Our union has a unique anti-corruption system, with an independent investigations unit and an independent judge. They are charged with keeping our union corruption-free and controlled by the members.
Many members know little or nothing about this program. How was it put in place? Who runs it? What kinds of charges are issued?
Who Runs the Anti-Corruption Program?
The program is headed by two officers: the Independent Investigations Officer (IIO), and the Independent Review Officer (IRO). They each have their own staff, and they operate independently of the IBT.
The IIO is supposed to investigate issues of embezzlement, employer payoffs, and violations of our IBT constitution to deny members’ rights or for personal gain.The IIO has the power and duty to bring recommended charges against officers or members. These are internal union charges, not criminal cases.
The IIO refers charges to the appropriate Teamster officers, typically to the IBT General President, who then hold a hearing and make a decision on a penalty, if they find the charges are sustained. The IRO reviews the matter and makes the final decision, and can overrule the union hearing decision. The IRO is the final judge.
It is a permanent anti-corruption unit and entirely internal to our union. The government has no appointment power or control.
How Did This Program Start?
The anti-corruption program is the result of a lawsuit filed against the Teamsters in 1987 when our union was penetrated by organized crime influence. In 1989, the IBT settled the racketeering and corruption lawsuit.
The settlement, called the Consent Order, gave members the right to elect our International Union officers and it created an independent anti-corruption program.
The program is outlined in our IBT Constitution at Article 19, Section 14 and in the Final Consent Order of 2015, which replaced the earlier consent order.
What is the Role of the Anti-Corruption System Today?
The Teamsters Union is a democratic union. The IDO system is designed to keep it that way.
Our Teamsters Union was cleaned-up by two actions: first and foremost, members won the right to elect our top officers, and democracy went a long way to rid our union of corrupt and self-serving officials.
Second, anti-corruption officers were put in place, who charged and removed a number of officials, for such things as organized-crime association, embezzlement, and employer pay-offs.
Using democracy to clean out corruption was effective for Teamster members. It was copied in the United Auto Workers union, when corruption by top officers led to a consent order to allow members to choose a one-member-one-vote system. The auto workers used that democracy to elect reform leaders, who then led the stand-up strikes of 2023.
Who are the Independent Disciplinary Officers?
The IIO is currently Robert Luskin. He is an attorney with extensive experience in investigations in white collar crime, working for the Justice Department and in many other capacities. He was appointed the IIO by former Teamster president James Hoffa and has served since 2021.
The IRO is the honorable Barbara S. Jones, a retired federal judge. She has extensive experience in white collar crime and financial fraud and serves in several such capacities presently. She was also appointed by Hoffa.
Can Members Reach the Anti-Corruption Program?
Yes. The anti-corruption program has a website here. It has a secure portal to report alleged misconduct. The website is new, and a work in progress. It lacks a full searchable library of all the charges and decisions by the corruption officers over the past 35 years, since the original consent order. Hopefully that will be corrected soon. Currently it is possible to see past decisions here.
Who Appoints the IIO and IRO?
The General President appoints the IIO and IRO, under terms detailed in the consent order to keep them independent. The current IIO and IRO were appointed by former Teamster president James Hoffa in 2021. They have a five year term, which will expire in 2026. Then the General President can re-appoint them or appoint different persons.
What Do They Investigate?
The IIO has a confidential hotline and secure portal for members or officers to report possible corruption issues. The IIO can also initiate investigations. The investigation process may involve obtaining union documents, questioning witnesses or taking depositions. They can audit local union finances and operations. The process is not public, unless charges are issued. Charges are accessible online, and TDU often makes them available to members.
The IIO can also recommend trusteeships when warranted, and also review trusteeships imposed by the IBT.
Who are Examples of Disciplined Corrupt Officials?
The most prominent example in the past few years involved International Vice President Rome Aloise, who was considered the most powerful Teamster official in the west. Aloise was expelled from the Teamsters in 2022 and banned for life from the union. He was charged and found guilty of soliciting tickets to an exclusive Playboy Club Super Bowl party from a major employer he was bargaining with; and using his union influence at two employers to force them to hire his cousin; and negotiating a sham union contract with an investment broker friend; and illegally using union resources and power to rig an election for his supporter.
Several of his associates were charged with facilitating other Aloise misconduct, and were suspended from office. One of them was John Scearcy, the former head of Washington State Local 117. Scearcy is currently serving a one-year suspension from the Teamsters. He tried to continue as an “advisor” to Local 117, but the judge ordered a stop to that.
Some charges issued seem less serious, such as when a local secretary-treasurer was charged last June for allegedly insufficient accounting controls.
How are They Independent?
The IIO and IRO have no political connection to the Teamster leadership.They are a former prosecutor and former federal judge. While they are paid by the IBT for their work, they have other independent sources of income. They hire their own staff, independent of the IBT, and maintain their own offices, unrelated to the IBT headquarters.
Aloise and Scearcy claim that they were politically persecuted. This is disproven by the facts that 1) the charges sustained against them were very serious, 2) the judge made an independent decision, and 3) both the IIO and IRO were appointed by James Hoffa; Aloise and Scearcy were Hoffa-backers.
Does the IBT Also Have an In-House Investigations Unit?
The IBT has a Compliance Standards & Investigations officer, who is Frank Hughes. When complaints received by the IBT are deemed worthy of investigation, he has the authority to do so.
What About the Independent Election Supervisor?
The Final Consent Order also ensures that we keep our one-member-one-vote system for electing International officers and IBT Convention delegates. The IBT has appointed former federal judge Timothy Hillman as the Election Supervisor to oversee the 2025-2026 IBT election and enforce the Election Rules.