Press Releases

Today, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Rick Allen (R-GA) sent a letter to David Heindel, President of Seafarers International Union, after reports raised concerns of embezzlement of workers’ money from two of the union’s political action committees (PACs).

In the letter, Walberg and Allen write: “Recent reporting, including an article citing documents filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), has raised significant concerns regarding financial accountability, internal controls, and possible breaches of fiduciary duty involving these PACs. Workers’ political contributions should never function as a personal checking account for union insiders. The apparent absence of meaningful safeguards raises the troubling question of whether anyone was watching the money at all.”
 
The letter continues: “Based on the reporting, the Committee understands that this former treasurer of both PACs was your daughter, Chelsea Diab, also known as Chelsea Heindel. In her position as treasurer, she reportedly exercised substantial control over the financial operations of both PACs during the period in question. The Committee is particularly troubled that the suspected misconduct may have persisted for years before being detected.”
 
The letter concludes: “When union leadership fails to implement basic financial safeguards, it is rank-and-file workers who ultimately bear the cost. As such, the Committee expects labor organizations entrusted with the stewardship of members’ dues to maintain rigorous safeguards and uphold the highest standards of accountability. All union members deserve confidence that their contributions are protected from fraud, abuse, and mismanagement—not enriching insiders.”

Read the letter here.

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