Five former employees of Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters have sued the union for allegedly spying on and then firing them over their support of a whistleblower who sparked a federal corruption investigation of the union.

The lawsuit was filed Dec. 1 on behalf of five allies of former Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters Executive Secretary John Ballantyne, a union reformer who was dismissed from his position in 2018. Ballantyne’s activities led to an investigation of Carpenters benefits manager George Laufenberg. who was subsequently indicted for allegedly embezzling $1.5 million from the union.