Page 6 - AT

A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 3 december 2019
UAW bolsters financial controls after embezzlement scandal

By TOM KRISHER Gamble has put reforms in
AP Auto Writer place after just three weeks
DETROIT (AP) — The United as acting union president.
Auto Workers union has The union is cooperating
replaced its auditing firm, and turning over all records
added four internal audi- requested by the govern-
tors and hired a big ac- ment, he said.
counting firm to study its fi- "The UAW has, as recently
nancial controls in an effort as last week, expressed a
to prevent a repeat of the willingness to further work
embezzlement and brib- with the government on
ery discovered in a federal the issues of concern. And
probe of the union. we continue to cooperate
The moves announced in providing the govern-
Monday by Secretary-Trea- ment any and all records
surer Ray Curry come after requested," he said.
last month's resignation of Stronger financial controls
President Gary Jones, who can help, but they can
has been implicated in the be evaded, so they must
scandal. come with cultural chang-
Several other union offi- es at the union, said Shi-
cials have been charged varam Rajgopal, professor
or implicated in the probe, In this Dec. 4, 2015, file photo Ray Curry, a regional director of the United Auto Workers, speaks in of accounting and audit-
which embarrassed union Chattanooga, Tenn. ing at Columbia Business
leadership and angered Associated Press School.
many of its 400,000 mem- "It's pretty easy to get
bers when it became pub- look into accounting and were falsely represented Authorities learned new in- around controls," he said.
lic starting in 2017. financial processes. as regional conference ex- formation in union charg- "Culture is what you do
Curry said the reforms will The scandal exposed weak penses. es filed to oust Jones and when nobody is looking."
put checks and balances financial controls at the Matthew Schneider, the Vance Pearson, a regional Rajgopal said it's likely that
in place to prevent finan- union, which allowed a U.S. Attorney in Detroit who director in St. Louis, Sch- fraudulent expense reports
cial misconduct. bribery scandal involving is heading the UAW investi- neider said. But the union went to lower-level people
"This top-to-bottom assess- the Fiat Chrysler-UAW joint gation, told reporters Mon- didn't report that to author- in the UAW accounting de-
ment of our financial and training center. Also ex- day that the union isn't fully ities, he said. partment, who probably
accounting procedures posed were embezzlement cooperating, and said fed- "We expect that if the suspected something was
and policies will result in a of hundreds of thousands eral oversight including a UAW uncovers evidence amiss. But lower-level work-
stronger and more stringent of dollars in the purchase takeover are possible. of wrongdoing that they ers have to worry about
financial oversight of all ex- of 58,000 watches for union "We're not focusing on that would report it to the FBI keeping their jobs if top of-
penditures," Curry said in a members by the UAW-Gen- per se. It is an option," Sch- or they would report it to ficials are involved, he said.
statement Monday. eral Motors training center, neider said. the U.S. Attorney's office, or The federal probe brought
The new auditing firm, Cali- and a scheme at a union Authorities will make a de- both," he said. an unprecedented lawsuit
bre CPA Group of Bethes- regional office in St. Louis cision on a takeover or oth- Schneider wouldn't com- from General Motors last
da, Maryland, which spe- involving the purchase of er government action after ment on how long the in- month against Fiat Chrys-
cializes in labor union ac- thousands of dollars of ex- all the criminal cases are vestigation might take or ler, alleging the company
counting, will check the pensive cigars and booze, resolved, Schneider said. whether more criminal bribed union officials to get
UAW's finances for the past golf greens fees and rental Authorities could also talk charges are coming. lower labor costs than GM.
year. In addition, the De- of swanky villas for union with the union and work UAW spokesman Brian Fiat Chrysler says the law-
loitte accounting firm will leaders. Funds allegedly out reforms, he said. Rothenberg said that Rory suit is meritless.q

Greta Thunberg's North Dakota photo is at national library

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A to the Standing Rock Sioux America on Nov. 13. will outlast any other print-
photo of Swedish climate Reservation. Balkowitsch had heard ed photograph of Thun-
activist Greta Thunberg at It was preserved using a Thunberg would be at the berg because it's made
a Native American reser- method known as "wet reservation and made using silver, which does not
vation in North Dakota has plate collodion," which in- plans to meet her there, fade over time.
been archived at the Li- volves wetting glass with since she wasn't able to "This plate will be here long
brary of Congress in Wash- various chemicals before come to his studio. He re- after her and I are gone,"
ington. inserting the plate into a called being told he only he said.
Shane Balkowitsch, who camera and developing had 15 minutes. Another image, a close-up
took the photo, preserved the photo. Library of Congress visitors Thunberg's face, will be fea-
the image on a glass plate "I wanted to give nature its can request to view the tured at the Swedish History
and titled it "Standing For Us due respect on the plate," plate. Museum in Stockholm.q
All." Balkowitsch noted. Balkowitsch said the plate
Balkowitsch told the Bis- The photographer said the
marck Tribune that it's his This Oct. 8, 2019 photo provided image "wasn't supposed to
"most important work to by Shane Balkowitsch happen," but it's the one
date." shows climate activist Greta that Thunberg chose to
Thunberg visiting the Standing
The photo shows 16-year- Rock Sioux Reservation in Fort share with the world.
old Thunberg looking into Yates, N.D. Thunberg posted it on Twit-
the distance during a visit Associated Press ter when she left North linda.reijnders@cspnv.com