Trump Gives Teamsters a Chance to Shed Oversight Meant to Curb Mob Ties

Last winter, a lawyer representing the Teamsters union made a proposal to leaders at the Justice Department: After 35 years, the lawyer said, it was time for the government to stop monitoring the union.The outreach, which has not previously been reported, was described by people who either participated in the discussions or were briefed on them, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations with the government.The talks paved the way for a motion filed last week by the Teamsters and federal prosecutors in Manhattan that would dismantle what remains of external disciplinary structures established in 1989 to rid the union of organized crime.If approved by a federal judge, the proposal would be a major victory for Sean M.

O’Brien, the Teamsters president, who has leveraged political connections and tough talk to assume outsize power in the union and in the Trump administration.Last week, at the union’s convention in Las Vegas, Teamsters delegates voted so overwhelmingly in support of Mr.O’Brien’s nomination bid that he was re-elected on the spot to a second term.

Mr.O’Brien, 54, is poised to begin his second term as Teamsters president with a clear mandate, a close hold on power and political influence, including the ear of President Trump.In his profanity-laced acceptance speech to more than 1,700 Teamsters delegates, Mr.

O’Brien celebrated the “militancy” that has defined his leadership.He demanded unity, “no more bullshit.” The union’s power flowed from the members up, he said, not the top down.

But the chants of “five more years” made it clear who was in charge.“I’ve got an alpha personality, there’s no doubt,” Mr.O’Brien said in an interview in Las Vegas.

“But I do have a tremendous amount of integrity, I’ve always prided myself on doing what’s right for the organization.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your ...