The head of a major firefighters union, a supporter of Democratic Party causes and a confidant of presidential candidate Joe Biden, is mired in an internal dispute over allegations of financial mismanagement, improper pension payouts and misuse of union resources for personal expenses.
"These are internal matters being reviewed by the IAFF Board through its internal processes," the union said in a statement.
Under his stewardship, the firefighters union has provided financial contributions to organizations that support House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, according to the union's tax filings.
The firefighters union was an early backer of the former vice president and one of the few that supported him during the Democratic primary, in which other large labor organizations threw their support behind rivals such as Sens.
In March last year, Mr. Biden joined Mr. Schaitberger on stage to address hundreds of cheering firefighters at a conference in Washington, D.C. When Mr. Biden announced his candidacy a few weeks later, the firefighters union was the first major labor organization to endorse him.
At a contentious board meeting in February, Mr. Kelly revealed the results of a lengthy financial review and accused Mr. Schaitberger and other union officials of overstating revenues by millions of dollars over the past dozen years, thereby allegedly misleading the board about the union's financial health, said people who attended the meeting.
Mr. Schaitberger faced internal scrutiny previously, when he was accused of improperly purchasing a waterfront vacation home and Jet Skis from a business partner of the union, according to a copy of an internal union report on the matter.
"These are internal matters being reviewed by the IAFF Board through its internal processes," the union said in a statement.
Under his stewardship, the firefighters union has provided financial contributions to organizations that support House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, according to the union's tax filings.
The firefighters union was an early backer of the former vice president and one of the few that supported him during the Democratic primary, in which other large labor organizations threw their support behind rivals such as Sens.
In March last year, Mr. Biden joined Mr. Schaitberger on stage to address hundreds of cheering firefighters at a conference in Washington, D.C. When Mr. Biden announced his candidacy a few weeks later, the firefighters union was the first major labor organization to endorse him.
At a contentious board meeting in February, Mr. Kelly revealed the results of a lengthy financial review and accused Mr. Schaitberger and other union officials of overstating revenues by millions of dollars over the past dozen years, thereby allegedly misleading the board about the union's financial health, said people who attended the meeting.
Mr. Schaitberger faced internal scrutiny previously, when he was accused of improperly purchasing a waterfront vacation home and Jet Skis from a business partner of the union, according to a copy of an internal union report on the matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment