Carla Katz in the News Again

Carla Katz, a major domo at the CWA Local 1034 who also happened to be a one-time squeeze of Gov. Jon Corzine of New Jersey (D), has apparently found enemies within her union who are not above pointing out potential wrong-doing by making improper donations to another Democrat, Newark Mayor Cory Booker in his campaign to win that office.

The battle between state labor leader Carla Katz and opponents in her own union has escalated again with allegations Katz used union money to make an improper $20,800 donation to the 2006 campaign of Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

The Communications Workers of America has appointed a union investigator to determine whether Katz, president of CWA Local 1034, made the donations without authorization from her local's governing board, according to internal correspondence from CWA's national president.

The document says the Booker donation was among hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions authorized by Katz, and it questions whether she may have approved it because of a "close personal relationship" with the chief executive of the state's largest city.

Booker said he was not aware that a donation to his campaign was being scrutinized and said the matter is "not a big deal to me." He said Katz "like many great women in our state, has been, in my opinion, overly vilified."

If Katz made those donations without authorization, it could mean she could be ousted from her position for a violation of union rules. Apparently, such donations would not be illegal, though I wonder why considering that there is a fiduciary responsibility and if she misappropriated funds without authorization, criminal charges could be found.