McKay replaced as president of maritime union
Less than a week after being convicted of racketeering charges in a federal court trial held in Fort Lauderdale, Michael McKay has resigned as national president of American Maritime Officers, the union said last week.
Michael McKay and his brother Robert were convicted January 5 on racketeering and several other charges in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Fort Lauderdale. Prosecutors said that among other things, the union leaders had used union funds for personal spending on luxuries items that included a bachelor party.
AMO said its national executive committee had named Thomas Bethel to complete McKay’s term in office, which began January 1. Robert had been voted out of office in an election last year.
The AMO national executive board said it would bar the McKays from access to union offices and would file a suit against the two men, seeking money they say they had obtained from AMO illegally.
The union has an estimated 4,000 members.