GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (AFSCME)
Michigan Boss Charged, Took $70,000 from Defunct Local
Cynthia Szymanski was charged by the U.S. Atty's Office in Detroit
Apr. 22 with embezzling $70,672 from Am. Fed. of State, County & Municipal
Employees "Local 2949." But Local 2949 hasn't existed since 1994. AFSCME
terminated Local 2949's charter after long-time president Szymanski stopped
sending in union dues. Yet she collected dues from 1994 to 1998. During
that period, misled workers didn't have union cards, didn't vote for officers,
didn't get newsletters, didn't have union meetings, etc., but every year
Szymanski took $169 from their paychecks. "In the back of my mind, I always
thought there was something screwy about the whole thing," said one member.
Finally, a new member, Doreene Christie, contacted the Nat. Labor Relations
Board, and the scam unraveled. Szymanski now faces five years in prison.
"It's as blatant as can be if you look at the records. She made checks
out to Hudson's to pay off credit cards, Target and herself and her husband,"
said an attorney for one of the misled members.
But how did this dues scam go undetected by AFSCME for so long? That's what the NLRB's William Schaub, Jr., wants to know. Schaub filed unfair labor practice charges against AFSCME's Dist. Council 25 alleging lax oversight. "My position is that the union had to do more here to tell the employees they were no longer in the picture," said Schaub. AFSCME reportedly made no effort to contact or visit the local or the members. NLRB wants DC25 reimburse the workers for lost dues. [Detroit Free Press 4/26/99; Detroit News 4/28/99]
In addition to the unions and organizations covered in this Union Corruption Update, readers can look forward to news and information on other corrupt and abusive unions in future editions.
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