Chairman,
The Honorable Bill Goodling
United States House of Representatives

Dear Representative Goodling,

The members of Pile Drivers Local Union 34 of Oakland, California are of the opinion that the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and all of its constituent units is the target of a Wall  Street-type takeover.

The hostile takeover of our union and its assets is occurring under the guise of organizational restructuring. Under so-called restructuring, top  union officials are imposing authoritarian new rules to effect a corporate  takeover of the union and its assets. We believe that this new phenomenon  requires a decisive response by government to protect our union.

Local Union 34 is proposing an amendment to the Carpenters Constitution to be presented at our national convention beginning August 21, 2000. This  amendment would make all union members the legal common owners of Carpenter Union real estate and property in their implied names. The amendment would also redirect some of the power from the General Executive Board/Board of Trustees, creating a direct member-elected rank-and-file Board of Trustees,  and a new separate Asset Trust. A positive impact against labor   racketeering would also result.

We wish to make our concerns known to Congress in the hope that this new offensive against the Union's members by our General Officers will be recognized by Congress for what it is. We implore you to conduct a thorough investigation. We ask that this committee and the appropriate government bodies correct these injustices by drafting and swiftly passing legislation which guarantees what union members have established and are entitled to, namely, equity in their labor union's real estate and assets.