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Statement of Stephen S Trott Before the Conference on Labor and Employment Law, February 6, 1986

NCJ Number
100628
Author(s)
S S Trott
Date Published
1986
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This speech discusses recent developments in criminal labor law and the
Abstract
Proposals related to labor racketeering are presented from the President's Commission on Organized Crime. Among these is the proposal that Congress make it an unfair labor practice for a person to control a labor organization through a pattern of racketeering similar to that now prosecuted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). This is based on the commission's primary finding that organized crime has used labor unions as a tool to obtain monopoly power in certain markets to give mob-run businesses a competitive advantage. The speech cites recent cases that reveal racketeering in the management of the Teamsters pension fund (United States v. Delune, et al.). Examples are also provided of the Justice Department's efforts to counter management racketeering. Particular attention is given to the use of the RICO statute by Federal prosecutors to address labor-management racketeering involving criminal defendants who have committed crimes specified in the statute. The advantages of RICO in prosecuting labor racketeering cases are indicated.