To date, Gordon and Grubb have not been indicted. The deterrent effect of the full weight of a state prosecution, as well as the threat of punitive fines and jail time, should not be underestimated. The authors of Landrum-Griffin included provisions for criminal prosecution, fines and prison sentences. The Clinton Justice Department ought to consider these, too. The time has come to amend Landrum-Griffin to cover all unions.
Public employees constitute forty-three percent of the unionized workforce.
Corruption in public sector unions is no different than in private sector unions. Yet, many of the 7.1 million public sector union members have no Landrum-Griffin rights. Congress needs to strike while the iron is hot. Ken Boehm is chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation promoting ethics and accountability in government. NLPC's Organized Labor Accountability Project investigates and exposes union corruption.