(Detroit News)
Robert Snell March 18, 2019 12:22 p.m.
Detroit — Federal prosecutors charged former UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell on Monday with conspiracy to violate federal labor laws, the latest criminal charge filed in a years-long corruption investigation of the U.S. auto industry.
Jewell, 61, who headed the union's Fiat Chrysler department, was charged in a criminal information, which indicates a guilty plea is expected. The Swartz Creek resident is the highest-ranking former UAW official charged with a crime during a four-year investigation that has led to seven convictions and raised questions about the sanctity of labor negotiations.
The criminal case focuses heavily on how Fiat Chrysler executives bankrolled a life of luxury for Jewell and other UAW officials in Palm Springs, Calif., with money that was supposed to train blue-collar workers. In all, prosecutors say Jewell and other UAW officials went on a $100,000 spending spree paid for by Fiat Chrysler.
Fiat Chrysler executives let Jewell and other UAW officials spend almost $59,000 at steakhouses in Palm Springs and Detroit, part of a broader effort by auto company officials to keep labor leaders "fat, dumb and happy," according to court records.
The News reported in September that federal investigators were questioning UAW officials' use of almost $1 million of membership dues on condominiums, liquor, food and golf in California, where Gary Jones held annual conferences before becoming president.
Comments