The majority hard-working union members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers have been dutifully paying their union dues without complaint. However, how their dues are spent may surprise some of them.
In Pittsburgh, the FBI is investigating the leadership of the Boilermakers union local 154 and how as much as $1 million in union dues were spent, according to KDKA News.
KDKA discovered large expenditures designated as “gifts,” including $270,00 spent at Best Buy over those three years. Over a two year period, the union spent $48,000 at the Apple Store, $28,800 at a store called Drum World in the South Hills, $19,000 at Tumi Luggage and $6,000 at an upscale sunglasses store in Miami.
Since information about the recipients of those “gifts” wasn’t included in the financial reports, who received them isn’t clear.
Union leadership also spent large sums on meetings, conventions and entertainment as detailed in the financial reports. The union spent more than $31,000 at the Double Tree Ocean Point in Miami Beach, $34,000 at the Hilton Marco Island Resort, and $10,000 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
This isn’t the first time the Boilermakers’ union bosses have come under fire for their extravagant spending.
Last year, Watchdog reported that three International Brotherhood of Boilermakers officers were each paid more than $500,000 during the union’s fiscal year.
Including gross salaries and other disbursements reported to the U.S. Department of Labor, IBB International Vice President Ed Power was paid $697,714. President Newton Jones was paid $639,034, and international vice president Joseph Maloney was paid $501,392
In that same year, according to reports on file with the Department of Labor, the international union spent $29,414 for season tickets to the Washington Redskins, $5,680 for season tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs, $15,192 for season tickets to the Kansas City Royals, $7,080 to a Kansas City florist, and $11,470 at the Capital Grill in Kansas City.
While the union’s spending on conferences and conventions in FY 2014 was down considerably from prior years, the union did spend $234,820 at the Hilton in Marco Island, as well as $436,448 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
In 2012, the Kansas City Star, ran a piece entitled Boilermakers union leaders receive lofty pay, benefits, which reads (in part):
A prime suite at Kansas Speedway. First-class travel. Six-figure salaries for half the staffers. Plenty of plum jobs for family members.
[snip]
At the same time, the president’s salary has surged 67 percent in the past six years, not counting a recent raise. Add in travel and some other expenses, and Newton B. Jones totaled more than $600,000 last year, putting him at the absolute top of the presidents of the dozen biggest unions in the country.
[snip]
Pay isn’t the only reason to aspire to an office at headquarters, the newspaper found:
• While few other unions still own planes, the Boilermakers partially own two, paying a half million dollars last year for maintenance and fees. When they travel on commercial flights, officers can go first-class.
• Once they arrive, officers may enjoy memorable experiences — exclusive pheasant hunting expeditions, fly-fishing adventures in Alaska, stays in Paris and on Marco Island, Fla.
• Some officers can supplement their union salaries with pay from the union’s own bank. At least two have made as much as an additional quarter million dollars a year.
• And once their careers are over, retiring officers drive away in gift cars.
In past years, Boilermakers’ union bossed have spent thousands of their members’ dues to travel and stay at some of the nicest resorts in the world.
What’s the matter is Newton and his henchmen going to come and visit you tonight Don’t Be Afraid speak up this is a lot of bullshit as far as I’m concerned now we know where our money is going stand up be a boilermaker with balls
That is why membership drive is up,despite jobs are down or cut in half.
darrell Monroe local 83 is running for president or IBM
all the head staff should resign or be prosecuted
Wow and they come to canada and sign contracts when the membership of 146 turned it down because it wasn’tto our benefit so that’s how the justified there salary
All that expenditure and they still stole all the pension money ,its gone and all of the boilermakers that started wit magic 90 formula ( years of service and age combined to make 90) got screwed and have to work 10 more years for a full pension! In this trade the average age of death was 54 I guess we were not dieing fast enough for them. Then when the business agent from Ontario sighed a potision to find out where the pension money went the Kansas City international boilermakers fired him for doing what the members wanted. Don’t have to be an FBI investigator to figure out where that money went! And nothing done about it! Why is the FBI not looking into pension fraud? That’s 100 million take a friggen look there detectives, do your jobs! That’s 3000 and more just in Alberta! There is no justice for the working slaves in North America!
I’m just fucking discussed with the whole fuckind internatoinals actions about now I’m just over a year to retire and now I’m going to have to go another 10 years if I’m lucky enough to still be alive by then and those fucking assholes who’ve been living the good life on our hard earned money. I hope their is a revolt against them cuz I’ll be in that line of rock throwing boilermakers. Fuck those sons of bitches . We need to stand and fight these motherfuckers !!!!!’ Sorry if I offended my fellow brothers and sisters. I’m so upset and furious . We all need to take withdrawal cards and stop paying a dime to these selfish basturds untill they reach into their pockets and pull out our money and help. What do we do ??? dybaw@yahoo.com is my email
It’s plane to see that we have a bunch crooks in office.this is a descrace. Well all of our members are running all across Canada to make living for our family’s. But like my father told me crooks will allways get cough! Greed will get them in the end.lets all boilermakers.in the us and Canada sick together. And get reed of these crooks.time for a change
I was a boilermaker for 7 years and kept all my stubs from pay and they raped us in dues.I was wondering if there will be a settlement for us.
This is why our pension is going down the tubes. Those union leaders should be in jail and all monies confiscated to be put back in the pension fund! Newt must Go!
I was a boilermaker for a quite a few years. They preach brotherhood but never do anything for you. I always paid my dues to the tune of thousands. This union is a joke and should be burned to the ground. Welcome rat companies. They take better care of you than these pieces of crap
Ive been a boilermAker for 15 yrs and my husband has been in 20 I no longer have no use for the union We got business agents we are paying to be in the position they are in and not only do they live in luxury off us they won’t even do their jobs. they won’t back you in the south. If something happens oh well they say just don’t rock the boat its southern company Don’t wanna lose them . I say dam them if your mans in the right stand up for him. Do what’s right and if southern company does something against contract then stand up and do something. Guess what that is your job. If we was insubordant at our job they would fire us so what’s the difference. You know they also own our insurance company. Me and my husband worked 7 12s for 5 months and insurance received 32000 between the both of us and on a Sunday night my son had an ear infection and they wouldnot pay the bill be use the board didn’t considered that an emergency. Its just one more way they have screwed us.
I’m a proud union Boilmaker,but Newton Jones u can kiss my white ass !!!!!!!
Time for a government investigation-oops they’re crooked too! If you elect new ones how do you keep them straight??
Everybody forgot about the leaders of the Sheetmetal Workers robbing hundreds of millions from them in the 80s and getting away with it.
Been boilermaker for 30 years 2018 now I should have retired in 2013 full pension !when I started welding in 1979 was with Ironworkers in Calgary 3 years 1981 -83 the pension was stolen by the upper management back then too!
Knees eyes lungs wrists hearing all took a hit been gassed multiple times with many different things and caustic carsagenic dusts ashes and asbestos then fucked out of your golden years to boot!
THANKS ALOT TO THOSE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO STOP THIS KIND OF THING! YOUR FIRED!