More Trouble for Tony

With the conspicuous exceptions of Teamster Bosses Dave Beck and Jimmy Hoffa, no union leader in recent American labor history has drawn as much legal flak as Tony Boyle, irascible president of the United Mine Workers of America. The Labor Department recently filed suit against the 66-year-old labor chieftain charging numerous irregularities in his last election. A group from his own rank and file is suing him and other top union officials for $75 million for conspiring to misuse pension and welfare funds. And in Washington County, Pa., District Attorney Jess Costa is readying the trial of one of the accused murderers of Joseph Yablonski, who challenged Boyle 15 months ago for the union presidency. Though Boyle is not linked with the murder charge, the trial is bound to reflect on his reputation.

Now the crusty union leader must answer to more serious charges. Last week, a federal grand jury in Washington handed down an indictment charging Boyle with embezzlement and conspiracy to embezzle $49,250 in union funds for illegal political contributions. (National campaign donations from a union's general treasury are illegal.) Also indicted were two Boyle aides, James Kmetz, on the same charges, and John Owens, the union's secretary-treasurer, on charges of conspiracy and making an illegal campaign contribution. According to the indictment, checks were made out to "cash" to tap the funds of Labor's Non-Partisan League, the U.M.W.'s political arm created by John L. Lewis and Sidney Hillman. The funds were then allegedly transferred to political candidates in the guise of personal contributions. The biggest slice, $30,000, went to a 1968 Democratic fund-raising dinner for Presidential Candidate Hubert Humphrey.

The Justice Department pointed out that Humphrey was in no way involved, and his aides claimed innocence of the origins of the campaign contributions. Boyle denied the charges, but other labor leaders are shunning him, and the once important National Coal Policy Conference was disbanded last week. Another measure of his standing: when President Nixon gathered top labor leaders for a White House dinner last Labor Day, Boyle was not invited.

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