Free-Spending Union Boss Earns Firefighters Clout

The New York Times profiles Harold A. Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Firefighters, whose lavish spending habits have earned the relatively small union enormous clout. The union’s political action committee, Firepac, has grown to nearly $18 million under Schaitberger’s leadership, and he recently met with Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush. He also shops at Nordstrom, flies first class, spends $200 per person per meal, and takes home more than $300,000 a year. “This is part of how we built our image, our brand, our influence,” Schaitberger told the Times.