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Johnny Doc ally got his job back after removal from Building Trades Council last month

Building Trades business agent Brian Eddis got his job back after his removal last month in what one council officer called a "reduction of force."

Brian Eddis (right) of the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, with then-U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty J. Walsh at the Laborers’ Training and Learning Center on July 3, 2021.
Brian Eddis (right) of the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, with then-U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty J. Walsh at the Laborers’ Training and Learning Center on July 3, 2021.Read moreMatt Stanley / Department of Labor

Brian Eddis, a business agent for the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council who was removed from that position last month, has been reinstated.

Eddis was restored to his prior role just weeks after his removal, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the change who were not authorized to speak about it publicly. He returned on Monday, confirmed Teamsters Local 107 president Bill Hamilton, whose local is one of the several dozen unions belonging to the Building Trades Council.

Eddis did not respond to a call seeking comment. Neither did Ryan Boyer, the council’s business manager.

“It is the policy of the Philadelphia Building Trades not to discuss any personnel issues,” said Frank Keel, a spokesperson for the council.

Eddis’ salary was about $135,000 last year, according to records from the U.S. Department of Labor. His duties were focused on Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties, according to the council’s website. Union business agents generally are seen as a liaison between membership and top leadership.

Patrick J. Eiding, the council’s secretary-treasurer, in February referred to Eddis’ removal as a “reduction of force.” Eiding said at the time that Eddis might be replaced, but not right away.

Eddis had previously worked closely with the council’s former business manager, John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty. He is also a ward leader in Northeast Philadelphia’s 63rd Ward.

Before working for the Building Trades Council, Eddis was a political staffer for IBEW Local 98, also under Dougherty. He also served as campaign manager for Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty, John Dougherty’s brother, during his first run for the state’s highest court in 2015.

Eddis started working for the council in 2021, the same year that John Dougherty was forced to resign from his positions as business manager of both the Building Trades Council and of IBEW Local 98 following his conviction on corruption charges.

Staff writer Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this article.