Key facts
- The Teamsters union and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York have jointly filed a motion to end a 37-year federal monitorship.
- The monitorship was established in 1989 to eliminate organized crime influence within the union.
- Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien stated the union has developed internal controls and a culture of vigilance.
- An Independent Review Officer found the union capable of detecting, investigating, and resolving major corruption.
- The motion to end the monitorship requires approval from the Federal District Court.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York have jointly filed a motion to end a 37-year federal monitorship of the union. This move, which requires court approval, aims to remove oversight established in 1989 to combat organized crime influence and ensure democratic elections.
Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien stated that since his re-election, the union has implemented a rigorous system of internal controls and checks and balances. An Independent Review Officer, the Honorable Barbara Jones, assessed these systems and concluded that the union possesses the necessary tools and procedures to detect, investigate, and resolve instances of major corruption.
O’Brien emphasized that the union can now effectively police itself, with controls more stringent than any other labor organization in the country. The filing marks the end of what is described as the longest monitorship of any union, corporation, nonprofit, or public entity in U.S. history. The motion is pending approval by the Federal District Court and Judge Loretta Preska, who has overseen the consent decree monitorships since 2002.