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Former UAW official gets 15 months in labor corruption case

DETROIT (Reuters) - A federal judge in Detroit on Monday sentenced the former United Auto Workers union vice president in charge of relations with Fiat Chrysler to 15 months in federal prison for misusing funds intended for worker training to pay for luxury travel, golf, liquor and parties for himself and other union officials. Norwood Jewell, 61, who led the UAW's national contract negotiations with Fiat Chrysler in 2015, is the highest ranking UAW official to be sentenced in connection with a wide-ranging federal investigation of corruption within the union that represents U.S. factory workers at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, General Motors and Ford. Jewell pleaded guilty in April to a single charge of violating the Labor Relations Management Act. At the time, prosecutors proposed a prison sentence of 12 to 18 months. U.S. District Judge Paul Borman rejected Jewell's request to avoid prison and serve his sentence under house arrest. "He betrayed his position," Borman said from the bench. Jewell is the eighth former UAW or Fiat Chrysler official sentenced as part of the federal criminal investigation of UAW finances. Federal prosecutors are continuing to investigate the misuse of company and union funds at the Detroit automakers. Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Mike Manley, during a meeting with reporters last week, declined to discuss whether the company is in talks with federal authorities or whether he has been interviewed by investigators. Federal prosecutors have said Fiat Chrysler officials conspired in the misuse of $4.5 million in training center funds. Fiat Chrysler's former vice president of labor relations, Alphons Iacobelli, pleaded guilty in January 2018 to charges of violating the Labor Management Relations Act and filing false tax returns. Prosecutors charged Iacobelli with making hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper payments to charities controlled by UAW officials, and agreeing to pay off the mortgage of a now-deceased UAW vice president, General Holiefield. Prosecutors said Jewell accepted over $90,000 in illegal payments from Fiat Chrysler for his own benefit and to pay for travel, golf outings, parties and other entertainment for senior UAW leaders. "The parties included thousands of dollars in Fiat Chrysler money spent on 20 boxes of cigars, ultra-premium liquor, personalized bottles of wine, and women paid to light the cigars of senior UAW leaders," federal prosecutors said in a statement on Monday.

Junkyard Gem: 1995 Eagle Vision TSi

Lee Iacocca's main motivation to have Chrysler buy the American Motors Corporation in 1987 was to grab the Jeep brand, but it turned out that getting all the chassis engineering that went into the Eagle Premier paid off handsomely as well. The Premier's ancestry was Wisconsin-tinged Renault, a mashup of Renault 25 and 21 chassis and suspension design, and Chrysler later based the very successful LH series of sedans on the Premier. The Eagle-badged version of the LH was the Vision, sold for the 1993 through 1997 model years. Here's one of those cars, heavily battered and its once-lurid purple paint now faded, found in a self-service yard south of Denver, Colorado. The Eagle brand was named after the AMC Eagle, and it was used for both ex-AMC vehicles and Mitsubishi machinery. It got the axe after 1998, when the final Talons were sold. The first-generation LH cars included the Vision, the Chrysler Concorde, the Chrysler LHS, the Chrysler New Yorker and the Dodge Intrepid. A Plymouth version known as the Accolade was planned but never went into production. The crash that mangled the front end made it impossible for me to open the hood, but the '95 Vision TSi got a 3.5-liter OHC V6 with 214 horsepower and 221 pound-feet. Every production Vision ever built came with a mandatory four-speed automatic transmission. This car made it just a bit past 167,000 miles during its life. All in all, a comfortable Detroit sedan on a French suspension that sold fairly well and then faded into oblivion. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. So much cheaper than the Acura Legend! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Virtual reality speculation was all the rage during the first half of the 1990s. And, hey, it still is! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The middle 1990s were a strange time.

Dodge to resurrect Scat Pack?

Before social media ever existed, if automotive enthusiasts wanted to be noticed or recognize other fans, they joined a car club. For Dodge muscle car lovers from 1968 through 1971, that group was known as the Scat Pack. Just like the Charger, Challenger and Dart nameplates, it looks like the Scat Pack could be getting a resurrection by Chrysler.
Automotive News is reporting that Chrysler recently renewed its trademark on the Scat Pack name, and while this is in no way a guarantee that the name will return, AN talked to Tim Kuniskis, Dodge President and CEO, who stoked the fire a little more. In the article, Kuniskis said that the name is "a very important part of our history" and added that "we like the whole idea of having a Scat Pack of cars." Scat Pack models were identified by their bumblebee stripes and helmet-wearing bumblebee logo, and the idea of a modern Scat Pack doesn't seem all that outlandish in light of recent vehicles like the Charger SRT Super Bee and the Ram 1500 Rumble Bee Concept.
What do you think, is this a cool idea, or is it just an unwelcome bit of nostalgia? Have you say in Comments.