Bring in the Plumbers
Harold Schaitberger
IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger has apparently concluded that incriminating information, perhaps in the form of documents, is leaking from the IAFF.
Many will recall that President Richard Nixon, also faced with leaks, created a special White House unit called the “Plumbers” to find and plug them.
If it’s good enough for “Tricky Dick” it’s good enough for Harold.
Incriminating to Whom?
It seems that the information may be related to how elected officers expend union funds and perhaps the inner workings of the IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC), which has always been shrouded in secrecy.
(Good luck obtaining any information on the IAFF-FC, even board membership is veiled, much less an accounting of finances.)
So, the response to the possible release of information related to improper spending, some of which may be illegal, is two-fold: find the leakers and threaten to prosecute.
The IAFF will hire, perhaps at significant cost to members, a firm to plug the leaks of information indicating our union is corrupted.
You Can Go to Jail for That
Woodley and McGillivary, the IAFF’s legal counsel, has apparently provided an opinion paving the way for the prosecution of the alleged leakers resulting in the irony of IAFF member’s dues paying to shield unethical activities by union officers.
Union leaders, often critical of management for “cooking the financial books” should hold themselves to the same standard they wish to hold others.
Open the books, all of them, and invite folks to have a look.
At the IAFF, they instead threaten to prosecute.
An Interesting Hypothetical
Ethically grounded employees and members have an obligation to safeguard the IAFF by taking actions to disclose improper conduct.
The simple fact is that the current elected leadership has made this impossible internally.
They have made a joke of the Ethics Policy, even creating a bizarre definition of conflict of interest in order to allow their cozy deals.
That leaves the possibility of exterior disclosure of questionable acts though the IAFF “bosses” now say they will prosecute.
What if information was made available outside the IAFF?
What if it was bound up and carefully delivered to Federal investigative agencies in order to report fraudulent activity?
Suddenly, the grim specter of prosecution takes on a whole new light.
Care About Ethics?
Then “Share” this Post.
Stop the Schaitberger Corruption.
Be a part of Saving Our Union
Send some version of the sentence below, even a cut and paste, to the address just beneath it.
“I am a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters and I am requesting that the US DOL immediately begin to investigate allegations of corruption including illegal compensation and reckless and destructive spending by International Officers. Thank you.”
Email to the US Department of Labor at: olms-public@dol.gov
– See more at: http://www.turnoutblog.com/2015/08/05/multiple-iaff-corruption-investigations/#sthash.WhuXw7ax.dpuf