Building trades officials and employees embezzled millions of dollars in recent years, raiding the bank accounts of their locals to pay for trips to Las Vegas, lavish jewelry, luxury cars, home renovations and even a new puppy, U.S. Labor Dept. records show.
With the federal midterm elections just a few weeks away and party control of both houses of Congress at stake, construction associations, companies and unions are making their late-in-the-game contributions to back favored candidates.
The federal government has raised the limit on visas for temporary or seasonal workers in nonagricultural industries by as many as 15,000, or 23%, but employers seeking them must state, under penalty of perjury, that their businesses are “likely to suffer irreparable harm” without the new workers.