Politics And (Union) Money

Massachusetts is considering a new campaign finance law that would restrict unions (and other nonprofits) to the same campaign contribution limits that individuals are subject to. Big Labor is of course pushing back. In the 2013 Mayoral race, now-mayor Martin Walsh received $329,000 from just 22 donations from labor unions, while other candidates on both sides of the aisle have profited similarly. In Washington state, the Attorney General is facing a lawsuit by the Freedom Foundation, charging him with collusion with the SEIU and AFSCME, and then trying to cover it up.   In an interesting side note to this, the SEIU just settled another Freedom Foundation campaign-finance lawsuit filed in the state. Freedom Foundation CEO Tom McCabe accused the Attorney General’s Office of letting SEIU “off for pennies on the dollar.” A look at the financial connections would prove informative. Philadelphia provides another example of just how strong the ties are between elected officials (in this case, the city council) and Big Labor. The chart below indicates how indebted the council members are to union interests, particularly in the construction industry. To underscore the state of corruption in Philadelphia involving unions, politicians, and money yanked from the pockets of hard-working Americans, here is a list of the indictments brought on January 30th by the Department of Justice against Local 98 of the IBEW and co-conspirators: John Doughtery, Local 98 business manager:

• one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plan;
• 34 counts of embezzlement and theft of labor union assets;
• 23 counts of wire fraud thefts from Local 98;
• two counts of wire fraud thefts from a political action committee;
• two counts of falsification of annual financial reports filed by a labor union;
• two counts of falsification of financial records required to be kept by a labor union;
• five counts of filing false federal income tax returns;
• one count of conspiracy to accept unlawful payments from an employer;
• eight counts of accepting unlawful payments from a union contractor;
• one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and federal program bribery;
• 11 counts of honest services wire fraud; and
• one count of honest services mail fraud.

Robert Henon, Philadelphia City Councilman:

• one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and federal program bribery;
• 14 counts of honest services wire fraud;
• one count of honest services mail fraud; and
• four counts of federal program bribery.

Brian Burrows, Local 98 president:

• one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plan;
• 14 counts of embezzlement and theft of labor union assets;
• two counts of falsification of annual financial reports filed by a labor union;
• two counts of falsification of financial records required to be kept by a labor union; and
• five counts of filing false federal income tax returns.

Michael Neill, Training Director of Local 98’s Apprentice Training Fund:

• one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plan;
• four counts of embezzlement and theft of labor union assets;
• one count of theft from an employee benefit plan; and
• four counts of filing false federal income tax returns.

Marita Crawford, Local 98 business agent and political director:

• one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plan;
• four counts of embezzlement and theft of labor union assets;
• three counts of wire fraud thefts from Local 98;
• two counts of wire fraud thefts from a political action committee;
• one count of falsification of an annual financial report filed by a labor union; and
• one count of falsification of financial records required to be kept by a labor union.

Niko Rodriquez, Local 98 employee:

• one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plan;
• six counts of embezzlement and theft of labor union assets; and
• six counts of wire fraud thefts from Local 98.

Brian Fiocca, Local 98 employee:

• one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plan;
• five counts of embezzlement and theft of labor union assets; and
• five counts of wire fraud thefts from Local 98.

Anthony Massa, Owner of Massa Construction:

• one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plan;
• 14 counts of embezzlement and theft of labor union assets;
• one count of theft from an employee benefit plan; and
• one count of making false statements to the FBI.