Union Boss Demanded Employees Pay Into His Personal Slush Fund

The former head of a Michigan construction union was recently charged with extorting union business agents and other employees to each pay $5,000 of their salaries per year into his personal “Slate Fund.” The fund was to be used for union election campaign expenses. But, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, the union boss used most of the money for his own personal benefit and fired anyone who threatened to turn him in. He gave some of the money to his daughter as a wedding present and of course paid for non-work related and expensive meals and liquor with it. While these accusations are embarrassment enough, having the public learn that he spent $50,000 on special rims for his union-issued Cadillac is the cherry on top.

Matt Austin is a lawyer based in the Columbus, Ohio office of Roetzel & Andress, LPA who limits his practice to representing employers dealing with labor, employment, and OSHA matters. You can call Matt at (614) 723-2010 or email him at maustin@ralaw.com.