Uncategorized
Independent Oversight
WHEREAS, the International Union entered into a Consent Decree with the United States on March 14, 1989 to resolve a civil lawsuit titled United States v. Teamsters, and
WHEREAS, in entering into the Consent Decree, the International Union acknowledged allegations of past problems of organized crime corruption in various elements of the IBT and dedicated the IBT to the elimination of any such outside influence, and
WHEREAS, the International Union committed to adopt democratic procedures through which the IBT would be administered with integrity and for the sole benefit of its members and without unlawful outside influence, and
WHEREAS, the delegates to the 2001 International Convention unanimously adopted a “democracy package” of amendments that incorporated rank and file one person, one vote procedures for electing the officers of the International Union, and
WHEREAS, the IBT has persistently striven to maintain a corruption-free union through vigilant enforcement of the Constitution, applicable laws and the provisions of the Consent Decree, and
WHEREAS, the International Union has met its obligations under the Consent Decree to establish and maintain the Independent Review Board, the vehicle created by the Consent Decree to investigate corruption and to evaluate the actions taken by the IBT to adjudicate allegations of improper behavior, and
WHEREAS, the International Union has worked in conjunction with the government and the Independent Review Board to accomplish the objectives set forth in the Consent Decree and the preceding clauses, and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Consent Decree and the reforms implemented since 1989, the rank-and-file members have elected the delegates to every International
Convention since 1991, and
WHEREAS, the democratically elected delegates have nominated candidates for International Union office at each of these conventions to date, affording the members the opportunity to vote for officers in fair democratic elections, and
WHEREAS, no other labor organization in the United States has provided its rank and file membership with similar opportunities to elect their officers through contested, democratically conducted elections over this time frame, or historically, and
WHEREAS, the democratically elected leaders of the Union have repeatedly pledged their support for rank and file elections of International Union officers as a permanent component of the Constitutional mandates that protect the members and union from improper outside influences, and
WHEREAS, between 1991 and 1999, the IRB recommended 181 charges against IBT officers and members relating to organized crime, and only 8 such referrals have been made between 2000 through 2010, none of which involved officers or employees of any union entity, and
WHEREAS, the International Union maintains its commitment to maintaining a democratic and corruption-free labor organization operating for the “sole benefit of its members” as evidenced by the democratic procedures embodied in the Constitution, and the duly elected delegates here assembled no longer consider the costs incurred by the International Union to support the IRB to be for the “sole benefit of its members,” and
WHEREAS, the International Union and its affiliates have experienced financial pressure to curtail expenditures during the Great Recession, and the International Union can adopt more cost-efficient procedures for achieving the goal of the Consent Decree to maintain a union that is free from corrupt influences and to deal with improper conduct by officers and members, thereby reducing the costs currently devoted to the IRB and making more funds available to provide membership services and assistance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this Convention go on record as confirming our commitment, and that of the members who elected us as their representatives, to the objectives of maintaining a democratic and corruption-free labor organization, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Convention support the democratic reform amendments adopted in 2001, which we consider a permanent and vital component of the governance of the Teamsters Union, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Convention express its desire, reflective of all Teamster members, that the Consent Decree be ended, thus restoring true self-governance and elevating the International Union to the status of all other free and independent trade unions, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that officers at all levels of the Union commit themselves to swiftly and forcefully investigating and redressing instances of corruption in order to ensure that the union is administered with integrity and for the sole benefit of its members and without unlawful outside influence, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that each and every delegate to this Convention take notice, and upon their return to their locals pledge to remind all members, that
the democratic procedures so dearly paid for since 1989 obligate all Teamsters to exercise their right to actively and fully participate in the union, especially to vote in the election of International Union officers, to ensure that we preserve a union run exclusively by, and in the interests of, its membership.