MUSKEGON, Mich. – A recent spate of reported embezzlements from local teachers unions,  by local teachers union officials, has raised some obvious questions about financial accountability.

And the answers to those questions should make union members nervous.

According to investigative reporter Mike Antonucci, who makes a living by tracking union activity, accountability is not a strong characteristic within local teachers unions.

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There is a traditional expectation of trust within the organizations, which leads rank-and-file members, as well as state and national union officials, to assume everything is fine until they learn otherwise, Antonucci said.

In other words, nobody seems to be keeping a close eye on the books. That’s almost an open invitation for local officials to dip into the cookie jar.

How long will this go on before union members around the nation demand more sound and secure management of their dues dollars?

The problem certainly seems to be spreading, based on the number of union embezzlement cases we’ve reported in recent months.

Rash of embezzlements

Where to begin.

There’s the case of Lisa Barrett, a former high school technology teacher and president of the Wyoming Area Education Association in Pennsylvania. She recently pleaded guilty to using a union debit card to make at least $30,000 in personal purchases between 2006 and 2012.

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Barrett is scheduled to be sentenced in January and faced a maximum of five years in prison, three years of probation and a quarter million dollar fine. However, she recently reached a plea bargain with the U.S. Attorney’s office and prosecutors have since asked for a reduced sentence.

Ironically enough, the charges were filed against her in the midst of a teacher strike in her district. The same person largely responsible for the abandonment of students was also ripping off the people who elected her.

And then there’s the case of a union treasurer in Lakeside, Montana.

Sandy Hawkes, a former elementary security employee, is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from her union’s checking account and taking additional funds from a union sponsored basketball tournament and a “Quarters for Critters” fundraiser. She also admitted to authorities that she was responsible for taking $160 from a school yearbook fund as well.

There is also the case in Auburn, New York, where the union president took her own life before she could be arrested for embezzlement.

Sally Jo Widmer, who committed suicide a year ago, was Auburn teachers union president for over 30 years. She is suspected of misappropriating $808,000 in union funds to pay for meals, gas, trips, gambling, clothing, groceries and checks she made out to herself, EAGnews reported.

Widmer wasn’t exactly discreet with the money she embezzled.

During the last seven years of her life, Widmer lost $19,000 on casino slot machines and $342,920 on table games at Central New York’s Turning Stone Casino, according to authorities. She also owned an $825,000 home on Canandaigua Lake. Didn’t anybody in the union wonder how she could afford to live so lavishly?

While Widmer is no longer around to answer questions, local police say that there are no other suspects in the case.

“It all leads to Widmer,” Auburn Police Detective Jeffery Mead told the Syracuse Post-Standard.

“No evidence of impropriety on the part of anyone else other than Sally Jo Widmer was uncovered. Widmer used the money to pay personal bills and credit cards, to pay charges resulting from the misuse of union credit cards and wrote checks to herself,” a police department statement said.

The police department also explained how Widmer was able to successfully get away with years of embezzlement.

“The local union officials did not have in place a system of checks and balances to ensure that activity such as this did not occur. The union rather acted on the belief that Sally Jo Widmer was a strong, knowledgeable long time union president who could be trusted. There also is indication that Widmer had a strong personality and would successfully discourage anyone who questioned her,” stated the release.

There’s more.

Rhoshonda Herring and Sheryl Daniels are accused of embezzling about $50,000 from the United Teachers of Suwannee County in Florida.

Herring, who served as the union’s treasurer, is suspected of writing 109 illegal checks totaling $38,000 to herself and about $12,000 in checks to Daniels, a former union president.

This illegal activity continued for more than five years before it was discovered. The fact that this started in January of 2008 and ended in May of 2013 makes one wonder if an accountant has ever been asked to review the union’s accounts.

Union structure, mentality breeds corruption

While we have only touched on a few examples, there have been many cases of teachers union embezzlement recently reported throughout the country. We can only assume there have been just as many that have gone unreported as well.

It’s enough to make one question the general integrity of union leaders and the manner in which they handle members’ dues money.

Antonucci, an investigative reporter for EIAonline, suggests that the union power structure breeds corruption.

“A lot of money passes through the hands of a small number of people, often at the lowest level of the organization, so that one person can often steal a very large amount of cash,” he wrote in an e-mail to EAGnews.

Union members are often so intimidated by union officials and higher-level members that they don’t dare speak up and question the money management, according to Antonucci.

“The culture of the union values solidarity. Even questioning union officers about finances is interpreted as a lack of trust, so it is discouraged,” Antonucci said.

With local corruption becoming so common, one might expect state and national unions to implement reforms and procedures to protect organizational funds.

But this is not the case, according to Antonucci. State and national union leaders typically only respond to calls for assistance from local officials, and otherwise pay little attention to local matters.

“Their motivation is no different than that of regular members. Questioning lower-echelon union officers about their finances signals a lack of trust. National union leaders only respond to distress calls, and then engage in damage control,” Antonucci said.

So pretty much everyone, from rank-and-file members to state and national leaders, are hesitant to question local union officials about money matters. That’s almost an invitation for embezzlement.

It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for teachers union members throughout the nation to do a little poking around, just to make sure everything is on the up and up with their local organizations, and accounting procedures are in place to guarantee the security of union funds.

It may be considered bad form to question a fellow union member, but it’s better than waking up one day and learning that thousands of dollars are suddenly missing and probably not recoverable.

As President Ronald Reagan once said, “Trust, but verify.”