Another Boilermakers Union Scandal – $20 million racketeering scheme

When Workers’ Hard-Earned Dues Fund Luxury and Lies, No One Should Be Forced to Pay

Your Sweat Funds Their Paris Getaways and Family Film-School Fantasy

Imagine grinding away on a dangerous construction site, welding boilers in scorching heat, then watching your union dues—automatically deducted from every paycheck—bankroll champagne-fueled trips to Paris, no-show jobs for executives’ family members, and a $20 million racketeering scheme.

That’s not hyperbole. That’s exactly what two former leaders of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers just admitted to in federal court right here in Kansas City.

Union Bosses Plead Guilty: Millions Stolen from Hardworking Boilermakers

On March 17, 2026, former international president Warren Fairley and Cullen Jones (son of longtime boss Newton Jones) pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and embezzlement charges stemming from a 15-year plot to loot union funds. Fairley alone must repay $221,348; Jones, $539,713.

The scheme included lavish overseas junkets, tuition and rent for a film school fantasy in Vancouver, vacation payouts that violated policy, and health care fraud. Meanwhile, the union’s 44,000 working members—boilermakers who fabricate and repair the very engines that power America’s industries—saw their pension fund strain and their ranks shrink.

“Workers Sacrifice Too Much” — Even the Union VP Appears to be Furious

International Vice President Dan Sullivan put it bluntly: “Boilermakers work too hard and sacrifice too much to have their dues tied to corruption, privilege and silence at the top.”

He’s right. But here’s the deeper outrage that the headlines barely touch: in too many workplaces, those dues aren’t voluntary. They’re compulsory. Workers who refuse to pay can be fired—plain and simple. That’s not freedom; that’s coercion dressed up as “collective bargaining.”

Forced Dues = Little Accountability and Easier Corruption

This scandal is fresh proof of what the National Institute for Labor Relations Research has documented for decades: when unions hold a government-granted monopoly over a worker’s paycheck, accountability evaporates and abuse follows.

The Boilermakers’ headquarters only recently fled Kansas City amid internal chaos. Federal investigators from the FBI and Department of Labor uncovered no-show salaries topping $3.4 million each for top officials at a union-owned bank. Extravagant hunting retreats, luxury vehicles as “retirement gifts,” and fine-dining sprees—all funded by rank-and-file members who had no real say and, in closed-shop states, no real escape.

Contrast that reality with the fundamental American principle at stake. The First Amendment protects not just speech but the right *not* to speak—and certainly not to subsidize speech (or corruption) you oppose. In the landmark 2018 Janus v. AFSCME ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that forcing public-sector workers to fund union political activity violates free speech and association. Yet private-sector workers in the 24 non-right-to-work states still face the same raw deal: pay up or lose your job. The Boilermakers operate across both the U.S. and Canada; their members in right-to-work states already enjoy the freedom to withhold support from leadership that betrays them. Why should any worker elsewhere be denied that same dignity?

Compulsory Fees Silence Dissent — Right-to-Work Laws Fix It

Forced union fees don’t just enable embezzlement—they silence dissent. Members who object to lavish spending, political spending, or even corrupt leadership risk retaliation or simply can’t afford to quit and keep their livelihood. Sullivan himself noted the “silence at the top” that protected the scheme for years. That silence is easier to enforce when workers’ wallets are locked in by law.

The solution is straightforward and already proven in 27 states plus Guam: right-to-work laws that simply say no worker can be compelled to join or pay a union as a condition of employment. Studies from NILRR and independent economists show these laws boost wages, job growth, and—crucially—union accountability. When leaders must earn support rather than extort it, waste and corruption plummet.

It’s Time to End the Coercion Nationwide — No More Forced Union Fees

The guilty pleas in Kansas City today are not “closure,” as Sullivan observed—they’re confirmation of a broken system. Workers didn’t sign up to finance Paris hotel suites or family film-school adventures. They signed up to build America. No one should be forced, under threat of unemployment, to bankroll the very people who betray that trust.

At NILRR, we’ve tracked hundreds of similar cases: from teachers’ unions shielding failing schools while raiding dues for politics, to construction unions funneling member money into lavish lifestyles. The pattern is clear. Compulsory fees aren’t solidarity—they’re a government-backed shakedown that violates constitutional rights to free association and property.

It’s time to end nationwide coercion. Every boilermaker, every teacher, every factory worker deserves the freedom to say “no” with their wallet. Because when dues become optional, leaders finally become answerable. And scandals like this one become far less likely.

Quick Notes:

• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (commonly referred to as the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers or simply “the Boilermakers”).
• The international headquarters is located in Kansas City, Kansas.
• A 15‑year racketeering and embezzlement scheme inside the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.
• Warren Fairley and Cullen Jones are moving to plead guilty in March 2026.
• Total alleged theft is around $20 million.
• Misuse of funds for luxury travel, no‑show jobs, tuition, rent, and unauthorized payouts.
• A broader 57‑count federal indictment involving multiple former union executives.
• Investigations led by the FBI Kansas City field office and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Related News Links

1. Yahoo News – Kansas City Star reporting “Two ex‑Boilermakers to plead guilty in $20M embezzlement case involving KC union” Covers Fairley and Cullen Jones’ change‑of‑plea filings, details of the $20M scheme, FBI/DOL investigation, and the broader RICO indictment.

2. MSN – Syndicated reporting on the same case “Two ex‑Boilermakers plead guilty in $20M racketeering case…” Summarizes the charges and the scope of the embezzlement scheme.

3. NewsBreak – Localized coverage of the guilty pleas “Two ex‑Boilermakers to plead guilty in $20M embezzlement case involving KC union” Provides additional context on the indictment, the scheduled plea hearing, and the list of charged officials.

4. Yahoo News – Earlier related case (Kathy Stapp guilty plea) “Former Boilermakers officer pleads guilty in $20 million union embezzlement scheme” Details the guilty plea of former secretary‑treasurer Kathy Stapp, part of the same multi‑year corruption investigation.

The National Institute for Labor Relations Research is a 501(c)(3) educational organization dedicated to exposing compulsory unionism and defending workers’ rights. For more data on right-to-work successes and union corruption cases, visit NILRR.org.