Breaking the Devil's Pact

An in-depth study of the U.S. v. the International Brotherhood of Teamsters In 1988, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani brought a massive civil racketeering suit against the leadership of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), at the time possibly the most corrupt union in the world. The lawsuit charged that the mafia had operated the IBT as a racketeering enterprise for decades, systematically violating the rights of members and furthering the interests of organized crime. On the eve of trial, the parties settled the case, and twenty years later, the trustees are still on the job. Breaking the Devil's Pact is an in-depth study of the U.S. v. IBT, beginning with Giuliani's lawsuit and the politics surrounding it, and continuing with an incisive analysis of the controversial nature of the ongoing trusteeship. James B. Jacobs and Kerry T. Cooperman address the larger question of the limits of legal reform in the American labor movement and the appropriate level of government involvement.

James B. Jacobs, legal scholar and sociologist, was Warren E. Burger Professor of Law and Director, Center for Research in Crime and Justice, NYU School of Law. Among his books are Mobsters, Unions & Fed: The Mafia and the American Labor Movement, Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime, Busting the Mob: United States v. Cosa Nostra, and Corruption and Racketeering in the New York City Construction Industry, all published by NYU Press.

Acronyms and Abbreviations Preface U.S. v. IBT Timeline Principal Names 1 Introducing the Litigants and the Judge 2 The Civil RICO Complaint and Settlement 3 IBT Resistance and Judge Edelstein's Resolve: July 1989 - September 1992 4 Establishing New Disciplinary Machinery: July 1989 - September 1992 5 An Insurgent's Triumph: The IBT's 1991 Election 6 General President Carey and the IRB: 1992 - 1997 7 The 1996 Election Scandal 8 The 1998 Rerun Election and the Emerging Dominance of James P. Hoffa 9 The 2001 Election, the Demise of Project RISE, and the IRB's Third Term 10 The 2006 Election, the IRB's Fourth Term, and the Lead-Up to the 2011 Election 11 Lessons, Reflections, and Speculations Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index About the Authors