Cheech, the position you are describing is called Payroll Master, and it is the best position to place an associate or made member in. The position Skinny is describing is either Controller of Operations or Contract Controller I believe, which is a powerful position to have and it is usually held by the senior members of the union or by a close relative to the president or senior members as Skinny said.

Most of the smart members have a legit job to show for income to the IRS, even if it is a no show job.