Union Members Want an Investigation and Public Report on Details of Al Bond’s alleged Financial Mismanagement
What has been going on with the OLMS and DOJ when it comes to Carpenters Union Bosses?
Union Members Want an Investigation and Public Repot of the details of Al Bond’s alleged Financial Mismanagement
Detailed investigations and recent lawsuits have revealed numerous instances of Al Bond’s alleged financial mismanagement during his tenure as head of the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council.
Key Allegations and Details:
- Unauthorized Personal Expenses: Court filings accuse Bond of spending more than $20,000 in union funds on personal expenses. Notable examples include using union money to pay $900 for his daughter’s medical bills, $1,300 for a CPAP machine for personal use, and $4,500 for Fox Theater season tickets.[1][2]
- Retroactive Salary Increases: Lawsuits claim Bond arranged nearly $18,000 in unauthorized, retroactive salary raises for himself during his time as union leader.[2]
- Major Wellness Center Expenditure: Bond reportedly approved $5.6 million in spending to build a wellness center in Kansas, a project critics say lacked proper oversight and transparency.[1]
- Questionable Advertising Contracts: Litigation also alleges Bond authorized $4 million in payments to billboard companies owned by his personal friends. The union accuses him of pushing through these deals without sufficient documentation or competitive bidding, raising concerns about self-dealing and improper use of member dues.[3]
- Benefit Fund and Pension Allegations: Internal union charges and third-party lawsuits detail a long-running pattern of embezzlement and misappropriation, with claims that leadership, including Bond, used member dues to inflate their own pension benefits and pay for travel perks for spouses.[4][5]
- Multiple Investigations: Both federal and internal union investigations have been launched, with the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council reiterating its zero-tolerance policy for misconduct and promising criminal charges if allegations are proven true.[4]
While Bond publicly denies any wrongdoing—claiming the payments were authorized and ordinary business expenses—the lawsuits and union charges against him have shaken confidence within the Carpenters Union (UBC) and led to Bond’s ousting.[2][3][4]
This case continues to develop as civil and possibly criminal proceedings move forward, with Bond ordered to sit for depositions and further trials expected in the coming months.[1][4][2]
_________