Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, LABOR NEWS—Teamsters and DOJ have filed joint motion to end 37-year-old consent decree, (Jun 18, 2026)

By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.

It also would amend the final order entered in 2015.

Yesterday, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that, jointly with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, it has filed a motion to amend a final order and consent decree stemming from RICO litigation begun in 1989.

On June 28, 1988, in United States v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the U.S. Government filed suit against Teamsters and others in the Southern District of New York, raising claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (“RICO”) Act and alleging that an organized crime group, aided by Teamsters, had seized “an interest in and control of” the union to implement an extensive “pattern of racketeering activity” that included mail fraud, embezzlement, bribery, and murder. The claimed pattern of racketeering included the “use of force, violence and fear to intimidate union members,” and the systematic racketeering activities by which corrupt union officers engaged in “fraudulent deprivation of union members’ money and property rights.”

In March 1989, a federal district court in New York approved a consent decree that resolved the government’s claims against Teamsters and called for certain oversight measures, which ultimately evolved into a permanent watchdog body. The court retained jurisdiction.

Final agreement and order. In 2015, the consent decree was replaced with a final agreement and order, which indicated a transition from direct federal control to internal oversight with external monitoring. It required the Teamsters to establish an effective and independent disciplinary enforcement mechanism, comprising one Independent Investigations Officer (the “IIO”) and one Independent Review Officer (the “IRO”), with ultimate authority to discipline IBT members and require compliance with the IBT Constitution and rules. They were granted broad powers, including the right to exercise such investigative and disciplinary authority as previously exercised by the board that was created under the consent order, as well as the authority that the General President, General Secretary-Treasurer, and General Executive Board were authorized and empowered to exercise pursuant to the IBT Constitution.

In the 37 years that have followed the initial decree, according to the Teamsters, it has held nine elections and “successfully eliminated corrupt elements from the union.” The union contends that since the election of Sean O’Brien as general president in 2021 (he was just re-elected to another five-year term), it has created a new system of rigorous checks and balances that ensures that every member complaint is investigated and, as needed, 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.

What would stay the same. In the memorandum supporting the motion, the parties explain that the proposed Revised Final Order would still require the Teamsters to “maintain rigorous internal investigative, disciplinary, and audit systems to effectively identify, address, and eliminate the influence of organized crime and all forms of major corruption within the Union” and that it would be required to maintain its Office of Compliance Standards and Investigations (“OCSI”) as well as its internal and affiliate audit departments as permanent components of its compliance infrastructure and that it must provide them with adequate resources and staffing. The revised final order also would include the permanent injunctions from the final order, as well as the role of the Independent Election Supervisor. It will also retain the structural electoral reforms of the consent decree, according to the parties’ memo.

What would change. The major changes identified include the elimination of the IIO position on December 31, 2026, along with the “anticipated sunsetting of the IRO position three years after entry of the Revised Final Order.” The IRO will have the ability to notify the court, prior to the expiration of that term, if she believes there is good cause for extending it.

The motion requires court approval and is currently before the judge who has overseen the consent decree monitorships since 2002.

Earlier this year, the Independent Review Officer conducted an assessment of the International Union’s internal disciplinary systems and audit functions and, according to the Teamsters, 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.

The case is No. 1:88-cv-04486-LAP.

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