One Of The Most Powerful Labor Leaders In The US Has Been Charged With Conspiring To Steal Union Money

Former UAW President Gary Jones, a labor leader who until recently held the same job that made Jimmy Hoffa a national icon (before his untimely murder/disappearance) has been charged by federal prosecutors with conspiring to embezzle union funds, WSJ reports.

Prosecutors claimed Jones used union funds to finance “trips, liquor and other luxuries” despite presenting himself as a labor leader and man of the people who eschewed the lifestyles of the fat-cat auto execs sitting across from him at the bargaining table.

Jones is now the highest-ranking former UAW official to be charged in the years-long federal investigation of the union.

Back in November, we reported Jones’s resignation, which came just weeks after the union struck a deal with General Motors to end one of the longest labor strikes in history. Jones had already been on ‘leave’ for a few weeks when he left. 10 others – mostly former union officials – have pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges as part of the investigation. Jones was initially believed to not be facing charges, though he was allegedly identified as “UAW official A” in the indictment of another union official.

Over the summer, the FBI raided Jones’s home, which we reported at the time.

If he hadn’t resigned, Jones would have been facing a ‘union trial’ over the alleged misuse of funds, though it’s believed he won’t be facing the proceeding now that he has resigned.

Around the same time, GM sued Fiat Chrysler alleging the auto manufacturer bribed top UAW officials to secure better terms during a labor negotiation. The investigation is believed to have initiated over the bribes, which encouraged the union leadership to screw over the workers to whom they were responsible to brazenly enrich themselves.

It’s just another reminder to always be skeptical of those who portray themselves as ‘champions of the working man’.