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Detroit News reports, http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2018/01/22/iacobelli-fca-guilty-plea/109718250/
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV officials paid more than $1.5 million to United Auto Workers officers and employees to sway union contract negotiations, federal prosecutors said, part of a $4.5 million corruption scandal involving Detroit's No. 3 automaker.
The accusations made Monday in a plea agreement with former FCA labor negotiator Alphons Iacobelli say for the first time in the investigation that executives' actions were intended to corrupt UAW contract negotiations to favor Fiat Chrysler.
The plea deal suggests the corruption was more widespread than previously disclosed. It lasted for years as Fiat Chrysler officials lavished UAW labor leaders with cash payments and luxury items, including airfare, jewelry and secret $50,000 payments.
After a laundry list of other bribes and (of course) a denial by the CEO of FCA, the story continues
Iacobelli sanctioned the use of training center credit cards by UAW leaders for personal expenses in a bid to keep senior labor leaders "fat, dumb and happy," according to a court filing.
Iacobelli is also accused of spending more than $1 million of union funds on luxury items, including his house, pool, outdoor spa and kitchen, a Ferrari and the two limited-edition, gold Montblanc fountain pens.
Has anyone else (besides the Feds) noticed how easy the UAW contract negotiations have been going since the great recession?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 27 2018, @03:52PM (9 children)
I sort of commend the company for taking advantage of the fact that union management doesn't actually give a damn about anything other than lining their own pockets.
The union is a monopoly. Monopolies are harmful. The proper solution is to break them up, in this case to a size of 1. That is, just workers without a union.
The political "donation" (bribe) system makes it so much worse. Workers can't get the union off their backs because the union transfers a portion of the union fees to democrats. Never mind that most auto workers love Trump. It must really grate to see a cut of your pay going to oppose the person you want elected.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by KilroySmith on Saturday January 27 2018, @05:03PM (4 children)
That's a bit extreme. I have no problems with workers negotiating with management, with leaders chosen from those working in the company. Corruption like this is far less likely when you're rubbing shoulders on the assembly line with the union head.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 27 2018, @05:15PM (1 child)
If you think your union represents you, you're sadly mistaken. They're nothing but mobsters shaking down workers for false protection that wouldn't be needed if they disappeared... like Hoffa.
(Score: 5, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 27 2018, @06:08PM
Ah, yes, the golden times before the unions, when worker rights were so much better than today! When our benevolent Companies were working hard to increase workplace safety and worker's quality of life! Oh, won't those days of capitalist paradise ever return!
You are an idiot.
(Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Saturday January 27 2018, @08:50PM (1 child)
Union bosses never touch anything from the assembly line. Strictly suits.
Shop stewards are there to keep the workers in line - make sure they never turn out one unit over their "standard", and report those who do.
Workers themselves haven't negotiated as union representatives in decades.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 30 2018, @05:41AM
The maintenance engineer's union for instance had all their chapter heads working the offices for testing and training when I took their test a few years back. Going from working the line to education and administration is fine if you've put in the grunt work first. Same with automotive professors at junior colleges (not sure if any university level programs have come into being yet.)
Having said that, yes there are many other unions that have suits that never worked a day in their career field, fueled in some cases by nepotism. But there is always the opportunity for the workers to revolt and either force a management change or start a replacement union if they really wanted to. People get the leadership they deserve. I think the trends in American presidents prove that.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by srobert on Saturday January 27 2018, @06:16PM (3 children)
Those who argure against unions are about as well informed as flat earthers. I've worked union. I've worked non-union. Union is better. The economy works better for everyone when workers have representation.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 27 2018, @07:12PM (1 child)
I've worked union. I've worked non-union. Non-union is better. The economy works better for everyone when workers get to keep all their earnings instead of paying money to union slush-funds. Unions are like dinosaurs; they had their time, but that time is over. People know that. The only way unions survive today is to force workers to join a union in order to get a job. Unions would die tomorrow if every job-site was an open job-site.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Joe Desertrat on Saturday January 27 2018, @11:11PM
And thus history repeats itself. Workers have no rights and power to negotiate with employers. Unions form and with struggle workers gain rights. Laws, pushed by unions, are passed to support those rights. Workers with rights complain about still supporting the unions that gained them those rights. Unions lose power and start to fade away. Laws to support worker rights are repealed or made ineffectual. Workers lose rights and power to negotiate with employers...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 27 2018, @09:24PM
No, the opposite is true. Because I say so.
Argument over, I win.