Dennis Williams, the former president of the United Auto Workers, pleaded guilty to embezzling union funds on Wednesday. His copping to the conspiracy charge comes after his successor, Gary Jones, similarly pleaded guilty to misappropriating more than $1.5 million from the UAW in June. They’re joined by numerous co-conspirators that have been caught in a gigantic federal probe hoping to address union corruption and appears to have hit pay dirt.
Appearing by video in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, Williams entered his plea and apologized about the current state of the UAW. “I want to close by apologizing to this court, to my family and to each and every hard-working member paying dues,” he said. “I hope by accepting responsibility for my actions and for my failures, this process might help restore the faith in our union.”
While Williams would have faced up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, he entered into a plea agreement like most who have been indited — with much of his testimony helping to take down Jones. It’s assumed his actual penance will be much more lenient than the maximum penalties he was originally subject to and will ultimately be decided at his official sentencing on January 25th of next year. Currently, he has claimed to have reimbursed the union by over $56,000 when he resigned in September.
Predictably, the union has condemned Williams’s actions as selfish, worthy of punishment, and not in line with what the UAW stands for. It’s an understandable, yet hilarious, claim to make. At the time of this writing, Williams is just one of 15 individuals that have been charged in connection to the union corruption probe being run by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Matthew Schneider. It also continues to pick up steam, making us wonder where this will all end as increasingly important union members have become involved.
Automotive executives from Fiat Chrysler have similarly been implicated in the probe. But they never seemed the main focus of the investigation, just its point of entry.
Schneider said he was pleased to see Williams being helpful and taking responsibility, adding that the investigation would progress to “continue our drive forward to provide ethical and honest leadership for the UAW’s membership.” While he has not explained what that might entail. he said a temporary takeover of the union was not out of the question. Schneider also did not rule out the possibility of more arrests and additional charges being levied against union members or automotive executives.
[Image: Daniel J. Macy/Shutterstock]
Note to UAW/CAW leaders: The quickest way to eliminate union corruption is to eliminate dues and have a volunteer leadership.
Question for UAW/CAW members: What job security, pay/benefits, or safety measures have been won by your dues, that workers at the transplant mfrs don’t have?
MAFIA
I am shaken to the core by this shocking news. I had thought UAW bosses were as pure as the driven slush and only had the member’s best interests at heart.
Union executives are no different than any “public” politician.
In other news, water is wet!
It’s a good thing they banded together to prevent automakers from ripping them off.
Anyone who has the ability to “appropriate funds” is going to be prone to misbehavior because the incentive is so high and the punishment for white-collar crime is so woefully lax, in this commenters opinion.
@L – fully agree. If you are “of colour” and get caught with a bag of weed you’ll spend more time in jail than corrupt executives.
Two words that do not belong in the same sentence, faith and unions!
UAW – U Are Wonderful, the reason why when I retired I didn’t have to go get another job! Everyone I know working here at the Nissan plant( Smyrna, Tn ) that retired had to go find other jobs because they got a crappy pension and had to pay for their health insurance plus many that I know quit after 5 years or less because of job over load and or supervisor harassment! Let’s not forget, there are bad apples in every business/government!
Carlos Ghosn: Four charts on the Nissan boss scandal
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46321097
I give my car money solely to the Japanese and Europeans so that I don’t support this nonsense.
Despite all the corruption and faults of the UAW, they are the well-deserved partnership to the short-sighted, overpaid execs in the Small-3.