WASHINGTON Insurgents District Vote PITTSBURGH, Dec. 9 (UPI)) -A vote count showed today! that 1.200 absentee ballots will decide control of the 15.000member United Mine Workers District 5 in the bitter election battle between the established. leadership and an insurgent group. Miners for Democracy, an off shoot of last year's unsuc ressful bid by murdered Joseph A. (Jock) Yablenski to gain con.. trol of the UMW's international leadership, held leads of 300 to 700 votes over the incumbent forces in the elec-i tion for District 5 officers. The absentee ballots, most of them cast by retired and. pensioned miners, were expect ed to be counted by the end of the week. They were expect-1 ed to favor the incumbents in District 5, the only one of 23 UMW districts that elects of ficers by vote of the entire membership. Taites from all 69 locals in Tuesday's eiection, with ab sentee ballots still to be count ed. gave Louis Antal of the MFD in his race for District 3 president, 4.36 votes to 3.5%2 for incumbent Michael Bid. zanosti. Other races: For secretary-treasurer: Joseph Daniels, MFD, 4447; John Seddon, incumbent," 3,7702 For International Executive. Board member: Nick Devince. MFD, 4.282; Francis McCallis ter, incurabent, 3.923. The incumbents had the sup port of the UMM internationali leadership, headed by Presi dent W. A. (Tony) Boyle. Budzanoski would need 701 per cent of the absenice vote to win the election. He said: he expected to get a majority: of the absentee ballots. Antal, who accused the incumbent leadership of temper ing with ballots, said "win or lose" he would protest the ab sentee court to the Labor De partment. He char-ed that aber sentee ballots were removed from their envelopes by elec.. tion tellers. ners for Democracy was' 0. ized by Yablonski's attorncy sons, Kenneth and Joseph, to carry on their father's fight to wrest control of the miners union from the Boyle forces. The elder Yablonski, his wife and daughter were shot to death last New Year's Eve in their house at Clarksville, Pa.l Five persons have been indict ed on murder charges and face trial. NEW YORK TIMES MINE REBEL LEADS Absentee Ballots Viewed as By LEN A. FRANKLIN Special to The N14 Y. Ts PITTSBURGHl, Dec. 9-Louis Antal, the candidate of a rebell group in the United Minel Workers of America, held a 514-vote kad here today in a bitter contest with Michael! Dudzanoski, the incumbent, for presidency of the union's District 5. Still untabulated, however, were 1,200 absentee bes! east by retired miners drawing) the union's $150-a-month pon-! sion. These votes were exct-1 ed to overwhelmingly favor Maj Budzanoski, who is supported! Ey the U. M. W. president. W. A. Boyle. Mr. Antal, the anti-Boylel candidate of the Miners for Democracy movement, plans to challenge the validity of the absente voting. used in this election for the first time in the union's history. The outcome of the election, therefore.) may depend upon the legal! challenge, which may not bel settled in the court- tor months. The union's tally of balloting among about 14.000 coal! miners a 10 counties of Western Pennsylvania was 4,436 votes for Mir. Antal and 3,922 for Mr. Budzanoski. Mr. Antal is a leader of the referm movement that grew out of the union's national election last year. The rebel can-i didate then, Joseph A. Yablonski wis muntered with hist wife and der at their Chrkstine, Fe.. home three weeks after leng to Mr. Boyle. Mr. Yable. had accused the Boyle organization of reti by van, vetrostation, traudi and credere at. Nr. 62074nos bsa of the strongest Moyie loyalists Rebel Victory Is Felt Mr. Antal, meeting reporters in the reception room of the District 5 office today, said "I feel that we have won the election." "Boyle and his henchmen was what this was all about " Mr. Antal said. "Eudzanoski is just, the figurehead and tis is a symbolic gesture of the working miners how they feel about the U.M.W. leadershin." Mr. Budzanoski, sneaking to new men in his office after! aerly steepless night, said: "I talked to President Solej today. He said he was disappointed that the membersh of let me down tis way after all my hard work for them. Hel acknowledged the fact that the Yablonski tragedy had stirre j up the men." Mr. Exe could be reached or comment. not ir. Yabiank's sen. KenBeth. a lawyer the the i Democry faction Washington, Pa., said he ex pected to file a formal el fraud complaint with the L Department by tom row con. cerning the absentee blots and also what he described as “a number of irregularities at the polling places spotted by our observers." The reform group had posted over 100 volunteer college students as observers at local union polling places. The stu dents included about 20 from Columbia University. The Labor Department last) March said its own investiga-j tion of the Dovle-Yablonski election had disclosed enough) evidence of illegal activity to warrant its going into Federal! court to invalidate Mr. Boyle's victory and to stek a federally supervised re-run of the balloting. The department's election! suit has not yet been tried. Mr. Budzunoski and the Dis. trict 5 secretary-treasurer. John Seadon, are under Federal indictment for alleged falsification of union expense vouchers. Mr. Budronki said tedav ther indictments had "helped the opposition a lot." Dissid, at UMW Group Seen, to Have Won | By a WALL. Staert Journal Staff Reporter Excluding absentee ballots, the vote-count from UMW District five with 69 local unions showed insurgent Louis Artal with 4,136 votes, leading district president Michael Budzanoski, who had 2,922 votes. A victory by Mr. Antal, who is a sharp critic of UMW president W.A. (Tony) Boyle, would remove from District 5 a staunch Boyle ally in Mr. Eudzanoski. The district, centered in western Pennsylvania, includes about 13,000 umon members, about 8,000 of whom are working. have substantial strength. The dissident faction clims that Mr. Rovic and the national leadersid hasn't been responsi sive to demands of the union's rank-and-tile members. One of its cm complaints is that the leadership hasn't presset for rigid eriorce- ; ment of the safety laws and that, in general, is too close to leaders in the cool industry, Others on the Miners for Democracy state also were ahead. Joseph Daniels lead incre bent secretary-treasurer John Seddon by 4.447 to 3,778. while Nick de Vince ran ahead of exce utive board member Francis McCallister by 4,282 to 3,925. Mr. Budzanoski said, "It is my personal opinion that i will win through absentee bullets! and that so will Mr. McCallister." He war tos¦ optimistic about Mr. Seddon's chances. He se; the secretary-treasurer has "a good chance" to win. The outcome is far from assured, however. The election was particularly hard-fought| There remain 1.192 absentee ballots to be between Mr. Antal and Mr. Budzanoski, who counted, most; on retired or pensioned rifaced each other for the $22.000-a-year post ers, a group hi which Mr. Budzanoski claims to four years ago when Mr. Budzanoski won by better than two-to-one. Coal industry sources say it's too early to definitively assess the apparent results, but one says "this will give the dissidents a power base, and a place to speak their demands." He adds that "this is too important a district" for Mr. Boyle to ignore the big anti-incumbent vote, and that the UMW president will be, under tremendous pressure" at the bargaining › table next few. The UMW chief is on record as wanting to raise daily war to $50 and to da bie the employer payined to the Uai wellare and pension fund to 50 cents a ton of cual mined, up from 40 cents. District 5 was the home district of Joseph (Jack) Yablonski, the insurgent UMW leader who was murdered in December 1969. Shortly before his death, he had sought to wrest control | of the USIW from Mr. Boyle in the union's presidential election. I lost by a margin of almcat two to one, but the Labor Department has sued to overturn the outcome and order a new election on the ground of alleged irregularities., Coal industry officials suggested that the District 5 outcome might encourage other Anti-Boyle miners elsewhere. District is the only one of the UMW's 23 geographic districts where all the officers are elected by the rank | and file. In only four districts are any officers, elected; in the rest, they're appointed by the union's international leadership and executive board. For more than six years, however, rederal suits have been pending that could give some of the districts local autonomy. Included are some West Virginia cistricts where antiBoyle sentiment has surfaced in the last two years. It will be several days before the final elec tion outcome is known. Antal forces have insisted on seeing every request for an absentee ballot and the certified mail receipt showing that cach ballot was sent to the person request ing it. They have checked one of three sub-dis tricts, UMW officials said, and when all the receipts are checked, the counting will begin Each side has indicated it will contest the results, if unfavorable, and the Antal forces seen likely to zero in on the absentee bulls A spokesman for Mr. Busie said the UMW president wouldn't have any comment on the balloting. WASHINGTON POST Insurgents District Vote PITTSBURGH, Dec. 9 (UPI)) -A vote count showed today! that 1,200 absentee ballots will decide control of the 15.000member United Mine Workers District 5 in the bitter election! battle between the established: leadership and an insurgenti group. Miners for Democracy, an off shoot of last year's unsuc cessful bid by murdered Joseph | A. (Juck) Yablonski to gain con-i trol of the UMW's international leadership, held leads of 300 to 700 votes over the in-. cumbent forces in the election for District 5 officers. The absentee ballots, most! of them cast by retired and pensioned niners, were expect ed to be counted by the end of the week. They were expect ed to favor the incumbents in! District 5, the only one of 23. UMW districts that elects of ficers by vote of the entire membership. Jailes from all 69 locals in! Tuesday's election, with ab sentee ballots still to be count, ed. gave Louis Antal of the MFD in his race for District 51 president, 4,436 votes to 3.9221 for incumbent Michael Bud. zanoski. Other races: For secretary-treasurer: Joseph Daniels, MFD, 4.447; John Seddon, incumbent, 3,778 For International Executive Board member: Nick Devince. MFD, 4,252; Francis McCallis ter, incumbent, 3.925. The incumbents had the support of the UMW international! leadership, headed by President W. A. (Tony) Boyle. Budzanoski would need 70 per cent of the absentee vote! to win the election. He saidi he expected to get a majority! of the absentee ballots. Antal, who accused the incumbent leadership of tampering with ballots, said "win or lose" he would protest the ab-1 sentee court to the Labor De-i partment. He char,ed that absentee bailots were removed, from their envelopes by elec. Lion tellers. budzano-ki, tie incumbent, for presidency of the union's DisMkt 5. Still untabulated, however, were 1,200 absentee blin's cast by retired miners drawing the union's $150-a-month pen-! sion. These votes were expect ed to overwheimingly favor Ve hudzanoski, who is suptodj by the U. M. W. present. W. A. Boyle. Mr. Antal, the anti-Royle candidate of the Miners for! Democracy movement, pians to chailerse the validity of the absentee voting ured in this election for the first time in the union's history. The cut-) come of the election, therefore, may depend upon the legal challenge, which may not be settled in the courts for months. The union's tally of balloting among about 14,000 coal miners in 10 counties of Western Pennsylvania was 4.436 votes for Mr. Antal and 3,922 for Mr. Budzanoski. Mr. Antal is a leader of the reform movement that grev out of the union's national excu-l tion last year. The rebel candidate then, Joseph A. Yablon-1 ski, was murdered with his wife and daughter at their Clarksville, Pa, home threel weeks after losing to Mr. Pavie. Mr. Yablonki had accused the Bovie organization of 1852 "diet sp" n ked by vlence, 1 t and ton, fraud) and cube. er nt Mo B72noki his b en ct the strongest Boyle loyalists. Rebel Victory Is Felt Mr. Antal, meeting report. ers in the reception room of the District 5 office today, said "I feel that we have won the election." "Boyle and his henchmen) was what this was all about." Mr. Antal said. "Budzanoski is just, the figurehead and tis is a symbolic gesture of the working miners how they feel about the U.M.W. leadershin." Mr. Budzanoski, speaking to new men in his office after! arly sleepless night, said: "I talked to President Boylej today He said he was disappointed that the membersnip let me down is way after alli my hard work for them. hei acknowledged the fact that the Yablonski tragedy had stirred up the mer.." Mr. Boe could be reached or comment. not Mr. Yablonsia's son, Kenneth, a lawyer for the Minore! i ur Democracy faction in Washington, P2, said he expected to file a formal ei tron fraud complaint with tre Lutor Department by temary concerning the absentee ballots and also what he described as "a rumber of irregularities at the rolling places spotted byj our observers." The reform group had posted Over 100 volunteer College students as cbservers at local union polling places. The students included about 20 from Columbia University. The Labor Department last March said its own investigation of the Boyle-Yablonski election had disclosed enough) evidence of legal activity tol warrant its going into Federal) court to invalidate Mr. Boyle's victory and to seek a federally supervised re-run of the bailoting. The department's election. suit has not yet been tried. Mr. Budzancski and the Dis-! trict 5 secretary-treasurer. John Seldon, are under Federal indictment for alleged falsification of union expense vouchers. Mr. Bulzanocki said today! that indictments hal "nciped the opposition a lot." AFFIDAVIT My name is Joseph Daniels and my address is Smith Street, Bentleyville, Pennsylvania. 9873 and a candidate for District Secretary-Treasurer, District No. 5 U.M.W.A. On November 30, 1970, I was in the District Office at 938 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Steve Segedi, Andrew Vahaly and Steve Kovich. Our purpose for being there was to use the Union's facilities to mail out campaign literature. At approximately 2:00 P. M. when we had finished, I asked the switchboard operator if I could speak with John Seddon, the Secretary-Treasurer. She called Mr. Seddon in his office and told me that Mr. Seddon would talk to me in his secretary's office. I became suspicious when I saw the door to his office closc3 because in the approximately twenty years that he has been Secretary-Treasurer and I have been visiting the District Office, it was never his practice to keep the office door closed. Seddon izmediately came out of his office and again closed the door, He refused this but I was able to see that there were other persons in his office. I insisted that we converse in his office and not in a secretary's office, but he refused. An argument ensued and I maintained that I wanted to go into his office immediately. request and, in fact, during the argument Michael Budzanoski, District President, grabbed my arm and attempted to shove me away from the office door. At this time when it became evident that we were going to get into Seddon's office, John Popp came out of the office from behind the closed door with a large pouch full of what I believe were absentee ballots. When I entered the office, I saw Michacl Trulos and John Posell, both officials and/or employees of the Union in the room. The expressions or their faces were those of persons who had been caught redhanded doing wrong. There was a large table in the office and on the table were ballots in envelopes which had been received in the mail. There were other ballots in plain envelopes and also ballots not in envelopes at all. There were brushes, scissors, glue and razor blades on the table. One of the ballots which had been received in the mail was five days old having a postmark of November 25, 1970. The Constitution provides that when the Secretary-Treasurer receives the ballots, he shall immediately deposit them in a locked ballot box. There were no locks on any of the boxes. It is my belief that unauthorized persons were in possession of the absentee ballots and ballot boxes. I further believe that some of the ballots in question had been tampered with. During the conversations which ensued after we entered the office, Michael Budzanoski called the Pittsburgh Police to have us ejected from the office and arrested, but when they appeared, he refused to press charges and nothing occurred. I immediately on the advice of counsel filed a complaint with the United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Labor at its Pittsburgh office. There were in my opinion approximately 250 to 300 ballots in the opened ballot box. I accuse the men involved with tampering with the ballots and the ballot boxes in violation of the District Constitution and my rights as a candidate. |