Independent Contractor Proper Classification Act

Top Ten Union Corruption Stories of 2008

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 01:00

Obama Election, Mob Prosecutions, Tougher Rules Led Way

The year 2008 will be remembered most of all for the $7 trillion in stock market assets that evaporated.  The losses were a consequence of the widespread attitude among Wall Street money managers that debt-fueled growth has no limits or negative consequences.  The equivalent view among union leaders is that institutional growth must come at any cost, whether to the unions themselves, employers or the country as a whole.  Only 7.5 percent of the nation's private-sector work force now belongs to a union.  Labor officials are convinced that with the right laws and programs in place, that figure could double, even triple. Everyone supposedly would win, save for certain "greedy" employers and ideologues hostile to the interests of working families.

 

No Jail Time for California Extortionist

Submitted by Michael Nelson on Mon, 02/18/2002 - 01:00

U.S. Dist. Judge Virginia A. Phillips (C.D. Cal., Clinton) sentenced Hank Van Heyningen, ex-president of Christian Labor Union Local 17 (Dairy Employees), to a mere 36 months probation and 300 hours of community service for extorting money from workers for job referrals. He faced up to 20 years in prison. Phillips also ordered Van Heyningen to pay $100 restitution and a $2,500 fine. The boss of the Chino, Cal., union pled guilty to one federal count of extortion on Oct. 23. He admitted to regularly extorting money for 10 years. A member who received a full-time job with regular daylight hours was charged $800 to $1,500. [DOL 1/7/02; USAO C.D. Cal. 10/23/01]


Ohio Boss Admits $142,700 Scheme
On Jan. 28, Richard Adams, ex-treasurer of Int'l Ass'n of Fire Fighters Local 639 in Parma, Ohio, pled guilty to a federal bank fraud charge for a scheme to deprive the union of $142,715.78. Sentencing is scheduled for Apr. 10 before U.S. Dist. Judge Donald C. Nugent (N.D. Ohio, Clinton). [DOL 1/28/02; Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 1/30/02]

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