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DETROIT
– FCA US
LLC
(FCA,
a/k/a
Fiat
Chrysler
Automobiles),
one of
the big
three
American
automobile
manufacturers,
has been
charged
with and
has
agreed
to plead
guilty
to
conspiring
to
violate
the
Labor
Management
Relations
Act,
also
known as
the
Taft-Hartley
Act, by
making
illegal
payments
to
officers
of the
United
Auto
Workers
union,
United
States
Attorney
Matthew
Schneider
announced.
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Fiat
Chrysler
agrees
to plead
guilty,
pay $30M
in UAW
probe
By ED
WHITE
apnews.com
DETROIT
- Fiat
Chrysler
Automobiles
US has
agreed
to plead
guilty
and pay
a $30
million
fine for
a
corruption
scandal
at the
union
that
represents
its
factory
workers,
authorities
said
Wednesday.
Federal
prosecutors
in
Detroit
charged
the
company
with
conspiracy
from
2009 to
2016.
The
government
said
company
representatives
gave
more
than
$3.5
million
in cash
and
other
things
of value
to
senior
officials
at the
United
Auto
Workers.
Details
of the
payoffs
have
been
public
for a
few
years
and
acknowledged
during
guilty
pleas by
FCA
employees
and
others.
Fiat
Chrysler
spokeswoman
Shawn
Morgan
confirmed
the
company’s
planned
guilty
plea and
fine.
Al
Iacobelli
was the
head of
labor
relations
at Fiat
Chrysler
and
co-chairman
of the
UAW-Chrysler
National
Training
Center
in
Detroit.
The
government
said he
signed
off on
$262,000
to wipe
out a
mortgage
held by
UAW vice
president
General
Holiefield,
who was
the
center’s
other
co-chairman.
Iacobelli
also
approved
$25,000
from the
training
center
for a
party
for
union
vice
president
Norwood
Jewell
and the
UAW’s
international
executive
board,
the
criminal
charge
states.
Training
center
credit
cards
paid for
more
than
$30,000
in meals
for UAW
officials
at
various
restaurants
in
Southern
California,
the
government
said.
An
indictment
returned
in 2017
said
Iacobelli
and
others
set up a
liberal
policy
for
credit
cards to
keep
union
officials
“fat,
dumb and
happy.”
Iacobelli
was
sentenced
to 5 1/2
years in
prison
in 2018,
but the
sentence
was
recently
reduced
by 18
months
due to
his
cooperation.
The
government’s
investigation
began at
the
training
center
but
stretched
to other
corrupt
acts at
the UAW.
Eleven
officials
have
been
convicted,
including
two
former
union
presidents.
Investigators
found
that
union
dues
were
used to
pay for
golf,
booze
and
vacation
villas
in
California.
The
UAW
recently
agreed
to have
an
independent
monitor
watch
union
finances
and
operations.
Fiat
Chrysler
US is a
subsidiary
of
Stellantis,
a
company
created
by the
merger
of Fiat
Chrysler
and PSA
Peugeot.
___
Follow
Ed White
at
http://twitter.com/edwritez
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