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.
Industry Reviews
"This book is a very important addition to the already most impressive series of studies Jacobs published in the last decades on the manifold ways organized crime can get embedded in core institutions, key industries and black markets and on the huge long-term efforts it takes to liberate societies to a certain extent from such a parasitical phenomenon. For European readers the overwhelming lesson is that competent, experienced and dedicated prosecutors, police officers, and judges are an equally strategic precondition for any successful campaign against organized crime as an appropriate legal framework to contain its most damaging societal manifestations." C. J. C. F. Fijnaut, Tilburg University "The definitive legal and political account of this piece of [Teamsters] history." Library Journal "[A] meticulous study ... Richly detailed." Choice "In Breaking the Devil's Pact, Jacobs and Cooperman persuasively show that the Teamsters could be freed from the tentacles of mob bosses only by an imaginative use of the civil remedies of RICO; as Congress rightly foresaw, criminal prosecutions alone were not enough." G. Robert Blakey, Notre Dame Law School, principal architect of RICO "Breaking the Devil's Pact tells the compelling story of the government's Herculean effort to break La Cosa Nostra's stranglehold over a notorious union. It will shock and surprise you, proving once again that the truth really is stranger than fiction." -Randy Mastro, Litigation Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and former federal prosecutor "Court-ordered reform of a private organization is more easily prescribed than implemented. Breaking the Devil's Pact is an intriguing account of a continuing, decades-long struggle to rid a powerful union of corrupt influences. It will certainly appeal to specialists in organized crime and labor relations. Moreover, it will be of interest well beyond a North American readership. Regulatory scholars around the world will note the very real limits to what they call 'enforced self-regulation.' Democratic theorists will recognize the challenge of voter apathy. Sociologists of organizations will see an extreme example of inertia. Political scientists will be heartened by the apolitical nature of reform efforts over four successive presidential administrations, but disappointed with the slow pace of change. Metaphorically speaking, Breaking the Devil's Pact is a mansion with many fascinating rooms." Peter Grabosky, FASSA, Professor, Regulatory Institutions Network, Australian National University "It has long been clear that criminal prosecutions alone cannot remedy systemic organizational corruption. Criminologists, policymakers, prosecutors, and investigators will find much of interest in this well-written and important analysis of the government's use of the civil provisions of the RICO statute to purge organized crime's influence from the Teamsters Union. This invaluable case study demonstrates the advantages and pitfalls in using civil RICO to implement large-scale organizational reform." Ronald Goldstock, Commissioner, NYS Waterfront Commission, and former Director, NYS Organized Crime Task Force "Breaking the Devil's Pact is a case study of United States v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters (U.S. V. IBT), a civil law suit against the IBT under provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, a 1970 law that included both criminal and noncriminal provisions." - Howard Abadinsky, Journal of American Studies, November 2012
