Boilermakers members call for federal probe into KC-based union’s elections
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Members ask DOL to investigate the union’s delegate roll-call election system.
- Complaint asks DOL to require one-member, one-vote secret ballots by July 2026.
- Allegations cite lack of integrity, nepotism, unfair elections and federal investigations.
The Kansas City-based International Brotherhood of Boilermakers’ longtime method of electing top officers is unfair, lacks integrity and needs to be investigated, according to a complaint filed this week with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Filed by two members of Kansas City’s Local 83, the complaint was sent to the Office of Labor-Management Standards, an agency within the Labor Department. It alleges that the union’s election system locks rank-and-file members out of the process and ensures that those in power will remain in their positions.
The action comes as a trial is approaching in a federal corruption case in which several former union executives — among them ousted International President Newton Jones — are charged with allegedly scheming to steal $20 million in union funds.
The union’s executive council voted to remove Jones in 2023, accusing him of misusing union funds for personal gain, including funneling large sums of money to his Ukrainian wife for work she never performed.
Many rank-and-file members contend that the election process helped keep Jones’ family in power for decades.
“The way we elect our international administration is by delegate votes, which is unfair,” said Darrell and Jessica Manroe, who filed the Feb. 18 complaint. “We are requesting the Department of Labor to step in and fix this problem.
“It’s a very crooked system, and it’s time for a change and to give our union back to the members who work their ass off and deserve proper leadership,” the Manroes said in a statement to The Star. “We are sick and tired of the theft, misappropriation of union funds, rigging of elections, appointments of family members/nepotism. They work for us!”
The Star investigated the Boilermakers in 2012, finding that Jones and other executives were living the good life. Jones’ salary and business expenses totaled more than $607,000, which put him above the presidents of the biggest unions in the country. The newspaper also found that several of Jones’ family members and relatives of other officers were earning hefty union salaries as well.
A follow-up story in 2017 found that little had changed. Six-figure salaries were still common for officers and their relatives, as were fine dining, stays in posh hotels and expensive hunting retreats.
Cars were still given as parting gifts for retired employees, and hundreds of thousands of dollars continued to be spent on promotional events and videos — all while membership continued its downward spiral and the union’s pension fund struggled to stay afloat.
Elections held every five years
Under the current system, elections of top international officers are held every five years at the union’s Consolidated Convention. The local lodges typically send their member-elected officers and delegates, who then cast their votes by roll call — not by a secret ballot vote of all members.
“In contrast, all local lodge officer elections are conducted by secret ballot,” the complaint says, “establishing that secret-ballot voting is feasible and recognized as the democratic standard within the union.”
A delegate-based election system with a roll-call vote publicly exposes the delegates’ votes, can lead to retaliation and intimidation, concentrates the power among those who are closely aligned with the existing structure and keeps rank-and-file members from participating, the complaint says.
The next Consolidated Convention is in July in Las Vegas, and according to the complaint, members are concerned that it “cannot be conducted in a free, fair, or democratic manner under existing procedures.”
The complaint notes that since 2023, five former executive officers have been indicted on federal charges including embezzlement, conspiracy, coercion, insurance fraud and related crimes. One has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and awaits sentencing.
The complaint also says that “at least four current members of the International Executive Council are reportedly under active federal investigation and face potential indictment, creating a continuing environment of fear, coercion, and retaliation within the union.”
The executive council is composed of the international president, international secretary-treasurer and five international vice presidents who represent various regions of the United States and Canada.
Petition goes unanswered
According to a note accompanying the complaint, a petition was sent to the union’s executive council on Jan. 31 requesting that it voluntarily amend the voting procedure to implement a one-member, one-vote secret ballot election for international officers before the July 2026 convention. The petition was signed by about 475 members, the note said.
“To date, no acknowledgment or response has been received,” it said.
The union’s current International Executive Council did not respond to a request for comment. One member, Dan Sulivan — the international vice president for the Great Lakes area — has been highly critical of union leadership and recently announced that he is running against International President Timothy Simmons in the July election.
The complaint asks the Office of Labor-Management Standards to open an immediate investigation into the election procedures and determine that the current roll-call voting system does not satisfy the requirements of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.
That federal law, also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act, was designed to regulate internal union affairs, ensure democracy and combat corruption.
The complaint also asks the government to require the union “to conduct a one-member, one-vote secret-ballot election for International Executive Officers,” order federal oversight of the election and prohibit officer elections from taking place “unless corrective action is implemented.”
The United Auto Workers union went through a similar restructuring of its election process several years ago.
In 2021, members voted overwhelmingly to switch to a “one member one vote” system for electing their leaders. The referendum was the result of a consent decree between the UAW and the Justice Department after the lengthy prosecutions of union leaders on corruption charges.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 10:35 AM.
