Posted on 12/05/2008 9:38:13 AM PST by NormsRevenge
Early last year, Alejandro Stephens' long tenure as president of one of California's biggest union locals came to an end after the labor organization he headed merged into a larger local.
The Service Employees International Union sweetened Stephens' exit with severance payments and other compensation that totaled nearly $180,000, said union spokeswoman Michelle Ringuette. A condition was that Stephens give up the salary he was receiving from Los Angeles County, Ringuette said.
Under an agreement between the union and the county, taxpayers covered the salary of the head of the union local.
The separation deal has since become the focus of an internal SEIU investigation into whether Stephens' former girlfriend, Annelle Grajeda, a top officer in the union's national organization, inappropriately used her position to help him remain on the county payroll in 2007.
She has denied wrongdoing and is currently on union leave.
The SEIU inquiry remains unresolved. Now, however, records and interviews show that Grajeda arranged to keep Stephens on the county payroll for the first eight months of this year.
The arrangement she worked out called for the union to reimburse the county for Stephens' pay.
The work status Grajeda secured for Stephens was a leave designed for employees who are needed for union business that also benefits the county, such as training sessions for shop stewards, county administrators say.
Stephens, however, used the time to work for a union-affiliated nonprofit that he heads.
The group stages an annual 5- and 10-kilometer race that is supposed to raise money for an emergency relief fund for union members, ... and other charitable purposes.
For the last several years, the nonprofit's tax returns indicate that it has done poorly at that task.
In 2007, for example, the nonprofit spent $22,782 on its charitable programs, just 11% of its outlays.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Probe .. Probe .. Probe (/aRnie)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.