November 13, 2012: A 139-page report by the Independent Review Board (IRB) details a pattern of corruption in Minneapolis Local 120, along with self-dealing by Brad Slawson Sr and Brad Slawson Jr to line the pockets of themselves and their friends.

The IRB recommended a trusteeship of the local, and Teamster President James Hoffa has put the local into trusteeship. The letter announcing the trusteeship is available here.

The IRB alleges that the Slawsons, who are the local’s secretary treasurer and president, ignored the unions’ bylaws, hid dealings such as the diversion of strike fund money to build a union hall from the membership and executive board, and diverted money to themselves and family friends. 

One such allegation involves a “finder’s fee” of $90,000 to a family friend from the contractor who built the new union hall in 2008. Another is that Slawson Jr promised union business to a vendor to get out from under a personal debt.

Hoffa imposed an emergency trusteeship and appointed Bill Moore as the Trustee to run the 10,000-member local, which covers warehousing, trucking and other Teamsters in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa. 

We expect the IRB to follow with charges against the Slawsons, which could lead to expulsion from the union.

Moore himself was removed from office for a one-year suspension by the IRB during 2009, after he lied under oath about his association with Dane Passo, who had been expelled from the union for selling out members to benefit an employer. Moore is an International representative and heads Local 696 in Topeka, Kansas.

The IRB is the independent body charged with taking such action to clean up the Teamsters; Hoffa is attempting to get it abolished.

TDU will make available the full IRB report as soon as possible; it is presently embargoed by the IRB.