An ongoing federal probe has targeted Boston Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh for allegedly threatening companies that sought to hire nonunion workers, according to reports Sunday.
Before becoming mayor, Walsh served as secretary-treasurer for the Boston Metropolitan District Building Trades Council. Walsh was recorded in a federal wiretap in 2012 telling another union official he threatened a company that wanted to hire nonunion workers, sources told The Boston Globe.
“The only information I have on this is what the Globe is asking me,” Walsh told the Globe. “When I was head of the Building Trades, my role was to advocate for more jobs for working men and women in the Greater Boston region. Since becoming mayor of Boston, I have changed the development process to be more open and inclusive. Bottom line, no one gets any special treatment under my administration.”
Walsh added he has yet to be contacted by investigators. Nevertheless subpoenas have been issued to union leaders, developers, and city hall staffers. The allegations stems from a phone conversation Walsh at the time had with another union official. He allegedly told AvalonBay Communities it would not get a building permit unless it hired union workers for another project.
“I’ve seen agents leaking stuff to the press just to stir the pot and try and generate statements from witnesses where they don’t have any,” Former assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Kendall told the Boston Herald. He added the only reason to leak the wiretap would be to build a case but that leaking information for such a purpose would be illegal.
The investigation goes beyond Walsh and was sparked by the region experiencing unusually high real estate costs. The increased costs have been connected to the increasing price of land, permitting and labor which tend to be higher for union projects. Additionally it has been rumored that Walsh was part of a federal probe for roughly a year.
Walsh, AvalonBay and the Building Trades Council did not respond to a request for comment by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
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