Big Labor’s true colors always seem to come out when their organizations go through internal campaigns and elections. In this case, James Hoffa and the Teamsters are under the microscope for their unscrupulous actions leading up to this fall’s elections. It appears Jimmy and friends have been using pension fund money, funded by union dues, to bribe those who have attempted to break away from the Hoffa slate, and either run in opposition or support those who do. Interestingly, court-appointed IBT Election Supervisor Richard Mark found that the complaints of bribery were credible, but the bribery attempts were dismissed because rules governing the election do not prohibit offering or proposing to use union funds. Mark’s report noted, “The conduct revealed in this investigation” the report noted drily, “reflects a culture, or mind-set where elected union officials do not clearly distinguish between their fiduciary responsibilities to the union and their separate political objectives of achieving election.” “It’s not a surprise to any of us that the Hoffa administration routinely uses union funds to advance their campaign,” said Ken Paff of Teamsters for a Democratic Union, an internal reform group (good luck with that). Fred Gegare, an IBT vice president who is now challenging Hoffa for General President, said this about Hoffa, “Twelve years of his rule have gutted our contracts and driven us to the brink of bankruptcy. While members are struggling through a tough economy, he’s throwing dues money around to buy people off with stipends, raises and pensions.”
