2000-2019 UAW Form LM-2 Labor Organization Annual Reports

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USDOL LM-2 Disclosures Top-Paid Disclosed Officers and Employees

What’s Under UAW’s Hood?

While some wages appear on union LM-2 reports, gargantuan amounts paid to officers are often hidden. For example, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney used to report an LM-2 salary of around $225,000. However, his signed AFL-CIO LM-2 reports failed to disclose an annual payment of $200,000 to him over his five-year term as president, which totaled an additional (undisclosed on the union’s LM-2) $1 million he received every five years as president of the AFL-CIO. Sweeney became fully vested by the end of each five-year term as president. Had it not been for a more exact disclosure one year on a tax report, members might never know about the extra millions. Other AFL-CIO officers like Richard Trumka, also receive similar deferred benefits undisclosed on the USDOL Form LM-2s.

This 20% per -year vestiture scheme highlights a loophole that remains in DOL disclosure today.  One that was closed during the Bush Administration, eliminated by the Obama Administration, and stays unchanged under the present Administration.

UAW Officer-Employee Highlights

Every year the UAW reports financial information to the USDOL about the union that includes details of officer and employee pay inclusive of allowances and direct non-retirement disbursements, but excluding cost of other benefits.[ii] 

Current UAW corruption charges indicate underreported financial gain by several union officials existed.  Below are what the UAW reported paying its officers and employees over the past several years. Do you see any potential underreportings?  A good idea is to compare these numbers to the UAW IRS 990 reports for the same period (see our section on IRS UAW Union Tax Returns publishing soon).

Worth noting on the 2018 LM-2 (filed in 2019), UAW VP Norwood Jewell, who pleaded guilty in April 2019 to charges related to the UAW scandal, received only $1,888 in salary but he took in total of $219,495 according the UAW LM-2 section covering “salaries and other direct and indirect
disbursements.”

2018 Top Paid UAW International Headquarters Officers and Employees

NAMETITLEGROSS SALARYTOTAL*
GARY  JONES PRESIDENT  *SEE ITEM 69            $ 178,417      $ 260,243
TERRENCE  DITTES VICE PRESIDENT        $ 172,715          $ 235,873
VANCE  PEARSON REGIONAL DIRECTOR           $ 152,368          $ 222,672
RAYMOND  CURRY SECRETARY TREASURER          $ 169,048          $ 222,663
NORWOOD  JEWELL VICE PRESIDENT $ 1,844          $ 219,495
MITCHELL  SMITH REGIONAL DIRECTOR           $ 151,452          $ 199,494
NIRAJ  GANATRA GENERAL COUNSEL           $ 174,478          $ 189,439
CYNTHIA  ESTRADA VICE PRESIDENT           $ 170,903          $ 186,785
BEVERLEY  BRAKEMAN REGIONAL DIRECTOR           $ 158,756          $ 185,019
MICHAEL  STONE CHIEF OF STAFF          $  165,693          $ 182,598
RORY  GAMBLE VICE PRESIDENT          $  166,238          $ 180,426
RONALD  MC INROY REGIONAL DIRECTOR          $  157,702          $ 179,486
JEFFREY  SHROCK TOP ADMIN ASSIST           $  129,276          $ 176,050
DENNIS  WILLIAMS PRESIDENT  * SEE ITEM 69           $  110,090          $ 175,956
TIMOTHY  BRESSLER EXEC ADMIN ASSISTANT           $ 158,102          $ 175,530
GERALD  KARIEM REGIONAL DIRECTOR           $  157,702          $ 175,480
GARY  CASTEEL SECRETARY TREASURER           $  149,285          $ 171,769
JEFFREY  BINZ REGIONAL DIRECTOR           $  156,265          $ 170,979
RICHARD  RANKIN REGIONAL DIRECTOR            $  156,941          $ 170,900
CHARLES  BROWNING REGIONAL DIRECTOR            $  157,118          $ 170,813
JEFFREY  SODKO DEP GENERAL COUNSEL          $ 160,901          $ 170,225
FRANK  STUGLIN REGIONAL DIRECTOR           $ 152,368          $ 165,612
MICHAEL  MADDOX SERVICING REP          $ 103,040 $ 163,255
BRADLEY  DUTCHER ASSISTANT – REGION           $  130,862 $ 163,060
KRISTY  LUNDBERG SERVICING REP            $  114,836          $ 160,722
KRISTYNE  PETER INTERNATION’L AFFAIRS DIR           $  141,640          $ 159,684
JAMES  BRITTON ATTORNEY           $  144,656          $ 156,900
BLAIR  SIMMONS ATTORNEY           $  145,111          $ 156,872
CYNTHIA  HARRIS SERVICING REP           $  114,568          $ 156,453
WILLIAM  KARGES ATTORNEY           $  144,626          $ 156,441
CARLOS  BERMUDEZ ATTORNEY           $  144,502          $ 155,486
GORDON  LILLEY ASSISTANT – MAJOR            $  128,592        $  154,536
STEVEN  DAWES ASSISTANT – REGION            $ 131,105      $  153,125
GARRY  BERNATH TOP ADMIN ASSIST             $ 37,603      $ 153,023
WILLIAM  KING TOP ADMIN ASSIST           $ 137,180       $ 152,736
*Gross Salary and Total Salaries exclude deferred and other benefits not reported on the USDOL LM-2 (LM-2 reporting of officer and employees benefits was rescinded by the Obama Administration and was not restored by the Trump Administration)

Complete UAW National Headquarters Downloadable LM-2 Disclosure Links

Note: As of the date of this post, the UAW National Headquarters had not filed its 2019 LM-2 report.