Decades-long oversight of Teamsters to come to an end

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters last week announced the quarter-century of heavy government oversight it agreed to in 1989 has come to an end. Teamsters’ head Jim Hoffa said it’s a “new day” for the union, which has represented organized truck drivers in some form for roughly 100 years.

Federal watchdogs have been supervising the Teamsters’ finances since a 1989 consent agreement, but a new agreement struck recently will see federal supervisors step back and allow the union to regain full independence.

“This is a historic day for our Teamsters. After decades of hard work and millions of dollars spent, we can finally say that corrupt elements have been driven from the Teamsters and that the government oversight can come to an end,” Hoffa said.

An application for approval for the agreement has been filed with a federal court in New York and is pending Chief Judge Loretta Preska’s signature. She is expected to approve it.