On August 17, Michael Bennett, former president of United Auto Workers Local 2317, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana on three counts of wire fraud and three counts of embezzlement for stealing more than $100,000 in funds from the Lafayette, Ind. union. He allegedly made out 170 checks to himself, forging the local treasurer’s signature, and then either cashed the checks or deposited them in his own bank account. UAW Local 2317 represents about 700 employees at Fairfield Manufacturing. The charges follow an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.
