News Release
OPA News Release: [10/07/2003]
Contact Name: Ed
Frank
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676
WASHINGTONU.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao issued the following statement at a courthouse news conference following todays guilty plea by former Washington Teachers Union President Barbara Bullock. Bullocks plea followed an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor and other agencies of financial wrongdoing involving millions of dollars in union funds:
Theres a painful sense of loss that we feel today: loss of trust, lost opportunities for our schools, and the lost, hard-earned dues that teachers here in Washington paid into the union to protect their rights.
This case involved more than just the ethical failures of a few unscrupulous officials. There was also a failure of accountability, an absence of oversight, and a lack of concern for the well-being of union members.
Its also an affront to the vast majority of union leaderswho are hard-working, decent and dedicated to their members.
Last week, the Department issued final rules that will improve the financial transparency and accountability of labor unions. Todays action demonstrates there are serious consequences for violating the bond of trust between unions and their members. And the Departments new financial transparency rules will ensure that sacred trust is fully protected.
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