June 28, 2009
The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) conducts both civil and criminal investigations of alleged violations of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) and related laws. These investigations by OLMS District Offices involve issues such as embezzlements of union funds, union officer elections, the filing of required reports by unions and others with OLMS, and the imposition of trusteeships over subordinate unions by a parent body. These investigations may result in legal enforcement actions.
Listed below are some of the 2009 investigations and charges. You may find these at anytime at this link:
Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS)
On June 8, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, Brian Brownlee, former Vice-President of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) 2nd District (located in Hot Springs, Ark.), pled guilty to embezzling union funds in the amount of $16,221.30. An OLMS investigation concluded that Brownlee falsified vouchers for travel, per diem, lodging and lost time. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office.
On June 3, 2009, in the 79th District Court of Mason County, Michigan, Kimberly Drake, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 3466 (located in Ludington, Mich.), pled guilty to one count of embezzlement of $200 or more but less than $1,000. Drake was immediately sentenced to two years probation, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,050 and fined $160. Drake previously made restitution in the amount of $450. The plea and sentencing follow an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On June 1, 2009, in Circuit Court for the City of Richmond, Va., Sylvia Grooms, Director of Industrial Relations for American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 199 (located in Richmond, Va.), was indicted on four counts of grand larceny associated with feloniously and unlawfully stealing the union’s property. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.
On May 13, 2009, in the 79th District Court of Mason County, Michigan, Kimberly Drake, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 3466 (located in Ludington, Mich.), was charged with one count of forgery and one count of embezzlement of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On May 6, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Mozelle E. Means-Swanson, former President of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 7139 (located in Aurora, Ill.), was indicted on one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $4,900. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On May 5, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Angelo Wiggins, former President of the National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees (NAPFE) Local 408 (located in Mobile, Ala.), was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,269.85. On February 3, 2009, Wiggins pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the same amount. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On March 30, 2009, in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Tina Curtis, former Secretary Treasurer for the APWU Local 232 (located in Columbus, Ohio), was sentenced to three years probation, 100 hours of community service and ordered to make restitution. On November 17, 2008, Curtis pled guilty to embezzling $18,283 in union funds. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
Source: Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS)
Link: http://www.dol.gov/esa/olms/regs/compliance/enforcement_1.htm
most seem to just argee with manament just to end the problem and we just need to accept it, i dont agree we pay our dues they should be fighting for us not doing the min
union people always gave me a bad vibe. so pushy, unhelpful, unfriendly and unknowledgable.
On March 23, Sylvia Grooms, director of industrial relations for American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 199 in Richmond, Virginia, had all charges of larceny against her dropped and expunged from the public record by the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond. The decision read in part: “Whereas, it further appearing to the Court that the continued existence and possible dissemination of information relating to the four grand larceny charges and arrest of petitioner, Sylvia Yvonne Grooms, may cause circumstances that constitute a manifest injustice to said petitioner
This whole thing is a scam alot of his was generated by the Bush administration during his tenue to discredit the unions they go through records with a fine tooth comb until they find some obscure rule or minor oversight that they can apply to question something and instead of a local paying legal fees to fight it the officer usually pays restitution to correct it as you can see most of the citings are low amounts. Now Im nt saying there arent crooks in our unions just like everything else but compared to the Pm that got 1 million relocation from the USPS last year and the questionable pay package of our PMG brought into question I think were talking small potatoes here. I dont think the above
mentioned national aliance of postal workers is even a recognized postal union This is all an anti union sham job
During the same time period, how many postmasters were charged with theft of postal funds. This is generally swept under the rug and kept secret.
Edited by site owner.
The timing of this piece is interesting. Seems like the USPS is trying to blemish the reputation of the unions by publishing this report at this time when the service is in dire straits and it will give them ammunition to try and break the unions. What about a report on all the employees and supervisors/managers/postmasters that have been caught stealing and or embezzling from the Postal Service? Where is that report? We have to be fair and not single out one small percent, but we must include all the people who have done wrong. The perks of the PMG alone are outlandish and should be brought up and investigated.