HOTEL & RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES (HERE)
PRB Responds to NLPC Request for Boss Wilhelm Probe
On Sep. 23, the Nat'l Legal & Policy Ctr., a union corruption watchdog
group, received a response letter from the
Pubic Review Board of the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Int'l
Union indicating that it will probe the apparent lack of integrity
in HERE President John W. Wilhelm and other officials' implementation of
anti-corruption reforms. "It appears to be good news for members and bad
news for corrupt bosses," said NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm. "I am pleased
that the Public Review Board is moving forward on NLPC's findings of possible
wrongdoing within HERE." PRB's response letter to NLPC, dated Sep. 20,
was from Kenneth P. Purcell who is PRB's counsel. Purcell's
letter can be viewed at www.nlpc.org.
On August 30, NLPC filed a six-page complaint addressed to HERE's former court-appointed Monitor Kurt W. Muellenberg, who is also a member of PRB. Muellenberg's final report last year included reform recommendations to help reduce corruption within HERE. NLPC's complaint detailed three sources of concern: 1) Wilhelm's refusal to close HERE's Midwestern Regional Office, 2) HERE Secretary-Treasurer Ted T. Hansen's role in the reform process and 3) HERE General Counsel Robert J. Rotatori's role in the reform process. "HERE has long been a union troubled by corruption... Practices and individuals with links to the 'old guard' should at the very minimum be investigated by PRB..." said NLPC.
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Union Corruption Update is part of NLPC's Organized Labor Accountability Project which is investigating and exposing corruption and extremism in the Teamsters, LIUNA, AFL-CIO and many other union organizations. NLPC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation promoting ethics and accountability in government through research, education and legal action.
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