IAFF: Ethics Investigation a Set-up
Sham policy created to give Schaitberger cover in earlier corruption case
The IAFF executive board has created a committee to look into the recent revelations of Harold Schaitberger’s extensive pattern of misconduct.
The committee, chaired by fourth district vice-president Andy Pantelis, and joined by James Slevin, Walt Dix, Fred LeBlanc and Jim Johnson, is using the IAFF ethics policy as the grounds for their investigation.
That policy was created in 2015 after Schaitberger was cited by the United States Department of Labor for a conflict of interest involving the purchase of a house from an IAFF contractor who is also a close friend of his.
The executive board, including many current members, approved the toothless ethics policy as it is currently written.
The real purpose of the so-called ethics policy is to shield Schaitberger from charges, to keep the membership from knowing the details of any investigations and to prevent meaningful action from being taken.
Ethics policies should promote complete transparency and investigations should include wide dissemination of information and facts.
Under the provisions of the IAFF ethics policy, members have no right to know any of the details.
The entire process is designed to secretly protect the interests of Harold Schaitberger and his cronies.
The decision to use the ethics policy was a clear win for Schaitberger and those who support his corrupt practices except for the fact the policy contains several provisions of which Schaitberger is in blatant violation of.
It is now proven by ample evidence and legal review that Schaitberger improperly awarded himself a pension he was not eligible to receive, changed the rules of the Staff Pension Plan without board approval and sought and received money for supposed unused vacation days beyond the allotted number.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
He has violated:
Now that Schaitberger’s corruption has been exposed, his most critical goal is to contain the discussion and any action to the executive board which he controls; he needs to block the membership, at all costs, from knowing the details.
The sham ethics policy provides a perfect way for him to achieve that goal.
Any report or recommendation based on the IAFF ethics policy which does not cite these breaches, at least, is not worth the paper it is written on.
Further, for the committee to have acted responsibly and with integrity, it must openly publish the report and publicly call for formal charges to be filed and for Schaitberger to step aside until the matter is resolved.
Anything less is just window dressing which props up a corrupt dictator.
Tell your vice-president to end the corruption now.
New York, New Jersey: jslevin@iaff.org
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska: mwoolbright@iaff.org (314) 393–9755
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont: jcolbert@iaff.org (617) 307–8076
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia: akpantelis@iaff.org (301) 674–3448
Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin: tthornberg@iaff.org
(612) 290–8015 (Cell)
Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territory, Saskatchewan, Yukon:
mcarter@iaff.org
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington: rwalsh@iaff.org
(509) 999–3090 (Cell)
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio: msanders@iaff.org
(513) 260–2381 (Cell)
Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming: rrahne@iaff.org
(303) 619–2462 (Cell) (303) 988–0177 (Home)
Arizona, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Guam: flima@iaff.org
(213) 507–6317 (Cell) (213) 485–2091 Ext 1 (Office)
Canal Zone, Oklahoma, Texas: smcghee@iaff.org (918) 855–8228 (Cell)
Caribbean Area, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina: wdix@iaff.org (954) 444–8111 (Cell)
Manitoba, Ontario: fleblanc@iaff.org (613) 328–2195 (Cell)
Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee: dtodd@iaff.org
(901) 386–3129 (Office)
New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
dburry@iaff.org (709) 744–2709 (Home) (709) 689–7574 (Cell)
All federal fire fighters of the United States and Canada: jjohnson@iaff.org
(202) 360–1318 (Cell)
