Trey, This is the best I can do on short notice. I believe the sources of the statements are listed with each topic. You can defend the virtues of the unions all you want but I think, even you have to feel a little concern about the information below. Now I know you will probably come back with your "cops do it, priests do it, everyone does it, argument. Why just pick on the unions?" Well, the reason I'm focusing on unions is because unions are the topic at hand. "Everyone is doing it" is the kind of argument that children often use to get their parents to give in to them. I don't know if you have children, but I hope you have a better answer than "oh, well, go ahead and smoke it if everyone else is doing it".
Embezzlement, False Reports, Violence, And More …
Most people don't know just how many crimes are committed every year through which union officials hurt their own members. The number of reputed and verified crimes is staggering. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than the hundreds of indictments of union officials for violations of the Labor Management and Reporting Disclosure Act. According to the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), those crimes include “embezzlement, filing false reports, keeping false records, destruction of records, extortionate picketing and deprivation of rights by violence.” The OLMS notes:
In fiscal year 2005, OLMS completed 325 criminal cases. Indictments increased to 114, a 16 percent increase from FY 2001. The number of convictions dropped to 97. In addition, in FY 2005 court-ordered restitution amounted to $23,244,979.
That's $23 million in restitution ordered for victimizing union members and others. Here are the government's numbers:
OLMS Enforcement Statistics Financial Integrity
FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005
Indictments 98 166 132 109 114
Convictions 102 90 152 111 97
Labor Racketeering
The Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General oversees, among other things, cases of labor racketeering -- and it stays busy. Union officials have continued to earn their reputation for greed, corruption, and mismanagement of union dues.
In 2005, criminal charges and fines resulting from racketeering investigations hit five-year highs. During that time, more than 1,100 indictments have been issued, and more than $400 million in fines and restitution has been awarded. Many of these cases involve union officials failing to protect their members from unethical pension scams, but the OIG also reports that it saw a three-fold increase in the number of convictions in internal union racketeering cases between 1998 and 2004.
Labor Racketeering Investigations
FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005
Cases Opened 105 125 124 135 103
Cases Closed 109 130 144 115 107
Cases referred for prosecution 57 74 66 87 88
Indictments 161 218 181 260 322
Convictions 92 154 120 143 196
Fines, restitutions, forfeitures,
and civil monetary actions $ 42.5
million $ 105.9
million $ 27.9
million $ 36.5
million $ 187.9
million
Source: Department of Labor Office of Inspector General
According to a 2004 Zogby International poll, 71% of union members said the government ought to do more to protect union members from corrupt union officials, and that unions should be required to give detailed reporting of union finances to discourage abuse.
According to the FBI, four of the last eight Teamsters presidents have been criminally indicted.
Nearly 50% of the U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General's labor racketeering investigations involve pensions and employee welfare benefit plans.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, "Schemes involving bribery, extortion, deprivation of union rights by violence, and embezzlement used by early racketeers are still employed to abuse the power of unions."
Re: Union?
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