Yeah, I can see why the members have stuck with the leaders. Absolutely no excuse for the criminality aspect.
But the CFMEU has done more for their workers than the ALP has, by streets.
Just look at the Shoppies (SDA) Union for comparison. Consistently get unders on EBAs, use their position for personal gain repeatedly and don't really care because they have a largely short-term membership and have got away with it for decades.
Nobody ever accused supermarket workers of being overpaid and they're replacing them with robots and nobody seems to care, least of all the Shoppies.
Its ridiculous that we should determine pay scales based on which workers are most able to blackmail or threaten their employers.