FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 3, 1999
CONTACT: Dan Rene, 703-847-3088 or drene@nlpc.org
As Labor Day approaches, union leaders and their supporters will be spouting platitudes of the wonders of the American union movement. The one word they will leave out or avoid in any speech or interview is their dirty little secret -- corruption.
No union boss will want to discuss how the recent “wave of union corruption” is destroying the union movement from within.
If you would like to have the facts on specific cases of union corruption
-- from almost every union and every state -- visit our website, specifically
our Union Corruption Update index:
Union corruption is a growing problem, but don’t just take our
word for it:
“Amid probes of major unions...organized labor faces an unwanted explosionof publicity about corruption and a ricochet effect within its own ranks... The impression of worsening corruption has set off a great deal of hand-wringing within union ranks. Union officials say they know that such publicity plays into the hands of non-union companies, and they are desperate to bury their troubles.” Stephen Franklin, Chicago Tribune January 24, 1999.
“A wave of union corruption...has thrown the labor movement off stride at a time when it is straining to improve its image... the scandals, which have involved the laborers, hotel workers, teamsters and other unions, have caused some labor experts to question the widely held perception that union corruption has fallen markedly since the 1950’s era of ‘On the Waterfront,’ when organized crime dominated many unions. There is widespread agreement among union leaders that the current surge of accusations -- including embezzlement, vote rigging and associating with mobsters -- is an embarrassing setback because it focuses attention on labor’s seamy side when its leaders are pushing the message that a revived labor movement is going to bat for working Americans.” Steven Greenhouse, New York Times January 3, 1999.
NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm is available for interviews and further comment. For more information on union corruption, please visit www.nlpc.org/olap/ucu/artindx.htm.
NLPC’s Organized Labor Accountability Project is investigating and exposing corruption and abuses in the Teamsters, LIUNA, HERE, AFL-CIO and other labor organizations. NLPC publishes Union Corruption Update, a fortnightly newsletter. NLPC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation promoting ethics and accountability in government through research, education and legal action. Please visit www.nlpc.org.
Organized Labor Accountability Project