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Union Facts

Locomotive Engineers, Division 656

Guilty Pleas

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
December 12th, 2011On December 12, 2011, in the Cerro Gordo County, Iowa District Court, Kenneth Schmidt, former Secretary-Treasurer of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Local 656 (located in Mason City, Iowa), was sentenced to up to five years in the Iowa Department of Corrections, with execution of the sentence suspended and was placed on probation for three years. Schmidt was also ordered to pay $1,373 in restitution and a $750 fine. On November 29, 2011, Schmidt pled guilty to one count of Theft in the 2nd Degree, in violation of Iowa Statute 714.2. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.