UPDATE October 16, 2009: Ed Rodzwicz has taken a leave of absence from his union post after being arrested for accepting a $20,000 bribe.

BLET First Vice President Paul T. Sorrow will be the acting BLET President.

Rodzwicz made $204,757 in salaries from the BLET and the IBT in 2008.

October 14, 2009: Edward Rodzwicz, President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen division of the IBT, was arrested on October 12 on charges of bribery.

Rodzwicz allegedly solicited a $20,000 bribe for an attorney in exchange for letting the attorney remain on the union’s list of designated legal counsel for injury cases.

The BLET represents railway engineers and conductors.

Rodzwicz became president of the BLET after Don Hahs embezzled tens of thousands of dollars from the union. Hahs was caught in 2007.

Earlier this year, the Independent Review Board charged BLET VP Rick Radek with embezzling members’ money, too.

If convicted, Rodzwicz could go to jail for 15 years and pay fines up to half a million dollars.

A Cure for Corruption

Luckily, BLET members have a cure for the corruption at the top of their union: the Right to Vote.

In 2006, BLET members voted for direct election of their top union officers.

Ever since then, many top BLET officials have been pushing to take away that right. No wonder. Too many officers have been treating the union like a personal piggy-bank.

BLET members will get their first chance to vote for the head of their union next year.

Read more. Click here to read the story from the Associated Press.

What do you think? Click here to send your comments to Teamsters for a Democratic Union.