LABOR LAW REFORM
Unions Sue to Overturn Oklahoma Right-to-Work Law
Six labor unions and the Okla. State AFL-CIO filed a lawsuit Nov. 13 in U.S. Dist. Court in Muskogee seeking to overturn Okla.'s recently enacted Right-to-Work law, which gives employees the freedom not to pay dues or fees as a condition of employment. Voters approved the law, State Question 695, by a whopping 54% on Sept. 25. Despite a provision in the Labor Mgmt. Relations Act of 1947 (Taft-Hartley) providing for state right-to-work laws, the unions allege that SQ 695 violates that very federal statute plus a host of other labor laws, the constitutions of the U.S. and Okla. Similar right-to-work laws are in effect in 21 States.

The six unions are Am. Fed'n of Gov't Employees Local 916 (Okla. City); Int'l Ass'n of Iron Workers Local 584 (Tulsa); Int'l Ass'n of Machinists Local 898 (Enid); Int'l Union of Operating Eng'rs. Local 627 (Tulsa); Nat'l Ass'n of Letter Carriers Local 1358 (Tulsa); Transport Workers Union Local 514 (Tulsa). Edwards Pipeline Servs., Inc., a Tulsa pipeline services company is also a plaintiff.

The office of Okla. Atty. Gen. Drew Edmondson (D) is expected to defend the suit despite his past ties to organized labor. The Nat'l Right to Work Legal Def. Fdn. has vowed to vigorously defend the law. The case, whose defendants include Gov. Frank Keating (R), has been assigned to U.S. Dist. Judge Frank H. Seay (E.D. Okla., Carter), and briefs are due Dec. 4. Plaintiff attorneys, James F. Frasier and Steven R. Hickman of Frasier, Frasier & Hickman in Tulsa, didn't ask for a restraining order barring enforcement because they anticipate a "timely decision."

Columnist  Patrick B. McGuigan said the suit "is a sign of the times. As Republicans gain strength with each passing year--and as voters clearly move toward conservative policy preferences--some Democrats want to use the courts to stop Oklahoma's political shift toward more business-friendly economic policies." [Daily Oklahoman 11/15, 11/21/01]

There appears to be some gamesmanship in the selection of the courthouse. None of the plaintiffs are headquartered in the E. Dist. of Okla, in which the case was brought. It's suspicious because while the N. Dist. of Okla. (Tulsa) has 6 judges and the W. Dist. of Okla. (Okla. City & Enid) has 7 judges, the E. Dist. of Okla. only has 2 judges, and one is a floater between all 3 districts. Thus, it appears that plaintiffs had very good odds of getting the judge they desired.

LABORERS (LIUNA)
Oregon Boss Gets 15 Months for Racketeering
U.S. Dist. Judge Anna J. Brown (D. Or., Clinton) sentenced racketeer and tax-evader John D. Abbott, ex-secretary-treasurer and business manager of the Laborers' Int'l Union of N. Am.'s Dist. Council of Or., S. Idaho, and Wyo., Nov. 21 to two concurrent terms of 15 months in prison and one year probation. He must pay $195,400 in restitution plus back taxes. He was an official for 5 LIUNA funds.

He pled guilty on Feb. 26 to accepting gratuities from union fund manager Jeffrey L. Grayson (indicted Oct. 2) to use his influence as a pension trustee and filing a false tax return. Abbott pled guilty to racketeering charges, under 18 U.S.C. § 1954, and to understating his income on his 1997 tax return by $76,560. He earned the shortened sentence in exchange for cooperating against other trustees and Grayson in the massive $355 million Capital Consultants scam.  Laborers lost about $25 million.

Asst. U.S. Atty. Lance Caldwell, told Brown that Abbott's testimony has been crucial in building the case against Grayson who was indicted on 22-counts. of conspiracy, witness tampering, money laundering, mail fraud, and making illegal payoffs to Abbott. Because of Abbott's cooperation, and the "very valuable" evidence it produced, the government recommended reducing his sentence from a maximum of 33 months.

Grayson assisted Abbott in 1998 when he was in trouble with LIUNA for allegedly pocketing office funds and failing to make restitution. Abbott, according to an audit released in Mar. 1998, took at least $172,000 from office funds including $150,184 in personal charges on his union credit card. As Abbott was being pushed to explain what the audit uncovered, Grayson arranged the sale of Abbott's late wife's catering business, netting the union boss $60,000.

Abbott repaid the unauthorized credit card charges and promised LIUNA that he would pay back the rest of the money, nearly $32,000. But he failed to make payments, and in Sept. 1998, LIUNA gave him the choice of resigning or being expelled. Abbott chose to quit and promised once more to reimburse the money he owed. Meanwhile, he organized a consulting company, Kaylano Consulting, and signed a contract with Grayson that promised to pay Kaylano at least $805,000 over 5 years.

Not everyone thought Abbott's 15-month sentence was sufficient. Gayland German, a retired Oregon LIUNA member who attended the hearing, later called Abbott "a Judas" and predicted his fellow union members "will be extremely disappointed" with the length of his sentence.

Forrest Rieke, Abbott's attorney, portrayed his client as just one of 10 trustees with no more and no less clout than the rest. He called Lee Clinton, Abbott's successor at the Dist. Council, to the stand, to testify that he saw no evidence of Abbott favoring Grayson in the placement of union money. But Clair Anderson, another ex-LIUNA boss who served on several trusts with Abbott, disagreed, telling the Oregonian after the sentencing that Abbott effectively controlled the trusts as well as the union. "He ruled with a strong hand," Anderson said. "He had influence with every damn local in the state."

Rieke told Brown that his client "simply has no money," and the judge agreed that he could work out a payment plan. Clinton estimated that Abbott receives between $8,000 and $10,000 a month in union pension payments. Abbott will report to prison on May 1, which will give him time to testify at Grayson's trial scheduled to begin Mar. 26.

Abbott's sentencing came 24 hours after Brown sentenced Grayson's son, Barclay, Capital Consultants' president, to 24 months imprisonment and 3 years probation for mail fraud. He pled guilty on Mar. 19 and is also cooperating. [DOL 11/20, 11/21/01; Oregonian 11/22/01; BNA 11/23/01]

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (AFSCME)
Diop Gets up to 11 Years, $1.4 Million Allegedly Taken
Albert A. Diop, ex-int'l vice-president of the Am. Fed'n of State, County & Mun. Employees and ex-president of Local 1549 in N.Y.C., was sentenced to up to 11 years in prison Nov. 20 after he admitted stealing over $50,000 from the local. Asst. Dist. Atty Thomas Mooney said before sentencing that had Diop gone to trial, he was prepared to prove that Diop was responsible for the theft of some $1.4 million from the union. "Diop spent an inordinate amount of time in Atlantic City," Mooney added. "Some of the missing funds may have been spent gambling."

Diop pled guilty Oct. 12 to second-degree grand larceny and admitted using a union credit card to finance a lavish personal life including chess sets, cameras, clothing, jewelry, and other personal items, and to pay for hotels for himself. An AFSCME audit accused Diop of having his local pay more than $600,000 to Local 1549's parent, AFSCME Dist. Council 37, for more than 2 years as rent for a personal penthouse atop DC37 headquarters.

Diop, who had no comment when given an opportunity to speak in court, must serve 3 years and 8 months in prison before he is eligible for parole. He is not required to make restitution. Diop is already serving 1.5 to 4 years for rigging a union contract vote. He was convicted in July 2000 of a scheme to defraud for stuffing ballot boxes in 1996. Diop is one of the more that 30 individuals charged since 1998 in the ongoing and massive union corruption probe of DC37. [Newsday 11/21/01]

New Jersey Boss Gets 51 Months for $210,000 in Kickbacks
U.S. Dist. Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise (D.N.J., Carter) sentenced ex-union boss Victor Garcia, Sr.,  to 51 months in prison for taking $210,000 in kickbacks from a contractor renovating the Newark headquarters of Am. Fed'n of State, County & Mun. Employees Dist. 1199-J (a.k.a., Nat'l Union of Hosp. & Health Care Employees). The contractor earned $6 million for the job. A jury convicted him on conspiracy charges Sept. 28, 2000.

Debevoise also sentenced Garcia to 3 years on probation and ordered him to pay $100,000 in restitution to the union's pension fund. Debevoise waived a fine, noting that Garcia, was unable to pay.  "There is little that is worse than taking money from workers," Debevoise said. "To take what little they have is inexcusable."

Contractor Gregory Skuraton, who cooperated with prosecutors, testified that he made cash payments to Garcia. Skuraton pled guilty to his role in the kickback scheme, which ran from 1994-97. In Feb., Skuraton was sentenced to probation for 5 years.

Garcia's son, Victor Jr., also was convicted and also pled guilty to a separate embezzlement scheme involving the union. He was convicted with his father of one conspiracy count and acquitted of four other charges. He is awaiting sentencing. The ex-asst. executive director of the union's pension fund, he pled guilty in July to conspiring to embezzle more than $70,000 in cash from Danilo I. Medina, an owner of a printing company who received work from the union. Medina, who cooperated with prosecutors, pled guilty to his role in the scheme on Sept. 25 and is awaiting sentencing.

According to the Oct. 13, 1999 indictment against the Garcias allegedly received jewelry and other gifts and about $25,000 in free improvements to their homes. Jewelry included watches, rings and earrings. Home repairs included carpeting, mirrors, landscaping, roofing and driveway repaving. Both also allegedly received repairs for their cars.  [Bloomberg News 11/26/01; USAO D.N.J. 9/28/00, 10/20/99]

Wisconsin Boss Gets Year for $88,000 Theft
On Nov. 15, U.S. Dist. Judge Charles N. Clevert, Jr. (E.D. Wis., Clinton) sentenced Robert J. Gordon, ex-financial secretary-treasurer of Am. Fed'n of State, County & Mun. Employees Local 366 in Milwaukee, to one year and one day in prison for embezzling some $88,000 from the union and falsifying union records. The prison term will be followed by 3 years probation. Clevert also ordered Gordon to pay $88,431 in restitution and fees; he has already repaid about $50,000. Clevert didn't, however, bar Gordon from holding and seeking union office in the future.

Gordon pled guilty July 27 to one count of embezzling $485 in union funds and one count of making a false entry in union records. He was indicted May 8 on six counts. He allegedly wrote more than 200 unauthorized union checks to himself between 1996-99.  According to the U.S. Atty.'s Office in Milwaukee, it was unclear on what the funds were spent but it appeared that Gordon was overwhelmed with debt. Reportedly, Gordon falsified financial reports by giving a false balance or records of the funds, and he continuously postponed audits, so the local's board was unaware of any discrepancies. [USAO E.D. Wis. 11/26/01; Milwaukee J. Sent. 11/17/01; DOL 11/15, 7/27, 5/8/01]

LONGSHOREMEN (ILA)
Louisiana Boss Charged with $91,000 Theft
Willie R. Walker, ex-secretary-treasurer of the Int'l Longshoremen's Ass'n Local 1349 in Lake Charles, La., was indicted Nov. 16 on one count of embezzling $91,423.11 in union funds and one count of falsifying union records. He allegedly destroyed and concealed bank records and union receipts/disbursements used to support the annual financial report, LM-3, to the Dep't of Labor. The case has been assigned to U.S. Dist. Judge Tucker L. Melançon (W.D. La., Clinton). [USAO W.D. La. 11/28/01; DOL 11/16/01]

AFL-CIO
Wisconsin Staffer Confined for $44,000 Theft
Dane County (Wis.) Circuit Judge David Flanagan ordered union embezzler, H. Jeannine Selvaag, to spend 60 days in jail Nov. 15 after she was convicted of stealing $44,259 from the S. Cent. (Wis.) Fed'n of Labor. However, that time is expected to be spent outside the jail on an electronic monitoring bracelet in accordance with a plea agreement. Flanagan also sentenced her to 7 years of probation. Selvaag, who was SCFL's bookkeeper for about 30 years, pled no contest Nov. 15 to state criminal law charges of theft by bailee and failure to file a 1999 state income tax return.

Selvaag told state police she used the money, taken from SCFL bank accounts, for gambling, drinking, and house payments. She stole the money from SCFL bank accounts in 1998-99, including proceeds from the SCFL's Labor Day picnic, according to a May 22 criminal complaint. Selvaag told police that she took the picnic cash, put it in her freezer, and used most of it for gambling. She said that in 1998-99 she gambled several days a week and drank heavily.

Flanagan said he expects that she will continue treatment for gambling addiction and will seek alcohol and drug treatment. "This is an awful lot of money," Flanagan said of the missing $44,259. "It was taken from a fund created by the contributions of people who work hard." Although Flanagan ordered full restitution, Asst. Dist. Atty. Ann Sayles said she thought it unlikely that Selvaag, at her age (69), would ever fully repay the money.

The crime came to light in Dec. 1999 after it was found that some of SCFL's bills had not been paid. Later, SCFL found an apparent pattern of missing funds. At that time, she allegedly admitted to SCFL that she took less than $4,000 over the preceding months. She was then fired. A Madison accounting firm then found $39,254 missing from three SCFL accounts. Much of the money taken consisted of checks cashed with Selvaag's hand-written endorsement. Some was also taken as cash at the time funds were deposited. [Wis. State J. 11/16, 5/23/01]

CARPENTERS (UBC)
Indiana Boss Accused of $47,000 Theft
Robert D. Meyer, ex-secretary-treasurer of United Bhd. of Carpenters Local 1481 in Gary, Ind., was charged Nov. 19 with one count of embezzling $47,346.40 from the local, which is also known as the Great Lakes Reg'l. [DOL 11/19/01]

QUOTABLE QUOTE
"[Walter J. 'Buster'] Browne became the most visible and politically powerful union boss in Broward [Fla.] He loves the image of the dangerous bad boy. He looks and acts like he stepped out of On the Waterfront. But he is a thoroughly modern union boss, charged with using a credit card and a pen--rather than brass knuckles--to violate union trust. . . . [At his arraignment], this political powerhouse was just another guy in a plaid shirt, his belly hanging over his belt, his voice almost a whisper as he answered questions from U.S. Magistrate Barry Seltzer.

Seltzer reminded Browne that he could no longer travel outside southeast Florida while out on $150,000 bail. Browne nodded. Seltzer said Browne must give up his union credit cards. Browne stood mute. The judge said Browne couldn't own a gun while on bail. 'I don't own a gun,' Browne said. Some tough guy."

-Buddy Nevins, Columnist, Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale), Nov. 3, 2001, commenting on the recent indictment of the Nat'l Fed'n of Public & Private Employees' boss.

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ADDITIONAL BRIEFS NOT INCLUDED ON THE FAX EDITION OF THIS UNION CORRUPTION UPDATE:

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STEELWORKERS (USWA)
Northeast Ohio Boss Charged with $21,600 Embezzlement
Stephen Hanlon, ex-financial secretary of United Steelworkers of Am. Local 01-4564-S in Girard, Ohio, was charged Nov. 2 with embezzling $21,657 in union funds. [DOL 11/2/01]

PAINTERS (IBPAT)
Californian Gets only Probation for $15,000 Embezzlement
On Nov. 26, in U.S. Dist. Court for the Cent. Dist. of Cal., Lillian Agredano, former office secretary of the now defunct Int'l Bhd. of Painters and Allied Trades Local 1348, was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to make restitution of $15,000. She pled guilty on Sept. 19, to the embezzlement of union funds. She was charged Aug. 16 with a $9,486 union embezzlement. [DOL 11/26, 9/19, 8/16/01]

South Bend Boss Allegedly Stole $14,400
On Nov. 15, ex-recording secretary of Painters Local 8 in S. Bend, Ind., William Brooks, was charged in a 3-count indictment with embezzling $14,480 in union funds, false recordkeeping, and aiding and abetting. Additional details were unavailable. [DOL 11/15/01]

STAGE EMPLOYEES (IATSE)
Northeast Ohio Boss Gets 6 Months at Home for $7,800 Theft (edited 01/16/02)
U.S. Dist. Judge Dan A. Polster (N.D. Ohio, Clinton) sentenced Keith R. Sharp, ex-business agent for Int'l Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees & Picture Operators Local 132 in Warren, Ohio, Nov. 20, to 6 months home detention with electronic monitoring and 3 years probation for $7,873.91 embezzling union funds from Dec. 1997 to June 1999.  He was ordered to make full restitution and barred from union office and employment for 13 years.. He pled guilty on Sept. 6. He allegedly concealed the embezzlement by marking "void" in the local's records for checks that were actually issued to him. He also wrote an unauthorized union check to his bank account to pay his Mar. 1999 mortgage payment. [DOL 11/20/01; USAO N.D. Ohio 12/28/01]

TEAMSTERS (IBT)
IRB Accuses New Yorker of Visiting with Reputed Genovese Mobster
In a report submitted to Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters president James P. Hoffa, the court-appointed Indep. Rev. Bd. Nov. 21 recommended that internal union charges be brought against a member of IBT Local 813 in N.Y.C. for "knowingly associating with" a convicted organized crime figure.  IRB asserted that in violation of the union's constitution and the 1989 consent decree, Michael Marchini met with Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello -- identified in the report as a "Capo in the Genovese [organized crime] family" -- and one of the original defendants in the government's 1988 civil racketeering suit against IBT.  Ianniello was permanently enjoined by the late U.S. Dist Judge David N. Edelstein (S.D.N.Y., Truman) in 1988 from participating in IBT affairs.

In recommending the charges, IRB said it found "incredible" the union member's claim that he did not know that he could not associate with Ianniello. Marchini reportedly admitted to a long-standing relationship with Ianniello. Marchini also admitted that he knew Ianniello had ties with organized crime and had been convicted of racketeering charges. Despite this knowledge, Marchini admitted that sometime in Feb. or Mar. 2001 he visited Ianniello, who recently had undergone surgery, at his home on Long Island to "pay my respects." He claimed not to know of the prohibitions against associating with members of organized crime. The visit was social, lasting about half an hour, Marchini said, and he denied discussing business matters or asking Ianniello for assistance. "Even under Marchini's representation of the contact [with Ianniello] in his sworn testimony, his conduct was knowing and in violation of the IBT Constitution," IRB reported.

"Marchini's claim that he did not know that he could not associate with Ianniello was incredible given the regular publication of decisions in the Teamster magazine disciplining member who associated with individuals barred from the union," IRB added.

Under IRB rules, IBT has 90 days in which to investigate the charges detailed in the report and determine what sanction, if any, to impose. Hoffa also can refer the case back to the IRB for adjudication. Reportedly, IBT has not made a decision on how the case will be handled. [BNA 11/28/01]

BAKERY & TOBACCO WORKERS (BC&T)
Judge Orders New Election at Cleveland Local
On Nov. 9, U.S. Dist. Judge Donald C. Nugent  (N.D. Ohio, Clinton) ordered a new election  for treasurer and two trustees of the Bakery, Confectionery & Tobacco Workers Int'l Union Local 19 in Cleveland. In Feb. 2000, Local 19 elected Daniel Kolar treasurer and re-elected Peter Koleff and Vince Bianchi to two of three trustee positions. Before the vote, then-local president Barbara Walden ruled the three did not meet candidate requirements of the int'l union constitution and were ineligible to run. The BC&T int'l union overruled her. Walden lost her election to then-vice-president Paul LaBuda. She later filed a complaint with the Dep't of Labor, which investigated and took up the case.

DOL sued under federal labor law to overturn the tainted elections and its Office of Labor-Mgmt. Standards will supervise the new elections. An OLMS investigation of the local's Feb. 2000 election revealed that the winning candidates for positions in question were ineligible to hold union office because they failed to meet working at the trade candidacy requirements.

The argument against Kolar: At the time of the election, he was a representative with the Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters' Health, Welfare & Pension funds and so was ineligible because he didn't work in a trade represented by the Bakers or for the union itself. Local 19 countered that Kolar's job with the fund met the definition of "working in the trade." The argument against Koleff and Bianchi: They were retirees, did not work in the trade and were not officers or employees of the union. The local said Koleff and Bianchi had been trustees for many years, even before their retirement, and were eligible to run. Nugent rejected the local's arguments. He held the union's language on qualifications was "unambiguous" and that Kolar, Koleff and Bianchi did not meet the test.

"We think it's great," said Walden's attorney Joyce Goldstein. "But we're sorry it took so long for a determination that these people were ineligible when they were ineligible to begin with." She was also disappointed Nugent ordered an election rather than an installation of the eligible nominated candidates, which Walden had requested. In his decision, Nugent wrote that the first vote was more than 18 month ago and circumstances and members undoubtedly have changed.

Local 19 disagrees with the judge's interpretation of the int'l constitution, said attorney Richard Ross. He said the local is considering whether to file an appeal. The election date has yet to be set. Winners will complete the current three-year terms, which expire in 2003. [DOL 11/9/01;  Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 11/19/01]

AUTO WORKERS (UAW)
DOL to Oversee New York Local's Elections
U.S. Dist. Judge David G. Larimer (W.D.N.Y., Reagan) signed an order accepting a settlement agreement between the Dep't of Labor and United Auto Workers Local 1097 to have DOL's Office of Labor-Mgmt. Standards supervise the next regularly scheduled election of local officers. An OLMS probe of the local's 1999 election found that the local, based in Rochester, N.Y., failed to mail election notices to all members. Approximately 750 retired members did not vote and did not have access to election information through other channels, such as posted notice in the work place. With the closest margin at 504 votes, all offices were affected by this violation. [DOL 10/30/01]

HOTEL & RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES (HERE)
Turkey Trespass Leads Boston Boss' Arrest
A Boston union l boss who was arrested while handing out Thanksgiving turkeys to members on Nov. 21 pled not guilty Nov. 24 to criminal trespass. Janice Loux, president Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Int'l Union Local 26 and board member of the tainted Mass. Bay Trans. Auth. Retirement Fund, says she was charged with trespassing because the manager of the Hilton Hotel at Logan Airport was upset she was distributing turkeys to unionists. A Hilton spokesman said state police arrested Loux because her van was blocking a public road and not at the manager's request.

State police said Nov. 23 that Loux was arrested for remaining on hotel property, not for parking on the roadway, after being asked to move by the Hilton General Manager Bert James and then by a trooper. If convicted, she faces a maximum prison term of 30 days, a maximum fine of $100, or both. Loux was released on her own recognizance and is due back in court Dec. 7. [Boston Herald; Boston Globe 11/24/01]

PAPER WORKERS (AWPPW)
California Boss Accused of $64,700 Embezzlement
Deborah Bankston, ex-financial secretary-treasurer of Ass'n of Western Pulp & Paperworkers Local 83 in Stockton, Cal., was charged Sept. 26 with embezzling $64,711 in union funds. [DOL 9/26/01]

PAINTERS (IBPAT)
Year and a Day for West Virginia Embezzler who Took $59,100
Donna Hill, ex-office secretary for Int'l Bhd. of Painters and Allied Trades Local 970 in Charleston, W. Va., was sentenced Sept. 25 to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. She was ordered to make restitution of $53,906.50. She had pled guilty on July 9 to an indictment which charged her with embezzling $59,167. [DOL 9/25, 7/9/01]

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (AFGE)
Texas Boss gets Year for $51,400 Embezzlement
In U.S. Dist. Court for the N. Dist. of Tex., Gary Monsson, ex-secretary-treasurer of Am. Fed'n of Gov't Employees Local 3000, was sentenced Sept. 14 to 12 months incarceration and 3 years of supervised released. He was ordered to make restitution to the union of $12,176.74 in addition to the amounts he had already repaid. He had earlier pled guilty to embezzling union funds. He pled guilty June 15 to an information charging him with embezzling $51,464.49 in union funds. [DOL 9/14, 6/15/01]

Connecticut Boss Admits Stealing $15,700 in Public Funds
Ralph Varnardo, ex-president of Am. Fed'n of Gov't Employees Local 1674 in New Haven, Conn., pled guilty Sept. 17 to one count of violating 18 U.S.C. § 641 (Embezzlement of Public Money) in the amount of $15,724. Local 1674 is connected to the Veterans Admin. [DOL 9/17/01]

Philadelphia Boss Admits $3,400 Theft
On Sept. 12, James Bryant, ex-secretary-treasurer of Am. Fed'n of Gov't Employees Local 2061 in Philadelphia, entered into a plea agreement in which he agreed to plead guilty to 2 counts of theft by unlawful taking within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S. He agreed to make restitution to the union in the amount of $3,480. Local 2061 is connected to the Gen. Serv. Admin. [DOL 9/12/01]

CREDIT UNION EMPLOYEES (ACUE)
Embezzler gets Year at Home for Embezzling $49,300 from Detroit-Area Union
Nadine Corey, ex-president of the Ass'n of Credit Union Employees in Ferndale, Mich., was sentenced Sept. 5 to one year home confinement and 3 years probation. She was also ordered to make restitution to the union of $49,385.95. She previously pled guilty to labor union embezzlement. [DOL 9/5/01]

PLASTERERS (OP&CMIA)
Denver Staffer Embezzled $30,800, Gets 6 Months at Home
Shelly S. Pfeifer, ex-bookkeeper and office secretary for Operative Plasterers' & Cement Masons' Int'l Ass'n Local 577 in Denver, pled guilty Aug. 13 to one count of embezzling union funds. She was ordered to make restitution of $30,863.55 to the union's bonding company and was sentenced to six months of home detention monitored by an electronic device and 5 years probation. A federal grand jury indicted Pfeifer Feb. 28 on 265 counts of union embezzlement. She was accused of embezzling $16,493.27 and pocketing union dues from 265 members of the local. [DOL 8/13, 2/28/01; Denver Post 3/1/01]

STEELWORKERS (USWA)
Las Vegas Boss Charged with $24,900 Embezzlement
David Manes, ex-business representative of the United Steelworkers of Am. Local 711-A in Las Vegas, was indicted Aug. 29 on 153 counts of embezzling a total of $24,923.42 in union funds. Twenty counts involved unauthorized salary, 119 counts involved personal purchases on the union's credit card and other accounts, and 14 counts involved use of union funds for personal debts. [DOL 8/29/01]

Virgin Islands Staffer Gets 14 Months for $11,000 Embezzlement
On Sept. 7, in U.S. Dist. Court for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Timothy Daley, ex-office secretary for the United Steelworkers of Am. Local 8248 in Christiansted, V.I. was sentenced to 14 months incarceration with three years probation and was ordered to make restitution to the union of $11,280.13. He had pled guilty to embezzling union funds. [DOL 9/7/01]

Tennessee Bookkeeper Charged with $5,600 Theft
On Aug. 21, in U.S. Dist. Court for the Middle Dist. of Tenn., Michele Arington, ex-bookkeeper for United Steelworkers of Am.  Local 9-194-L, was indicted on one count of embezzling $5,635 in union funds.[DOL 8/21/01]

LABORERS (LIUNA)
Maine Boss Sentenced to 6 Months at Home for $8,500 Embezzlement
Ray R. Curtis, ex-secretary-treasurer and business manager of Laborers' Int'l Union of N. Am. Local 327 in Augusta, Me., was sentenced Sept. 4 to 3 years probation with a condition that he serve 6 months in home confinement with electronic monitoring. He was also ordered to make restitution to the union of the balance he owes, $6,655. He pled guilty May 10 to embezzling $8,547 in union funds from 1997-99. A Dep't of Labor audit determined that Curtis gave himself 109 paychecks over 91 weeks, wrongly receiving $7,704. It also found that he used a union check to buy an $835 snowblower for his personal use. [DOL 9/4/01; Portland (Me.) Press Herald 5/12/01]

IRON WORKERS (BSORIW)
Eastern Pennsylvanian Charged with $7,600 Union Theft
On Aug. 14, in the Berks County (Pa.) Court of Common Pleas, Kathleen L. Frost, ex bookkeeper of the Int'l Ass'n of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 420 in Reading, was indicted on one count of theft by unlawful taking and one count of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received in the amount of $7,653.46 in union funds. [DOL 8/14/01]

TEAMSTERS (IBT)
Four Months Home Detention for Dayton Boss Who Stole $6,400
Stanley M. Bennett, ex-boss of Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters Local 1137, was sentenced Aug. 30 to 3 years probation; fined $200; ordered to serve four months of home detention, including two months with electric monitoring; and ordered to make restitution of $6,477.56. He pled guilty to embezzling union funds.

Bennett was charged Apr. 24 with embezzling $4,833 from Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters Local 473 and Dayton (Ohio) Mailers Union Local 1137. He was secretary-treasurer of the Mailers Local before it merged with the IBT Local. He was a union steward after the merger. From May 1997 to Mar. 1998, he allegedly stole $2,588 in members' cash dues. He concealed the theft "by making false entries of receipts in the dues log or failing to record the amount received," according to federal court records. Reportedly, Bennett also wrote union checks totaling $2,245 for his own benefit. [DOL 8/30/01; Dayton Daily News 4/25/01]

LONGSHOREMEN (ILA)
Southeast Texas Boss Gets 5 Months for $4,800 Theft
Marvin Savant, ex-paymaster of the Int'l Longshoremen's Ass'n Local 1316 in Beaumont, Tex., was sentenced Sept. 6 to 5 months in a community correction center to be followed by 5 months home detention and 3 years supervised release. He was also ordered to make restitution to the union of $4,820. He previously pled guilty to union embezzlement.

ALLIED-INDUSTRIAL WORKERS (PACE)
North Carolina Boss Sentence to 120 at Home for $4,500 Embezzlement
Angela B. Smith, secretary-treasurer of the Paper Allied-Indus., Chem. & Energy Workers  Local 1325 (f.k.a., United Paperworkers Int'l Union Local 1325).in New Bern, N.C., was sentenced Sept. 18 to 120 days home confinement with 4 years supervised probation and was ordered to make restitution to the union in the amount of $4,524.95. She had earlier pled guilty to embezzling union funds. [DOL 9/18/01]

A grand jury indicted Smith Mar. 20 on two counts of union embezzlement. From Jan. 1997 to Jan. 1999, Smith allegedly embezzled $4,374.95 from UPIU Local 1325 by issuing checks to herself and third parties for her personal expenses. Further, she allegedly stole $150 from PACE Local 1325 in Dec. 1999 by again issuing a check to a third party for her personal expenses. [USAO E.D.N.C. 3/22, 3/20/01]

LETTER CARRIERS (NALC)
South Alabama Boss Nets Probation for $1,700 Theft
Larry Turman, ex-secretary-treasurer of Nat'l Ass'n of Letter Carriers Branch 2119 in Andalusia, Ala., was sentenced Sept. 4 to one year supervised probation and fined $1,000. The judgment order made note that full restitution of $1,700 had already been made to the union. Turman previously pled guilty to embezzling union funds. [DOL 9/4/01]

NURSES (MLPNA)
Minnesota Boss Admits Falsification
Judy Domning, ex-executive director of the Minn. Licensed Practical Nurses Ass'n, pled guilty  Aug. 24 to one count of making a false statement in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001 by making a false entry in a union record. [DOL 8/24]

FIRE FIGHTERS (IAFF)
Three South Florida Bosses Probed
Several fire union officials are under investigation by the Miami-Dade Inspector General's Office, a leader of the county firefighters' union admitted Oct. 23. "The investigators came in and asked for people by name without telling us why," said Stan Hills, vice president of Metro-Dade Firefighters, Int'l Ass'n of Fire Fighters Local 1403, recounting an Oct. 11 visit to the union offices in Doral, Fla.

Hills said two special agents with the IG's office, Edward Carberry and Cedric Johnson, stated they came to question three union bosses without first briefing him on the purpose of the investigation. He would not reveal the names of the three union officials, but said he was not among them. Hills alleges that firefighters are shielded under state law against some standard law enforcement tactics. Hills said agents honed in on Local 1403's collective bargaining agreement with the county, and agents visited union offices on at least two other occasions. [Miami Herald 10/24/01]

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