The UAW last year stopped paying legal fees for former presidents Dennis Williams and Gary Jones, both of whom have pleaded guilty to stealing money from the union and await sentencing. In 2019, the UAW paid $320,912 in legal fees for Williams and $24,599 for Jones.
Williams last year also reimbursed the union $56,116 for improper travel expenses.
The union in 2020 still paid out nearly $30,000 in legal fees for officers: $10,888 for Region 8 Director Mitchell Smith; $10,718 for Region 9A Director Beverley Brakeman; $6,683 for Secretary-Treasurer Ray Curry; and $1,210 for Vice President Cindy Estrada.
UAW President Rory Gamble earned $244,772 in 2020, up from $215,548 in 2019. His compensation included $1,364 for a security officer and daily transportation, and $842 for housing at the UAW’s Family Education Center in Onaway, Mich., for meetings and other union activities.
The union also paid roughly $6.5 million for upgrades to its Solidarity House headquarters in Detroit following a 2019 fire. Union leaders are expected to move back into the building in 2022.
Some of the figures within the LM-2, such as membership numbers and net income, were reported earlier this week by the Detroit Free Press.
