US moves to end Teamsters union oversight

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Teamsters union on Wednesday jointly moved to end federal oversight of the union.

The DOJ decided in 2015 to progressively move toward ending oversight of the union.

In 1988, a sweeping civil racketeering lawsuit against the union stated some of its leaders were tied to the mafia and were running a racketeering enterprise.

Recent court filings say more than 400 members were banned from the union to help end federal oversight.

“After 37 years, this filing marks an end to the longest monitorship of any union, corporation, nonprofit, or public entity in the history of the United States,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who won a reelection bid to lead the union on Tuesday, said in a statement.

“Over the past four years, we have developed a system of internal controls and created a culture of vigilance in our union. Our efforts have proven that we can police our own, and the controls we have put in place are more stringent than any labor organization in the country,” he added.

The union established a review board to address reports of corruption and has amended its election process to ensure it is “fair, democratic” and “member-driven.”

The move comes after the Teamsters opted not to endorse either candidate in the 2024 presidential election and O’Brien appeared on stage at that year’s Republican National Convention, after consistently backing Democratic presidential nominees in the past.