Former Chicago Ready-Mix Teamsters Local's Leadership Ousted, Lawsuit Planned
Drama plays out over ready-mix concrete contracts as former state senator faces embezzlement charges for a no-work union organizing job related to the joint council that wanted locals to merge
An Illinois state senator’s recent not-guilty plea to federal charges of embezzlement has put a new focus on a long-running dispute between a Chicago construction industry union and the leadership of the Chicago Teamsters Joint Council 25, a powerful, overarching organization of 25 Teamsters locals in northwest Indiana and Chicago that represents more than 100,000 workers.
On Aug. 18, State Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park, Ill.) pleaded not guilty to 39 counts of embezzlement, one count of conspiracy and one count of making false statements in response to federal grand jury charges of ghost-payrolling as a Teamsters organizer.