The city police union president said Wednesday that he had his wife on the union payroll for a "few weeks" late last year or early this year, but he doesn't know how much money she received in dues-funded paychecks.
Joey Sigala, president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, said the union hired his wife while its administrative assistant was on maternity leave and the union was struggling to find a temporary replacement. He said they had hired two others on a temporary basis but that those people "just didn't work out."
"So, we did have (Sigala's wife) come in for a few hours here and there for like two or three weeks to fill in answering phones when we were really busy," he said.
He said she was paid less than the full-time assistant, who makes $15 an hour.
The union's lawyer says $259,000 in dues has been used for "Administrative and Union work" in the past two years, including salaries for Sigala and Vice President Felipe Garcia, who also draw city paychecks.
Attorney Fred Mowrer told the union's executive board in an email that the cash drain could endanger the union's ability to pay for litigation in state District Court against the city over its contract.
Sigala has said he receives about $26,000 annually in a dues-funded stipend for union work - on top of his $52,374 APD salary - and Garcia makes $19,500 a year plus his city salary, which is the same as Sigala's.
Neither Sigala nor Garcia has a regular APD assignment, meaning they are paid city salaries for doing union work.
Sigala said the union treasurer has offered to disclose detailed financial accounts to any of the APOA's more than 800 members since a Feb. 29 Journal story about Mowrer's email was published, but only two people have come to review the books.
Sigala said he does not expect the union's finances to be much of an issue at tonight's APOA meeting.
Copyright 2012 Albuquerque Journal
