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Show Son. iGieli colic for Inuosfigafion Utah's U.S. Ssnator Or-rin Or-rin Hatcn has asked the Comptroller General of the United States, Elmer Staats to begin an audit of alleged irregularities in the use of certain Comprehensive Em - ' ployment and Training (CETA) funds. In a. letter to the General Accounting Office Director, Senator Hatch told Staats, "We are concerned that CETA funds may have been used deliberately to finance and prom ote a union organiz -ing drive on Guam by the Operating Engineers Union Local 3." According to information received by Senator Hatch, Labor Department officials in San Francisco responsible responsi-ble for activities on Guam, may have excluded contractors contract-ors on the island from the competitive bidding process in violation of their legitimate legiti-mate right to compete for CETA funds. Those funds, later awarded to Operating Engineers Union, Local 3, may have been used illegally in the union organizing effort. ef-fort. "In February, 1978," said the letter, "The Guam Employers Em-ployers Council sent a formal complaint to Secretary Secre-tary of Labor F. Ray Marshall, Mar-shall, alleging that Labor Department officials in San Francisco conspired with the Operating Engineers Union and Dillingham Corporation to award a $1.8 million CETA contract for job training on the island. We understand that the Labor Department did, in fact, order an investigation in-vestigation in March of 1978; but that to date, it has issued no findings." "I want to know what has happened to that investigation, investi-gation, and why action has not been taken," said Hatch. Senator Hatch was joined in the request by Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC). The letter includes a list of seven specific areas of inquiry and the names and addresses of at least 10 individuals who should have direct knowledge know-ledge of the alleged irregularities irreg-ularities in the use of CETA funds and contracting procedures. |