Lawsuit Against Teamsters, Government Lacks Merit, Shows Lack of Legal Understanding

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A lawsuit filed by International Vice President Fred Gegare and others against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, General President Jim Hoffa and the U.S. government is an abuse of the legal system and shows a lack of understanding of the ongoing consent decree between the Teamsters Union and the U.S. government.

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"The complaint is baseless as the plaintiffs do not have standing to bring the action and the substantive allegations are false and without legal basis," said Brad Raymond, Teamsters General Counsel. "The issues raised in the suit were rejected by the courts over 20 years ago, well before the current administration took office in 1999.

"The lead plaintiff well knows that the union has engaged in numerous efforts to bring an end to the consent decree – efforts that are ongoing," Raymond said. "At the same time, Jim Hoffa's dedication to a corruption-free union is borne out by the dramatic decline in activity by the Independent Review Board during his administration. He remains committed to his promise of working responsibly with the U.S. Attorney's office to find an acceptable replacement for the IRB that recognizes the efforts taken by the Hoffa administration and will insure against a return to the problems that led to the government's filing of the original civil suit that resulted in the consent decree. The frivolous lawsuit initiated by the plaintiffs will hopefully not detract from these efforts."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.Teamster.org.

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters