![Jerry Dias, Unifor President, Image: OFL Communications Department (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Jerry_Dias-610x407.jpg)
In the latest development of the Jerry Dias saga – the man who, until recently, led most of the unionized auto workers in Canada – has taken yet another turn. According to reports, Dias is being accused by the union of taking money from a COVID-19 testing company, allegedly in exchange for promoting that outfit as a place to purchase test kits.
For those playing at home, the Dias saga has played out in this form: An announcement of taking time off for medical reasons, followed by an abrupt retirement, and now this development.
The Freep and other outlets are alleging that Dias accepted $50,000 from a supplier of COVID-19 tests before going on to recommend this supplier to various companies, either directly or through staff under his direction. This apparently led to several of the firms purchasing tests. Taken as a whole, you see the issue.
How’d the whistle get blown? News outlets are suggesting Dias gave half the money to a union employee a couple of months ago, telling them its source. That person then apparently filed an ethics complaint and gave the money to Unifor’s treasurer – who is now the interim union leader until new top brass can be selected later this year. The union has been careful to note this brouhaha did not involve any finances belonging to the brotherhood.
Adding some icing to the situation was a statement released by Dias earlier this week saying he was using alcohol, pain killers, and sleeping pills to address an ongoing sciatic nerve issue. This substance abuse has apparently “influenced his judgment” in recent months, a timeframe in which the alleged financial improprieties took place. Dias says he’s seeking treatment and plans to enter rehab.
With curveballs flying in several directions from this ongoing situation, chances are high this won’t be the last update we’ll be providing about Unifor.
[Image: OFL Communications Department]
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Wow. I’m surprised Matt didn’t jump all over this. A Union dude accepting a bribe to recommend COVID – 19 Rapid tests. A right wing wet dream… The horror….
You can head over to Jalopnik, their strike is over and I’m sure they have a hot take that’s more in line with your expectations ;P
Lol I love how you leave out the part he was illegally slid $50,000 to do it. I could have guessed you were from BC…
@MoDo – what part of “Bribe” did you not understand? Are bribes legal? (Other than campaign contributions)
Only when it is your side taking them you fncking cheese d!ck
Thank heavens Dias wasn’t dealing with custom watches. That would have been just too much to bear…
Corrupt union boss? Nawwww, couldn’t be.
“Adding some icing to the situation was a statement released by Dias earlier this week saying he was using alcohol, pain killers, and sleeping pills to address an ongoing sciatic nerve issue. This substance abuse has apparently “influenced his judgment” in recent months, a timeframe in which the alleged financial improprieties took place. Dias says he’s seeking treatment and plans to enter rehab.”
I love how many ‘suspects’ who, only after they get caught, play Blameology. Suck it up, be an adult, and admit you f’ed up. Grow a set.
“Be an adult.”
LOL. Since when do adults in highly political positions act like adults? Adult sociopaths maybe. But that’s not what you mean.
Kudos to the whistleblower… but why would Dias give anyone else the money if he didn’t want to get caught?
Will he claim entrapment, then seek cover under the rehab blanket?
That “someone else” likely ratted him out to divert attention from what he was doing (I saw it in a Sopranos episode).
I get the vibe that Dias probably thought that handing off 1/2 of the bribe to the union would make them guilty by association therefore providing him some cover.
Dammit, we need collective bargaining and ways for labor to counteract corporate power, but every union leader like this makes those things harder and gives management even more leverage.
“ways for labor to counteract corporate power”
There are many ways, different from a century ago:
– workforce mobility
– media coverage
– internet, social media
– NLRB
– OSHA
– whistleblower protections
– EEOC
– EPA
– minimum wage
There is really no reason an employee has to suffer in silence anymore.
The above reasons – and others I can’t think of – are why the transplants (and Tesla, Rivian, Lucid) don’t have unions. Their workers aren’t being abused because no company can get away with that today.
However, I do think there is room for more white-collar unions (airline pilots come to mind), since employers often take advantage of their salaried workforce by imposing impossible deadlines and long hours to meet them. In the case of airlines (or hospitals, for example) public safety could be at risk without employee protections.
@SCE to AUX – I’d have to disagree. If one looks at the USA, there has been a 3/4’s of a century long attack on organized labour. Much of it was a paranoid offshoot of the cold war and communism.
@SCE: ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. Unions are a necessary evil. Otherwise our corporate overlords would have nothing to attempt to counterbalance their absolute power over workers. The politicians are too easily swayed by money/lobbying.
The continued existence of unions is often enough to convince non-union workplaces to provide ‘decent’ wages and working conditions in order to persuade their workers that unionization is not required. Without the persistent threat of unionization, that factor would vanish.
Employee protections are often not stringently enforced or even removed/downgraded by legislation. And often corporations will break employment laws and then ether claim ignorance, threaten to close up shop and move, or pay a reduced fine that is far less than the cost of legal compliance would be.
As for employer abuse of workers it is still commonplace, in workplaces where employees are ‘easily replaceable’. Particularly where ‘at will’ employment exists. Which is a legal principle in the USA that thankfully is not recognized in Canada.
Corporate interests also lobby for increased immigration in order to maintain a competition for jobs. Charging executives of organizations who employ people ‘under the table’ or without proper documentation would help curtail ‘illegal’ immigration.
I can tell you from ample professional experience that whistleblowing of any form–whether internally at an organization, through the media or social media, or to a government agency–is a gamble with very poor odds. And corporate consolidation has largely eliminated workforce mobility in significant segments of the economy. You may be able to quit one of your three possible employers to join another, but they’ll be run exactly the same way.
Wage theft and exploitative treatment are rampant in low-wage industries. The regulators are captured, and the media doesn’t care. There’s no recourse when the boss tells you you need to clock out at 5 but stay till 6 or you get fired. There’s no recourse when the boss calls you and tells you your scheduled day off is canceled one hour before your shift is going to start. There’s no recourse when the boss tells you that if you don’t drive your route with that truck with the metal-on-metal brakes you’re going to be fired. Unions, for all their problems, are the only thing that can really help with that.
• If your objective is money, holding a ‘job’ is one of the worst ways to try to achieve that objective (more true now than ever).
• If you don’t have a ‘job’ you don’t need a union.
Peace out.
Example…
https://youtu.be/w70RQLtdVeU
Good they reported him.. ( many companies / unions etc want to bury reports of corruption / fraud due to bad publicity ). Given his age I suspect this wasn’t his first bribe , ( if they caught him this time what other times did they miss ? ). A forensic review of his finances may be in order ..
The bitter irony here is he took the bribe but then gave half to a union employee presumably for the union. Such an act feels “Canadian” to me, I’d very much doubt UAW leadership of the past twenty years doing so when they took bribes.
@28 – As I said earlier, I suspect that he was of the belief that if he handed off 1/2 the bribe to the union and they accepted it, they’d be complicite and have no choice but ignore it.
Ah, very clever if true but clearly the union was having none of it (but as of now did keep the money). I wonder what the legal protocol is for “dirty” money such as this?
@28 – I wonder how the “contribution’ was made? Did he accept the cash as a “consultant” providing a service to the donor? It’s unethical regardless of how you play it.
This is true, I was imagining cash in the non-descript black briefcase but perhaps as a “fee”? If the latter I’m not sure what the laws are in your country but as such it seems less egregious. Could have taken the “consulting” fee and personally donated half the cash to the union for a partial deduction.