UAW, amid corruption probe, to sell luxury cabin for former president
The United Auto Workers has been trying to sell a luxury cabin in Michigan
Amid a federal corruption probe, the United Auto Workers has been trying to sell a luxury cabin in Michigan that constructed for former union President Dennis Williams.
A team from the FBI, Internal Revenue Service and Labor Department raided the retreat on Aug. 28, the same day they raided the home of Gary Jones, who was recently ousted as union president.
The cabin is part of the UAW's Black Lake Conference Center compound, designed to bring together and educate union officials and rank-and-file members alike. Despite having access to the multimillion-dollar property, Jones came under fire for planning extravagant conferences in Palm Springs, California.
The United Auto Workers has a retreat center at Michigan's Black Lake.
The United Auto Workers has a retreat center at Michigan's Black Lake.
Federal agents were interested in whether Detroit auto companies indirectly financed Williams' home at the UAW retreat. Even though the home is not owned by Williams, investigators want to know whether paying for the upkeep of the retreat center is a way to illegally steer money for Williams' benefit, according to The Detroit News.
"Importantly, the new cabin is, and always will be, the property of the UAW, and is not owned by Dennis Williams," UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg wrote in an email to The Detroit News more than a month ago. "It is a permanent asset of the UAW's Black Lake Education Center."
TOP UAW OFFICIAL RESIGNS AMID CHARGES IN FEDERAL CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION
The cabin features granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, a wood-burning fireplace and a hidden room concealed behind a bookcase, according to blueprints obtained by The Detroit News.
The union's attempts to crack down on corruption come after acting UAW head Rory Gamble promised earlier in November a new level of oversight.
"We're going to be looking at every inch of this union to make sure we embrace tight controls," Gamble told Reuters. "We need to make sure we have standards that stop this thing from happening again."
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