By Steve Smith

Martin Maddaloni, president of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, and Thomas Patchell, the UA's secretary-treasurer, resigned last November amid an internal investigation regarding the union's financial management.

The Associated Press reported that Maddaloni and Patchell were each bought out of their contracts, including salary and pension credits, in a deal approved by the executive board. Both men's terms would have expired in 2006.

Last October, the union's general executive board began investigating investments made from the UA's general fund following a letter written to the board from two top former union chiefs.

The Engineering News-Record reported that the Oct. 8 letter written by an attorney on behalf of former UA President Marvin J. Boede and former Assistant General President C. Randal Gardner claimed the union's financial condition has deteriorated to such an extent that "its ability to pay for the 2006 convention has also become an issue."