the President of the NYC Central Labor Council and a Queens

assemblyman -- throws some light on the life styles of some of the

labor lieutenants of capitalism. McLaughlin is accused of stealing

millions from his assembly job and from various unions, as well as

accepting bribes from contractors. Over the years, McLaughlin has

been promoted in the labor press as a true "fighter for workers'

rights." It turns out that he was mostly fighting to enrich himself,

but apparently got a little too greedy, or perhaps stepped on the

wrong foot.

        Among other things, McLaughlin, whose annual salary for his union

and assembly jobs is already $260, 000, is charged with:

** Using campaign funds to renovate his $760,000 house in Suffolk

County, and pay his country club membership fees. He also has a

residence in Queens and one in Albany.

** Using stolen money to pay for an $80,000 Mercedes-Benz for his

wife and pay for marina fees for his boat.

        As head of the sellout Central Labor Council, McLaughlin poses as a

friend of workers -- he fought to keep WalMart out of NYC and has

spoken at rallies for immigrant rights and in support of transit

workers. The truth, however, is that he was a protege of Harry Van

Arsdale Jr., the conservative forrmer President of the CLC, who

supported the war in Vietnam, opposed efforts to desegregate the

construction industry, and was a friend of the political

establishment. McLaughlin, following in the same tradition, was one

of the first labor leaders to support billionaire Bloomberg for re- election.

        Labor leaders who have life styles closer to that of the bosses than

to an average worker, who are in bed with and accepting money from

the owners, who support the very political leaders who enforce anti- strike laws against city workers, and who steal money from the union

coffers, are enemies of the working class.