Two people charged with violating labor laws in New York in January were part of a historic month in criminal convictions for the U.S. Department of Labor.
In January, Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) marked its 5,000th indictment since recordkeeping began in 1964. During January, OLMS obtained eight convictions, nine indictments and court orders of restitution totaling $121,867.
On Jan. 18, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Salvatore Battaglia, former president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, the primary union that represents drivers and escorts for school bus companies in New York City, pleaded guilty to participating in the conduct of the affairs of a racketeering enterprise.
Battaglia’s act included the extortion of bus company owners, the DOL reported. The plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the FBI and the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General.
In Peekskill City Court on Jan. 7, Glenroy Richards, former president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 2440, was charged with grand larceny in the third degree. During the period from July 2006 to November 2006, Richards is alleged to have utilized his union-issued debit card to withdraw a total of $11,243 from the union’s checking account, according to the DOL. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office.
The office’s totals for fiscal year 2008, which began on Oct. 1, 2007, including previously unreported indictments and convictions from prior months, stand at 36 convictions, 47 indictments and court-ordered restitution of $877,212. The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds, according to the department.
OLMS’s public disclosure Web site at www.unionreports.gov contains union annual financial reports and additional forms. Other information, including synopses of OLMS enforcement actions, is available on OLMS’ home page at www.olms.dol.gov.
