National Legal and Policy Center -- Organized Labor Accountability Project
 
UNION CORRUPTION UPDATE
 
November 5, 2001 -- Vol. 4, Issue 22

For Influential Leaders & Important Decision Makers:
Information on America's most corrupt & aggressive unions

CHRISTIAN LABOR (CLA)
California Boss Admits Extortion for Job Referrals
Hank Van Heyningen, president of Christian Labor Ass'n Local 17 (Dairy Union) in Chino, Cal., pled guilty Oct. 23 to one federal count of extortion by use of wrongful fear of economic loss. The boss admitted extorting money from union members in exchange for job referrals. He also served as business agent from 1990-2001. As an union officer, Van Heyningen had control over which dairy employees would be sent out to union jobs at local dairies. He admitted that for the last 10 years he was regularly extorting money from members in return for work. A member who received a full-time job with regular daylight hours was charged $800 to $1,500 by Van Heyningen. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. Dist. Judge Virginia A. Phillips (C.D. Cal., Clinton) scheduled sentencing for Jan. 7, 2002. [DOL 10/23/01; USAO C.D. Cal. 10/23/01]

Union Corruption Update is made possible by the generous contributions from readers like you. NLPC, PO Box 6821, Falls Church, VA 22040. Thank you.

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.

All back issues of the Union Corruption Update can be viewed at NLPC's website (www.nlpc.org).  Also available is a union-by-union and state-by-state index of all Union Corruption Update articles.

If you have story ideas or suggestions for future editions of Union Corruption Update, please email NLPC at nlpc@nlpc.org.  Thank you.

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.

Email NLPC

Union Corruption Update Article Index (by Union)

Union Corruption Update Article Index (by State)

Organized Labor Accountability Project

NLPC Home Page