January 1960: HERE Local 122 held their election and John Frank “Jack” Heisdorf was named president. Heisdorf had no police record besides a disorderly conduct arrest that was later dismissed. His salary was roughly $6,000 per year. Phil Valley, business agent, was still considered the dominant voice of the union, however, in part because he was International Vice President for the 7th District. Valley’s salary was approximately $14,500.
February 6, 1961: The FBI consulted a local expert (redacted, but apparently female) on the HERE union and were told Local 122 covered Milwaukee County and a few areas outside the county in the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area. They were distinct from the Bartenders Union, Local 64, but the two unions had a joint board with five members each on it. Business agent Phil Valley sat on the joint board. He was the only officer with a bad reputation, because of his long association with Frank Balistrieri, going back 20 years from their days promoting boxing matches. It was the expert’s opinion that Valley and Balistrieri were not as close in 1961 as they had been in the past. The expert thought it would be “virtually impossible” for anyone to personally profit from the union’s funds or life insurance because the books were audited every three months by the international union.
The expert was also knowledgeable on Bartenders Union Local 64. Their president was Walter Percente, vice president Edward Heumann, and secretary-treasurer Ben Barwick. Barwick was the dominant force, but he looked up to Phil Valley, giving Valley some influence despite not officially being with the Bartenders. Other business agents for the bartenders were Morris Brandt and Joseph Barney Saltzberg. Percente had a minor criminal record going back to 1925 for various vagrancy, disorderly conduct and gambling offenses, as well as lewd and lascivious behavior and assault and robbery.
March 24, 1961: An informant said a poker game was ongoing at the Bartenders Union Local 64 office, involving Walter Percente, Ben Barwick and Phil Valley, as well as gambler (redacted).
Agent Richard Thompson interviewed Ben Barwick of Bartenders Union Local 64 on May 1, 1961 concerning an automobile he purchased from Sterling-Harris in Chicago. Barwick claimed he saw an ad in a Chicago newspaper in early March listing Ford vehicles at prices “almost below cost”. Knowing he needed a car, he took a train to Chicago and purchased one, a 1960 four-door, for $2050. Prior to the sale, he had not heard of Sterling-Harris. When asked if he knew Leo Rugendorf, a Chicago hoodlum who was helping SH get rid of the cars, he denied any such connection. Back in Milwaukee, he put the car in the 6th Street Garage between Wisconsin and Wells. Some time in early March, the car was replevined by the Associate Discount Corporation, which had “floor planned” the car for SH. He later had to purchase the car back from the sheriff. He had actually been gone during the replevin, as beginning March 7 he was attending a Bartenders Conference in Philadelphia. Barwick’s story is suspicious because only two Milwaukeeans had purchased cars: Barwick, who was formerly an official with Frank Balistrieri’s Badger State Boxing Club, and Thomas Sorce, a man connected with the Casino Tavern (716 North 5th Street).
On June 14, 1961, Ben Barwick (business agent of Bartenders Local 64) testified before a federal grand jury in Chicago investigating organized crime. He was asked to provide records and answer questions for more than an hour. At first, his answers were deemed unsatisfactory and he was asked to come back, but US Attorney James O’Brien dropped the petition two days later. Barwick’s attorney, Dominic Frinzi, told the press he did not know what questions were asked of Barwick.
January 1, 1963: Bartenders Union Local 64 merged with HERE Union Local 122. John Heisdorf was named president. Phil Valley was business manager and agent. Ben Barwick was coordinator. In his capacity as an international vice president, Valley also had influence in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa.
October 4, 1968: Local 122 held elections and picked Ben Barwick (president), Andrew Perenchio (vice president), Phil Valley (business manager) and Walter Percente (chaplain).
Ben Barwick (business agent for Local 122) testified for two hours on February 29, 1972 before a grand jury investigating gambling in Milwaukee County. He and attorney Roland Steinle were escorted in and out of the Safety Building.
April 2, 1973: (redacted) told the FBI that “Baby Joe” Balistrieri was taken around by Ben Barwick to all taverns and liquor distributors. The purpose was to “groom” him to take over Phil Valley’s job as the head of the bartender union. Valley was expected to retire soon. (I wonder if the report is wrong and they meant John Balistrieri? However, both worked as business agents in 1973, with John earning $3,500 and Joey earning $2,000.)
May 9, 1973: An FBI agent in plain clothes entered the office of Ben Barwick on the second floor of the Towne Hotel (1723 North Third) pretending to be looking for a bartending job. The agent asked how to get a license, and was told to go to the police department to be fingerprinted. The agent then said he did prison time in Californai for arson, and Barwick said, “Don’t worry, we’ve got jobs for murderers.” The agent said he just moved to town after being away two years and Barwick said, “Don’t tell the police that. Just tell them you’ve been in and out of town.”
August 8, 1973: An informant said that Ben Barwick recently introduced him to John Balistrieri and “all indications were” that Balistrieri would be taking over the union when Valley retired. The informant said it was “no surprise” that Balistrieri would get the job but said “there will be much resentment” from mebers because John was too young.
June 17, 1974: An informant told the FBI the Local 122 was “very weak” and “ineffective.” The head of the union was old and had a place on the international union solely to make sure he got his pension. Informant said he never heard of there being mob influence in Local 122, and pointed out that not even all the bartenders employed by Balistrieri were members of the union.
July 30, 1974: Two FBI agents spoke to Ben Barwick at his office (723 North Third Street). He said he was president of Local 122 for the last 30 years. The position is voted on by the membership and is good for a 3-year term. He was re-elected many times. He said the business manager, Phil Valley, also had his position through a vote. The union had 4,000 members. Barwick said that around eight months earlier, John Balistrieri had worked for the union in an advisory capacity. Barwick said John had recently received his law degree and wanted to learn the union business. Barwick had worked with Balistrieri personally and paid him $150 each week. Barwick said John lost interest and left after four months on the job. When asked, Barwick said that John’s employment was not forced on him by anyone, and he thought John was “a likable young man and a capable young attorney.”
November 18, 1976: An FBI agent met with US Attorney William Mulligan to discuss possible ways to prosecute the bartenders union Local 122. A few possibilities were raised, such as the union violating the rights of its members or even going for a RICO prosecution if threats were made and the Mafia could be linked in. They even discussed the idea of getting an undercover agent to get a job as a bartender and join the union, and see what happened if he were to “protest the policies” of the union. The FBI determined that an undercover investigation should be a last resort – other ways to get information from members existed.
December 8, 1976: At the FBI’s request, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) sent a list of open cases they had concerning Local 122. It was a list of maybe two dozen or so, primarily in Milwaukee.
January 30, 1978: An FBI agent from Jackson arrived in Milwaukee to audit the books of Local 122. There were “many cartons of books and records” to go through. In a memo praising this agent, the SAC of Milwaukee said the agent “immediately tackled the problem, spending long hours, including nights, on this assignment. In a remarkably short time, the audit was concluded and presented in a neat and concise fashion.”
(This will be continued later with a focus on Vincent Gallo.)