Liquor Commission Seeks to Ban Union President From Entering State Liquor Stores

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission is seeking to ban the president of one of the state’s largest labor unions from entering any state liquor store for the next six months.

The effort is an escalation in an ongoing dispute between the state agency and some of its workers over the proper handling of large all-cash transactions and allegations of bootlegging.

In a grievance filed June 25, the Liquor Commission argues that Richard Gulla, president of the State Employees Association and a former liquor store manager, violated the terms of the collective bargaining agreement during a February 3rd visit to the Keene liquor store.

Gulla was joined during that visit by Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky, who first raised a series of concerns earlier this year about how the state-run liquor stores handle bulk sales, including allegations that the Liquor Commission may be turning a blind eye to illegal activity. At the center of Volinsky’s claims are observations he says he made during that store visit with Gulla, where the two witnessed a large transaction of Hennessy cognac broken into several smaller sales to avoid triggering federal financial reporting requirements.

Read more: http://www.nhpr.org/post/liquor-commission-seeks-ban-union-president-entering-state-liquor-stores