New Era for Teamsters as Government Monitorship Set to End

(WASHINGTON) – Today, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (the Southern District) jointly filed a motion to amend the Final Order and the Consent Decree, ending federal government monitorship of the union.

In 1989, the Southern District and the Teamsters entered into a consent decree to eliminate organized crime influence within the union and ensure fair, democratic, member-driven elections. Over the past 37 years, the Teamsters have conducted nine elections and successfully eliminated corrupt elements from the union.

Since the election of Sean M. O’Brien as Teamsters General President in 2021, the Teamsters have built a new system of rigorous checks and balances in which every member complaint is investigated, and when appropriate, referred to legal authorities.

“Today marks a new era in the Teamsters. 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. 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,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien.

The motion requires approval by the Federal District Court and the Honorable Loretta Preska, who has overseen the consent decree monitorships since 2002.

Earlier this year, the Honorable Barbara Jones (ret.), the Independent Review Officer, conducted an assessment of the International Union’s internal disciplinary systems and audit functions and concluded that the union has “developed the institutional tools, processes, and procedures necessary to adequately detect, investigate, and resolve instances of major corruption” and has the capacity to assume responsibility for internal processes.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

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