Carla Katz

U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has launched a probe of ousted CWA Local 1034 President Carla Katz and federal agents served a subpoena at the CWA national headquarters in Washington yesterday, according to a Star-Ledger report.  Katz is the former girlfriend of Gov. Jon Corzine, who could face Christie in the 2009 gubernatorial election.

As labor is burning, our National union leaders are fiddling. Some of them are simply arsonists. While the labor movement has made tremendous progress in the past, every working American knows that we are facing exceptionally challenging economic times and a union movement that continues to decline. Everyone, that is, except for some national union leaders, who these days seem too focused on creating internal divides and engaging in selfish politics to focus on the fight for their members' rights. 

CWA Local 1034 president Carla Katz, removed by her national union today, issued a statement criticizing the CWA’s move: “This action by the National union is appalling and the charges against our Local's leadership are completely false. It is a travesty that the retaliation against me, and my fellow union leaders, for our opposition to the bad state worker deal, continues in full force. The National's baseless and extreme action, done without any notice, tramples the democratic rights of the members of our union under the deceptive guise of protecting democracy.”

The Star-Ledger reports that CWA Local 1034 President and former Corzine girlfriend Carla Katz was removed from her post today after the union’s national leadership found that she misappropriate funds and violated federal labor laws.

The rest of the Local's board were also removed from their positions.

According to a press release issued by the union, a temporary administrator has been appointed by the executive board “ in order to protect members’ dues, ensure compliance with federal and state law, the Union’s Constitution and the Local's Bylaws and restore union democracy.”

Local 1034 represents about 16,000 workers, most of whom are state employees. It is the largest of all of CWA’s locals.

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According to the new Quinnipiac University poll, New Jerseyans don’t think Governor Jon Corzine should be forced to release personal e-mails sent to his former girlfriend, CWA Local 1034 President Carla Katz.  More than half of the voters (52%) say they should be kept private, and 39% say they should be released.  Even Republicans have mixed feelings: 46% release, 44% keep private.

While Gov. Jon Corzine’s fight to keep his email correspondence with Carla Katz from prying eyes may make one wonder what kind of salacious details are hidden in the digital documents, Corzine said not to get your hopes up.

“I think most of this you will find extraordinarily boring,” he said, comparing the reading experience to perusing a legislative bill.

Rather, Corzine said, he’s fighting Republican State Chairman’s lawsuit to divulge the emails on principle alone.

“You’ve got a constitutional question. A fundamental question,” said the Governor. “A privilege we believe needs to be protected not just for myself, but for future governors. So the process would go on.”

Jon Corzine, Carla Katz, continued ...