Posts tagged International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
Ex-Boilermakers union executive sentenced to 16 months in federal racketeering case
October 5, 2026 // Brown pleaded guilty on May 23, 2024, to one count of racketeering conspiracy. In August 2024, seven more former union executives and employees — including Jones, his wife and son — were indicted for conspiracy to commit offenses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as other felonies. They were accused of scheming to steal $20 million in union funds for personal gain. The money went toward salary and benefits for jobs they didn’t show up for, tuition, rent, luxury international travel, meals, vacation payouts and unauthorized loans, the Justice Department said.
More transparency for the largest unions
May 31, 2026 // A new rule from the Labor Department will recalibrate the disclosure reports that labor unions are required to file. It’s a welcome update to ensure that union members know how their money is being spent. What will happen in the 2026 midterms? Sign up for Margin of Victory The reason unions have government-mandated disclosure requirements is that they are government-backed monopolies. Labor relations law gives unions exclusive power as the sole bargaining agent for the entire workplace.
Boilermakers trial: Union leaders used $20M as ‘personal piggy banks,’ gov’t says
May 8, 2026 // “No foreign destination was beyond their reach,” she said. “Newton Jones hired family member after family member. His brother, sister, son, daughter and his wife, Kateryna Jones.” He also enriched himself by firing the CEO of a union-affiliated bank and putting himself in charge, Alhambra said, earning hundreds of thousands a year in that position. “All of it was illegal,” Alhambra told jurors. “And where did that money come from? It came straight from the pockets of Boilermakers members.”
Racketeering trial starts for former KC-based union leaders accused of $20M theft
May 4, 2026 // “What makes this trial so significant is that it is not only about the individuals who were indicted,” he said. “It is also about the system and the culture that allowed this to ever happen. “Newton Jones and what federal prosecutors have described as the ‘Jones Enterprise’ would not have been able to allegedly racketeer, embezzle, or misuse union resources if the people sworn to uphold their constitutional duties had taken that oath seriously.” The Boilermakers deserve better, Sulivan said. “This trial should be a turning point, not just for accountability for the past, but for rebuilding and restructuring our organization for the future,” he said.
Two ex-Boilermakers plead guilty in $20M racketeering case involving KC-based union
March 17, 2026 // Two former members of the Kansas City-based International Brotherhood of Boilermakers set to go to trial in May pleaded guilty Monday to racketeering conspiracy and embezzlement from a labor organization in an alleged $20 million scheme involving union funds. Warren Fairley — who took over for a short stint as president of the union in 2023 after its leaders ousted longtime leader Newton Jones — and Jones’ son, Cullen Jones, entered their guilty pleas in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas.
WV Quarry Workers Win Freedom from Unwanted Boilermakers Union
December 9, 2025 // The NLRB’s decision comes after IBB bosses “disclaimed interest” in the work unit, which followed a majority of workers signing a petition last month, asking the NLRB to hold a secret ballot election to “decertify” IBB union bosses as the workers exclusive representative. That petition was filed by quarry employee Curtis Mills with free legal representation from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
Union Pacific, Boilermakers Union Agree to Job Security Pact Amid Norfolk Southern Merger
December 1, 2025 // The agreement ensures employees who work at both Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern at the time of the merger will have job security for life, subject to usual requirements for continued employment. Union Pacific previously reached agreements with the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers, the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen.
WV Millville Quarry Workers File Petition to Oust International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local DNCL Union Bosses
November 12, 2025 // Majority of Harpers Ferry quarry workers support petition seeking end of union monopoly “representation”
For first time in decades, Mountain Cement plant workers to vote for unionization
August 18, 2025 // This marks the first time since 1991 that a union election at the plant reached the threshold for a formal vote. Previous efforts failed to secure the 30% employee support required to trigger an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, which gives workers the chance to decide on union representation.
Boilermakers sue ex-president, demand he repay union nearly $500,000 he ‘misused’
August 3, 2025 // The Kansas City-based International Brotherhood of Boilermakers is suing the president it ousted two years ago, demanding that Newton Jones pay back nearly $500,000 of union money it says he misused. Filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, the lawsuit says Jones has ignored the union’s order to reimburse the money he’s accused of taking.