Thomas Eppinger, the former president of Uniformed Emergency Medical Service Officers Union Local 3621 of District Council 37, has been a hard man to find since leaving office with several outstanding debts and no financial records to account for his time in office.
Sanctioned by International
In October 2010, a judicial panel ruled that Mr. Eppinger, who was Local 3621 president from 2004 until 2009, violated the international constitution of DC 37’s parent, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, when he didn’t provide spending documentation, financial records, and property to the incoming administration upon leaving office. He was stripped of his union membership.
“Mr. Eppinger has been completely uncooperative with the new administration,” Local 3621 spokesman Robert Ungar said. “He has basically dropped out of sight.”
Local ‘Virtually Bankrupt’
The charges were filed by current Local 3621 President Vincent Variale and Recording Secretary Michael Talletti. In his testimony, Mr. Variale said that he found the union’s finances in disarray when he took office in 2009, with no paper trail showing how money was spent during Mr. Eppinger’s tenure. Calling record-keeping during Mr. Eppinger’s presidency “either horrendously poor or nonexistent,” Mr. Ungar said that he left the union “virtually bankrupted.”
Among items listed in the complaint:
• A cell phone bill for $785, charged to the union and now in collection;
• A $579 bill for Mr. Eppinger’s campaign mailings, which is considered a personal expense but was billed to the union;
• Unpaid union taxes for 2004-2008, totaling $8,000 including fees; and
• $3,500 in penalties and fees owed by the union for failing to file its 2008 semi-annual report in a timely manner.
No Response From Eppinger
Mr. Eppinger could not be reached for comment.
In addition, Mr. Variale said that the local’s Uniformed EMS Widows and Children Fund account is in Mr. Eppinger’s name and can’t be accessed by anyone else. So far, Mr. Eppinger hasn’t turned over the account information.
“A tremendous amount of President Variale’s time has been spent on rescuing the finances of the local,” Mr. Ungar said.
According to the charges, Mr. Eppinger also didn’t respond to repeated requests for the financial records and bookkeeping of the local, nor did he return the union’s keys, phones, and other property. He did not attend the trial.
The judicial panel expelled Mr. Eppinger from the union and ordered him to pay the local for any financial losses resulting from his actions. He continues to work as a paramedic, but has not responded to the decision or made any attempts to pay.