely able to maintain its presence in a few locals.

By 1961, Rarback's blatant favoritism had created such dissatisfaction among members that organized opposition reasserted itself for the first time in many years. Reconstructing an opposition movement was hard work. Frank Schonfeld ran for District Council 9 secretary-treasurer in 1961. He lost, but did so with 42% of the vote, a considerable turnout against Rarback's machine. The day after the 1961 election, the Rarback administration sued Schonfeld and others for libel, and Schonfeld lost his job.

Nevertheless, pressure from Schonfeld and other dissidents within District Council 9 forced the International, which in general supported the incumbent administration, to step in and impose a trusteeship in DC 9, a move that served to buffer the Rarback machine. Schonfeld was blocked from running for election in 1964, but after successfully challenging the trusteeship, he was elected as DC 9 secretary-treasurer in a supervised, district-wide election in 1967.

Opposed almost continually during the two terms he served, Schonfeld was ousted in 1973 by James Bishop, a candidate promoted by Rarback's Progressive Painters Club. Under threats made against him by members of the Lucchese Crime Family, Bishop resigned from his position in 1989, and was murdered by the mob in 1990. The ensuing investigation by city, state and federal law enforcement agencies revealed the layers of corruption that had pervaded the Council since Schonfeld's ouster, and most officers of District Council 9 were found guilty in state court on charges of racketeering.

Following these convictions, the entire administration of District Council 9 was forced out of office, and General President William Duval appointed John Alfarone, President and Business Manager of the Drywall and Tapers, Local 1974, as Trustee of the District Council. After eighteen months this trusteeship ended, and elections were held.

From the guide to the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 9 Records, Bulk, 1972-1988, 1932-2000, (Bulk 1972-1988), (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)

James Bishop, ousted leader of IBPAT, District Council 9, was murdered on May 17, 1990 by operatives of the Lucchese Crime Family. The former secretary-treasurer's murder led to the unraveling of the District Council's leadership, as the ensuing investigation by city, state and federal law enforcement agencies revealed the layers of corruption that pervaded the Council. Six weeks later, the top officials of the District Council, along with two mob-connected contractors, were indicted on bribery and racketeering charges. All but one (against whom charges were later dropped) pleaded guilty and were sentenced to jail. The indictments by the Manhattan District Attorney's office were the result of an intensive two-year investigation into corruption in the painting industry. City, state and federal prosecutors collaborated in the probe. Bishop was murdered by the mob because they correctly suspected that he was talking with the government investigators.

The international union was slow to react to the troubles in the New York City District Council, one of the largest in the country. No action was taken until the indictments were released. At that point, General President William Duval assigned international vice president James Damery to conduct an investigation. The effort was seriously compromised by the fact that Damery's conduit for membership complaints was international representative William Courtien, named in the indictment as one of the coordinators of the enterprise conspiracy. Seven months after the indictments, when the officials were pleading guilty and resigning from office, President Duval appointed John Alfarone, President of Local 1974 to serve as Trustee of District Council 9. This action precipitated a battle within the international union's General Executive Board. Duval's opponents made an effort to remove Alfarone as Trustee, but the attempt failed.

Alfarone's long-running legal battle to thwart the efforts of organized crime to destroy the Tapers local earned him a reputation as a fighter of corruption. He had a reputation for independence and was a fierce opponent of the old, mob-linked leaders. As the newly-appointed Trustee of DC 9, he committed himself to a program of reform. At a membership meeting on May 18th, 1991 Alfarone reported that the U.S. Department of Justice would institute court action to impose a federal trusteeship over DC 9 unless the union acted to rid itself of organized crime control.

Upon taking over as Trustee, Alfarone dissolved the District Council, cancelled the elections and the proposed referendum on the District Council by-laws scheduled for June, instituted fiscal reforms, ordered a change in job and shop stewards, and directed organizers to patrol job sites. Alfarone issued periodic reports to General President Duval on the status of the trusteeship. Duval was still embroiled in his own fight to maintain his position, against opponents who outnumbered him on the General Executive Board.

The trusteeship came to an end in the Spring of 1992. In June of that year an election was held in the District Council for the top position of secretary-treasurer and for six business agent positions.

From the guide to the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 9: Trusteeship Records, 1975-1995, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)