The Nation - News from March 2, 1989

The executive board of the Teamsters Union met in Washington and decided not to accept a proposed settlement offered by the Justice Department in the massive civil racketeering suit filed against the union last June, union spokesman Duke Zeller said. He would not discuss details, saying only “there is no change in the government’s position and we are now preparing for trial.” In late January, the Teamsters rejected the government’s first settlement offer. A trial in the case is scheduled to begin on March 13 in U.S. District Court in New York. The government’s suit, filed under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), charged that the union is heavily influenced by organized crime. The suit seeks to oust top Teamster officials and place the union under court trusteeship.