Penn Pike official threw punch at union rep in meeting July 20 - union guy (UPDATED)

An official of Teamsters Local 250 union tells us that a senior Pennsylvania Turnpike officer Ray Zajicek went at a colleague threateningly at an official meeting July 20 and "threw a punch" before being restrained. The incident which we previously described simply as a "physical altercation" occurred at the Western Regional Office of the Turnpike near IC75 in New Stanton, east of Pittsburgh.

Zajicek is a Turnpike assistant director of operations, a senior post. The man he attempted to hit is a top union official Gary Pedicone, principal officer and secretary/treasurer of Teamsters Local 250 which represents toll collectors and maintenance personnel of the Turnpike from the Ohio state line to near Harrisburg in central Pennsylvania.

The meeting was called to discuss the latest arbitration decision on the use of supplemental or part-time workers versus fulltime workers at Turnpike toll points.

About ten people were present in the board room of the New Stanton office of the Turnpike. They were seated in a square table arrangement.

Pedicone of the Teamsters was contesting the Turnpike Commission view when according to a union colleague also attending the meeting: "Zajicek got out of his chair and came at Pedicone in a threatening  manner. Pedicone got up in order to protect himself. Zajicek threw a punch that Pedicone managed to block."

Pedicone countered by pushing Zajicek against a cupboard, his colleague says.

Others up from their seats then restrained Zajicek from continuing his assault on Pedicone by separating the two.

PTC's lead representative at the meeting was Richard DiPiero director of fare (toll) collection. He suggested they resume the meeting after a break for tempers to cool.

Pedicone the top union representative and victim of the attempted assault asked that his assailant Zajicek be removed from the meeting.

DiPiero refused to send Zajicek away.

Complaints have been made about Zajicek's behavior but the Local 250 official tells us:
"Despite witness statements saying that it was Zajicek who was solely responsible  for the incident, the PTC has taken no action against Zajicek. They have tried to pretend that it never happened."

The union lodged a formal complaint with DiPiero over the incident. July 30 DiPiero answered in a letter saying it had been "thoroughly investigated" and that "both parties were at fault."

He did not say where the union's Pedicone was at fault.

The letter said Zajicek had been given "counseling."

Neither Zajicek nor the Turnpike Commission will discuss the incident.

Double standard

The union official says there is a double standard: "Our members have got suspensions and fines for much less than what Zajicek did."

They note that about two years ago two employees working under Zajicek were involved in a scuffle. They were due to be suspended for one or two weeks as the penalty but Zajicek ordered they be suspended for three weeks.

Labor grievance being filed

The union plans to now file a "labor grievance" against the Commission over its handling of the assault.

Hot reaction to suggestion Brimmeier and Maniscola are reformers

Meanwhile we got some hot reaction today to a piece this morning (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4866) in which we said that Turnpike CEO Joe Brimmeier and Inspector General Tony Maniscola seem to be "going straight" and really trying to clean house at the Turnpike, if only for self-protection. We got telephone calls and emails disputing this, some from active, others from former Turnpike people.

Their general theme was that many of those being fired in the name of "house cleaning" are quite innocent, that the power to terminate is being used arbitrarily and unjustly.

One longtime toll collector told us she was falsely accused of theft and terminated because of what she said was a "trumped up charge" that she turned in a shortage of a few dollars in her money bag after a shift. She said far larger amounts were routinely overlooked or produced a warning.

People have been fired she said simply to make positions available to outside people with political connections.

Two callers said that the only people who get jobs at the Turnpike still are people with political connections and sponsorship. Several claimed self-enrichment and other abuses are as rife as ever, but gave no specifics.

Many of the complaints are too general for us to investigate them further and offer any assessment of them, but their sheer volume is striking.

Weighing in for the Dem for Guv

More specifically we were told today that Turnpike contractors are being pressured by George Hatalowich, director of operations at the Turnpike to make contributions to the election campaign for governor of Don Onorato (Democrat).

Hatalowich is making the telephone calls for Onorato from "off-site," we were told, not from his Turnpike office.

Again nothing from Hatalowich's side - yet.

TOLLROADSnews 2010-08-18 REVISED, UPDATED 2010-08-20 23:00