Union bosses have a long history of cheating workers out of millions of dollars in hard-earned union dues. It’s no surprise that yesterday’s top headlines included federal prosecutors charging former UAW President Gary Jones, the leader of the union, with embezzling more than $1 million in union dues, racketeering, and tax evasion.
Over the past six months, Education and Labor Committee Republicans have not once, not twice, but three times asked Committee Democrats to hold a public hearing to examine the growing corruption scandal within the UAW union. To this day, Committee Democrats have failed to acknowledge these requests.
Instead, Committee Democrats took a different approach and passed a radical, far-reaching bill that will allow big labor to consolidate power, coerce workers, line their own pockets, and bolster their own political agenda.
The Wall Street Journal had more to say today about Big Labor’s corrupt practices which most often include “…victims [who] were hard-working, dues-paying union members.”
Another day, another United Auto Workers official charged with stealing from his union. On Thursday federal prosecutors accused former UAW president Gary Jones of participating in a conspiracy to embezzle more than $1 million in dues money, among other alleged crimes. The details would make Jimmy Hoffa blush.
…
The UAW scandal is the latest, but such corrupt labor practices are widespread. The Labor Department audits unions, and in 2016 nearly one in five such inspections led to a criminal case. Imagine if 20% of all investigations of business ended up with a criminal charge. Democrats would be going wild with hearings about the moral crisis of capitalism.
…
Keep this shameful record in mind when Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden say they want Congress to repeal right-to-work laws in 27 states. They claim they want to protect workers. But both candidates would lock workers into union membership, and coerced dues payments, even when their labor bosses are crooks and thieves. Workers should have the ability to look after their own interests and opt out of paying dues, since union leaders are too often in it for themselves.
