Frank J. Christensen

Frank J. Christensen (April 17, 1961) is an American labor leader. He is the long-serving Business Manager of Elevator Constructors Local 2, a Vice President of the International Union of Elevator Constructors, and Chairman of the Illinois Elevator Safety Board since 2003.

Union Political Career

A native Chicagoan, Christensen was President of Local 2 from 1998 to 2001. He became Business Manager in September 2001 and was re-elected in 2002, 2005 and 2008. He is the longest-serving Business Manager of Elevator Constructors Local 2 since the 1920s. In July 2003, he was named Chairman of the Illinois Elevator Safety Board by Governor Rod Blagojevich and was reappointed as Chairman in 2007. In October 2003, he was appointed International Vice President by Elevator Constructors General President Dana Brigham. In 2005, Frank Christensen was selected as the Illinois Maritime Labor Man of the Year.

Illinois Elevator Safety Board, Tony Rezko and Governor Blagojevich

The Associated Press broke a story on March 3, 2008, that union officers from the Elevator Constructors received three appointments to the Illinois Elevator Safety Board in the same month the Elevator Constructors Local 2 PAC Fund donated $10,000 to impeached Governor Blagojevich's campaign in July 2003. The report was part of a broader series of corruption scandals involving removed Governor Blagojevich and convicted fund-raiser Tony Rezko. Rezko would be convicted of 16 of the 24 Federal Counts of the indictment against him in June 2008.

The AP reported that Christensen was technically not eligible for the Board position because his village (Tinley Park, Illinois) had a population in excess of 53,000 in 2003 and that Christensen was appointed to represent a municipality with a population between 25,000 and 50,000. Christensen responded that the appointments to the State Board had nothing to do with the Local 2 PAC Fund campaign contribution on July 23, 2003, and he was not aware of the population of his village at the time of his appointment. In 2007, he was reappointed Chairman by removed Governor Blagojevich to represent a municipality with a population between 25,000 and 50,000. Tinley Park's population was in excess of 58,000 in 2007.

CBS 2 Chicago reported on March 4, 2008, that among the issues expected to come up at the Rezko federal corruption trial is Blagojevich's 2003 appointment of Christensen to the state safety board. On March 8, 2008, the U.S. Department Of Justice released additional court documents showing Rezko's involvement with Blagojevich political fund-raising. Included in the document is a $10,000 Elevator Constructors Local 2 PAC fund contribution dated July 23, 2003, that went through Tony Rezko and was deposited into the Blagojevich campaign accounts two days later. Elevator Constructors Local 2's President John Valone was named in the document. Elevator Constructors Local 2 Political Fund was the only union PAC fund to donate money through Rezko from June 2001 to August 2004.

International Union of Elevator Constructors Regional Director Ed Christensen was on convicted felon Tony Rezko's Clout List. Ed Christensen is the older brother of Frank J. Christensen. The list was released in federal court documents in the Rezko federal corruption trial. Ed Christensen received re-appointment to the Building Commission of the Illinois Capital Development Board in 2003 by impeached Governor Blagojevich.

Chao v Elevator Constructors Local 2 - Case #1:08-cv-01595

The United States Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Elevator Constructors Local 2 in Illinois Northern Federal District Court for other statues and micellaneous reasons on March 18, 2008. The case is being heard by the Honorable John F. Grady, a former Chief Judge. The lawsuit was filed by United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald on behalf of the United States Department of Labor asking the Court to have Elevator Constructors Local 2 comply with the DOL subpoena filed on April 24, 2007 for various records, books, papers and documents.

Elevator Constructors Local 2's Response to Subpoena's Existence

On IUEC Local 2's Website the letter from the Union Attorney is prefaced as the firm represents "all the Members of IUEC Local 2" and that the letter responding to false allegations presented by a member of the Executive Board at a meeting.

In a letter dated May 19, 2008 by the Union Attorney and released on IUEC Local 2's website on June 18, 2008, claims the subpoena request was contrary to the Department of Labor's long-standing policy of auditing Local Unions in the office of the Union in order to avoid unwarranted intrusion in the affairs of the local and that the Department of Labor took their actions solely as a means of harassing Local 2 and interfering with its operations.

The Department of Labor wanted to compel Local 2 to produce originals of all its records at the Department of Labor's Office in May 2007. According to the Union Attorney, the Department of Labor never responded to Local 2's offer to comply with the Local's request to review the records at the Local's Office. In the Union Attorney's statement in the letter, "with the passage of time, coupled with the utter silence of the DOL, can only lead to the logical conclusion that the DOL has abandoned the subpoena."

Federal Court Proceedings

On July 30, 2008 In Federal District Court in Chicago, Elevator Constructors Local 2 decided to comply to the demands of the US Department of Labor subpoena and will transfer the requested documents and computer files by November 12, 2008. On January 14, 2009 the Department of Labor said that Local 2 was in compliance with the subpoena and Federal Judge John F. Grady dismissed the case with prejudice.

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