A Labor Department administrative judge has recommended that the union local representing Hill Air Force Base employees be fined $115,000 for malicious actions and wanton disregard of the union membership.

The 37-page decision by Nahum Litt, chief administrative judge, lambasted William Shoell, former president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 1592, for manipulating facts and harassing two union members over a three-year period.The decision, signed last month, followed a three-day hearing in February.

Litt called Shoell "arrogant," citing Shoell's changing of the minutes of a union meeting to delete "discussion critical of himself."

The judge also criticized Shoell for his inability to substantiate charges he brought against union members Joe Celli and Fred Gentile, and his disregard of a Labor Department mandate to hold a new election after the 1990 election was declared void because of numerous irregularities.

The decision also chastised Shoell for failing to notify the union's general membership of the mandate to hold a new election. The judge also was critical of new Hill AFB union president Scott Blanch, who was Shoell's vice president, for sharing Shoell's "unusual notions of the democratic process."

And the national AFGE was cited for not taking action to enforce the Labor Department's orders.

Asked to respond to the decision, Blanch said, "The case is in the hands of the national AFGE." AFGE officials involved in the Hill matter were not available for comment.

In February, Shoell testified why he removed Celli and Gentile from their steward positions. He said some managers did not like their style and that they were boisterous.

Litt acknowledged the two were "clearly not part of the tea and croissant crowd. . .and prone to earthy or profane, expressive language," but the evidence showed "Mr. Celli and Mr. Gentile did a good job as stewards."

"It is found that the union's actions rise to the level of actual malice or wanton disregard in the present case," said Litt. ". . .The entire scheme of this local's leadership over the past four years has been to remove political opponents who opposed the leadership."

Celli and Gentile, along with union member Tom Montez, who ran against Shoell for president in the 1990 election, filed their initial complaints following that election.

A Department of Labor investigation found that 150 ballots were not counted. Montez was later kicked out of the union by Shoell, but has since settled his case against the union and no longer works for Hill.

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A new union election finally was held in February this year, but Litt said it did not count as a rerun because the same candidates were not involved.

Celli and Gentile ran against a Blanch slate in the 1993 election, which was supervised by the Department of Labor. Blanch won the presidency by four votes over Celli, and Gentile won the executive vice president position by two votes.

In deciding a punitive remedy against the union for its actions, Litt said there was now the practical aspect of punishing the guilty without hurting the local's membership, almost 50 percent of whom voted for Celli and Gentile.

Toward that end, Litt recommended the union pay Celli and Gentile $7,500 each and pay $100,000 into a union welfare fund.

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