On May 12, Kathy Oatman, former secretary-treasurer of Workers United Local 228, was charged in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin with embezzling more than $4,000 in funds from the Eau Claire union. Americans United is a union formed last year representing textile workers loyal to Bruce Raynor, who had bolted from UNITE HERE in the wake of a feud with that union’s co-president, John Wilhelm. Americans United since has affiliated with the Service Employees International Union. The charge follows an investigation by the Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.
