Car making, Fire fighting, Electrical lighting Unions
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etroit News reporting: Car industry, Big Union December 2019
“‘When the UAW goes on strike and the workers are making — … $275 per week…, what does the UAW leadership … bottles of booze worth $1,300; lavish steak dinners’” [DN quoting Justice Department’s top prosecutor in Detroit, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider]
- 2009-2015: “Fiat Chrysler’s Alphons Iacobelli [former Fiat Chrysler executive Alphons Iacobelli in 2008 sentenced to five and a half years in UAW scandal] and others ‘steered more than $1.2 million in illegal payments to Holiefield’ [former UAW Vice President General Holiefield deceased 2015], ‘wife Monica Morgan-Holiefield and others.’ The payments included first-class airfare, clothing, jewelry, furniture; $13,300 to pay for the Holiefields’ pool; and $262,219 to pay off the mortgage on their home in suburban Detroit.”
The “Harvard-trained executive (Alphons Iacobelli) with exotic hobbies that included collecting solid-gold fountain pens and Italian-made, cherry red roadsters — handed labor leaders credit cards paid for by the automaker and encouraged them to swipe liberally.”
- 2014-2015 “UAW bosses spent member dues on 107 rounds of golf at the nation’s premier courses. With union money, they bought new golf clothes, rainbow-colored golf balls made in South Korea and golf equipment, including a $1,955 set of Titleist golf clubs.”
- Eight-five billion dollar government bailout that in 2009 rescued GM, delivered Chrysler Group to Marchionne’s Fiat SpA [Italian Sergio Marchionne (now deceased) CEO of Fiat S.p.A., an Italian holding company whose original and core activities were in the automotive industry (its successor Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV or FCA)].
“The high price for corrupt practices begun soon after the automaker’s taxpayer-funded bailout in 2009 continues to be paid — costs mounting for a culture of corruption inside the union Reuther built.”
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etroit News and New York Times reporting: Car industry, Big Union August 2020
Investigation of the UAW (United Auto Workers) dates at least to 2015; and “has resulted in guilty pleas from at least 11 union officials, and three former executives of Fiat Chrysler.”
“In court filings, prosecutors accused ‘UAW Official B’ of helping embezzle more than $1 million spent on personal luxuries and illegally used money from Detroit automakers to renovate the union’s northern Michigan resort, where the union built him a $1.3 million lakefront home.”
Last year the Detroit News reporting identified Dennis Williams as “‘UAW Official B,’” the pseudonym federal prosecutors used in court filings while accusing Williams of criminal wrongdoing. Prosecutors often use nicknames to refer to people in court filings who have not been charged with a crime.”
The United Auto Workers used nonunion labor to build [a] lakefront home for retired President Dennis Williams at the union’s 1,000-acre retreat in Onaway.”
In Presque Isle County, Michigan, population 880 (2010 census), “Onaway is the Sturgeon Capital of Michigan, and there is a lake sturgeon streamside rearing facility on the nearby Black River, where the fish migrate down to the Cheboygan River and then to Lake Huron.”
The sixty-seven-year-old Williams, during his 2014-2018 UAW presidency, reportedly “used union money to pay for private villas in Palm Springs, California, expensive cigars, golfing apparel, greens fees at golf courses and lavish dinners” [news source federal court filings by prosecutors].
“Williams is the fifteenth person to be charged with wrongdoing since
the investigation emerged publicly three years ago.”
A train of publicized abuse
- Roy L. Williams, former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters indicted in 1981, accused of conspiring to bribe a senator in an attempt to derail the deregulation of the trucking industry.”
- Joseph P. Tonelli, a top A.F.L.-C.I.O official (and president of the United Paperworkers International Union) “charged” a few years before Roy Williams “with helping to embezzle $360,000 from the union.”
- Dennis Williams, former UAW boss, accused of conspiring with his immediate successor, Gary Jones.
- Gary Jones admitted to federal prosecutors that he used “more than $1 million in union funds for vacation rentals, golf outings, clothing, liquor and expensive meals.” He reportedly spent “some $60,000 just on cigars and smoking paraphernalia.”
U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider tells the Detroit News
“The UAW’s members deserve leaders dedicated to serving the members and their families, not serving themselves.”
“We’re not done.”
The charges brought represent “a very significant step [in a] relentless effort to ensure that the over 400,000 men and women of the UAW have honest and ethical leadership.”
Philadelphia’s electricians’ union officials
- Bobby Henon: an electrician who has worked as a steward, sub-foreman and foreman head of the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), since 2012 a member of the Philadelphia City Council. January 2019 indicted for “embezzlement and theft in a corruption probe by federal officials.”
- John J. “Johnny Doc” Dougherty Philadelphia labor leader; business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98; January 2019 several allegations, “indicted in an IBEW Local 98 investigation, charged with misusing union funds for personal benefit.”
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illy Penn reporting October 2019
“The government alleges Dougherty and other union members stole more than $600,000 from IBEW Local 98, the politically powerful chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
“The 116-count indictment also accuses City Councilman Bobby Henon of doing Dougherty’s bidding in exchange for a series of bribes, including campaign contributions and a paid union staff position he’s maintained since he was elected in 2011.”
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hiladelphia Inquirer reporting: IBEW principals September 2020
Prosecutors have portrayed [Bobby] Henon as a crooked politician, swept into office on a tide of union money only to sell his Council seat in exchange for a $73,000-a-year, no-show union job.”
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl as issued a decision that “sets the stage for [John J.] Dougherty — one of the city’s most potent Democratic power brokers and head of the 4,700-member Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — to stand trial with [Bobby] Henon, the union’s former political director and onetime majority leader on Council, in coming months.”
Firefighters Union:General President of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) since 2000, labor leader Harold Allen Schaitberger has reportedly grown the IAFF’s Political Action Committee (FIREPAC) “to more than $4.6 million,” ranking “among the top one percent of PACs in the United States.
He is “member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.” His association with the firefighter’s union extends to the early 1970s. As a professional firefighter, he rose “to the rank of lieutenant.”
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ashington Examiner reporting on wrongdoing of Firefighter Union officials
Harold Schaitberger and former IAFF treasurer, Thomas Miller, are reportedly under investigation for “siphoning pension funds before retiring.”
“Sources close to the investigation said that Harold Schaitberger… had taken more than $1 million from his pension despite still being employed by the union.” And Miller “may have similarly siphoned pension funds before retiring.”
The allegations were reportedly in a report to the union by Miller’s successor IAFF treasurer, Edward Kelly. A “100-page report delivered to the union’s board reportedly “accused Schaitberger of other financial wrongdoings.”
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appy Labor Day USA!
Sources
Detroit Free Press “Ex-Fiat Chrysler exec Alphons Iacobelli gets 5½ years in UAW scandal” Tresa Baldas August 27, 2018 https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2018/08/27/fca-alphons-iacobelli-uaw-sentencing/1108849002/
Detroit News “Driven by Greed: An interactive view of Metro Detroit corruption: A video primer on corruption: Count the kickbacks, cash and bribes pocketed by Metro Detroit's most corrupt UAW bosses, auto execs and politicians” December 18, 2019 https://www.detroitnews.com/in-depth/business/autos/2019/12/18/greed-driven-alliance-fca-uaw-leaders-sparks-decade-corruption/2634016001/
Detroit News “Ex-UAW boss Williams charged in embezzlement scandal as federal probe continues” Robert Snell, Jordyn Grzelewski, Breana Noble August 27, 2020 https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2020/08/27/ex-uaw-boss-ex-uaw-boss-williams-charged-in-racketeering-scand-williams-charged-racketeering-scandal/5642204002/
Detroit Free Press “Former UAW VP Holiefield dies after battle with cancer: Former UAW Vice President General Holiefield died about” Brent Snavely March 9, 2015 https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2015/03/09/general-holiefield-uaw-hospitalized/24667511/
New York Times “Dennis Williams, Former U.A.W. Leader, Is Accused of Conspiracy” August 27, 2020 Neal E. Boudette and Noam Scheiber https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/business/uaw-dennis-williams.html
Philadelphia Inquirer “Judge rejects bid by Local 98 chief John Dougherty and Councilmember Bobby Henon to toss their bribery case before trial” Jeremy Roebuck, Updated: September 2, 2020 https://www.inquirer.com/news/john-dougherty-robert-henon-trial-local-98-ibew-philly-city-council-20200902.html
Billy Penn October 28, 2019 “Johnny Doc corruption charges: Philly labor boss Johnny Doc has a trial date — and it’s not for an entire year: Dougherty and his co-defendants, including Councilmember Bobby Henon, will appear before a judge in September 2020” Aaron Moselle October 28, 2019 https://billypenn.com/2019/10/28/philly-labor-boss-johnny-doc-has-a-court-date-and-its-not-for-an-entire-year/
Washington Examiner “Federal authorities investigating firefighters union over pension payments to leaders” Madison Dibble September 3, 2020 https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/federal-authorities-investigating-firefighters-union-over-pension-payments-to-leaders
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onaway,_Michigan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Henon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Dougherty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_A._Schaitberger
Insight Beyond Today’s News, CLB - © All Rights Reserved
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