Judge Approves Agreement Ending Government Oversight Of Teamsters Union

Chief Judge Loretta Preska of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York approved an agreement that ends more than 25 years of government oversight of the Teamsters Union.

The agreement, reached last month between the United States of America and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, dismisses the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which led to a consent decree that the Teamsters Union has operated under since 1989.

The consent decree is replaced with a final order, in which the government’s continued involvement in the internal affairs of the Teamsters Union will be phased out over a five-year transition period which commences immediately and ends in 2020.

The final order provides for continued direct membership elections of the Teamsters Union’s International officers and for independent investigation and monitoring of internal disciplinary matters involving allegations of corruption.

“This is an historic agreement that returns our great union to our 1.4 million Teamster members,” said James P. Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “Our union is committed to the democratic process, and we can proudly declare that corrupt elements have been driven from the Teamsters and that government oversight can come to an end.”