Judge Withdraws Teamsters Demand
August 17, 1998
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge backed down
Monday from ordering the entire Teamsters executive board to appear in his New York
courtroom to discuss funding for the union's upcoming election.
In a one-page order, U.S. District Judge David Edelstein said he had been persuaded by objections raised by the
union's attorneys.
The attorneys had objected that the Teamsters board already twice
rejected funding the election and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the
government was bound to pay by the terms of a 1989 consent decree.
They also argued that forcing all 22 board
members to appear on Wednesday would disrupt union business.
The 1996 Teamsters election was financed with
$17.5 million in taxpayer funds under the terms of the consent decree the union signed
with the Justice Department.
The election was corrupted by a contribution-swap
scheme that the re-election campaign of Teamsters President Ron Carey engineered. The
Teamsters treasury was pilfered of more than $800,000.
Congressional Republicans have authorized the
Justice Department to pay for about half the estimated $8.6 million cost of the rerun
election. The union, emboldened by the appeals court decision, has refused to put up the
other half.
Also Monday, a West Coast fund-raiser who helped
raise funds for a committee that supported Carey's campaign in exchange for Teamsters'
donations to liberal grass-roots causes pleaded guilty to lying to the court-appointed
officer who oversaw the election.
Charles Blitz denied to the election officer that Michael Ansara, who has also pleaded guilty, approached him about the
scheme and facilitated the contributions.
Blitz faces a maximum sentence
of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and possibly restitution. His sentencing was
set for Dec. 2.
© Copyright 1998 The Associated Press