WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Legal and Policy Center calls on Democrat leaders including President Clinton, Vice President Gore and Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO) to address the  corruption and serious ethical problems facing the John Sweeney AFL-CIO at this week's AFL-CIO Executive Council Meeting in Las Vegas.

"Clinton, Gore and Gephardt cannot just gloss over the scandals and serious ethical problems of the Sweeney AFL-CIO," said NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm.  "For the sake of the rank-n-file union members, these three supposedly "pro-labor" politicans need to strongly criticize the illegal activity connect to the last Teamsters election as well as all union corruption."

"John Sweeney's governing coalition over the AFL-CIO is on the verge of falling apart due to the scandal.  Ron Carey, Richard Trumka, Gerald McEntee and Andrew Stern are vital to Sweeney's control," added Boehm.  "If Clinton, Gore and Gephardt remain silent on these union leaders' role in the Teamsters scandal or Arthur Coia's links to organized crime, they are essentially saying crime does pay when your a union boss."

According to U.S. District Court records, former Teamsters President Ron Carey, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees President Gerald McEntee and Service Employees International Union President Andrew Stern have be implicated in the Teamsters money-laundering scandal which improperly raised at least $538,100 for Carey's 1996 reelection effort.  According to recent offical statements of the Laborer's International Union of North America's (LIUNA) chief investigator, LIUNA President Arthur Coia is beholden to organized crime.  The U.S. Justice Department recently extended its oversight of LIUNA for links to organized crime.

John Sweeney has stated that one purpose of the Las Vegas Executive Council Meeting is to "zero in" on AFL-CIO political contribution strategy for the 1998 elections. President Clinton is expected to be in attendance on Wednesday.  Vice President Gore and Rep. Gephardt are both expected to address the Executive Council on Thursday.

"It would be a disgrace for Democratic leaders to come to this meeting groveling for campaign money and at the same time refuse to address the corruption plaguing the labor movement," stated Boehm.  "Clinton, Gore and Gephardt should stand up to the union bosses and fight for the interest of union members not hide their eyes from the scandal."

NLPC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation promoting ethics and accountability in government.  NLPC was a plaintiff in the lawsuit which succeeded in opening the records of Hillary Rodham Clinton's Health Care Task Force.  NLPC's Organized Labor Accountability Project is investigating and exposing corruption in the Teamsters, Laborers' International Union of North American, AFL-CIO and other labor organizations.

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NOTE: For interviews to facilitate your coverage, contact Dan Rene at 703-847-3088 or drene@nlpc.org. Attached are questions that John Sweeney, labor leaders and politicans should be asked while in Las Vegas. Also attached is chart explaining the Teamster scandal.

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