Center for Union Facts logo

Union Facts

Laborers, Local 32

Indictments

Office of Labor-Management Enforcement

The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) conducts both civil and criminal investigations of alleged violations of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) and related laws.

These investigations by OLMS District Offices involve issues such as embezzlements of union funds, union officer elections, the filing of required reports by unions and others with OLMS, and the imposition of trusteeships over subordinate unions by a parent body. These investigations may result in legal enforcement actions.

DateDescription
August 2nd, 2011On August 2, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Grace Rathke, former office manager for Laborers Local 32 (located in Rockford, Ill.), was indicted on 10 counts of embezzling approximately $200,000 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office and the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General.