After serving a two-year suspension from his union offices and salaries for corruption, Rome Aloise will reclaim his International vice president position on December 22. This is just a few hours after the Winter Solstice, which marks the start of winter and is the darkest day of the year.

Aloise was charged by the Independent Review Board and found guilty of all charges on October 24, 2017. 

The 122-page report on the charges details how Aloise solicited tickets to an exclusive Super Bowl Playboy party from an employer that he was bargaining with; he used his union influence at two employers to force them to hire his cousin; he negotiated a sham union contract with an investment broker friend; and he illegally used union resources and power to ensure the election of his supporter in Local 601.

During his two-year suspension, Aloise continued to attend union conferences and was reportedly running Oakland Local 853 and Northern California Joint Council 7, while stands-ins held the offices. He will resume his Local 853 position on January 1, and reclaim his Joint Council 7 position as soon as the stand-in, Dave Hawley, resigns to allow Aloise to be appointed. 

It is indeed a dark day for our union when a union leader, who was paid $383,462 in union salaries and allowances and yet resorted to corruption, is welcomed back into power.  

This is why Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) is necessary: to inform and organize members to root corruption out of our great union. A strong union has the trust of its members and polices itself to keep corrupt leader out.