LABORERS (LIUNA)
Chicago Bosses Face Internal Corruption Charges
LIUNA's "internal reform effort"
and its ethically-challenged "in-house prosecutor" Robert D. Luskin
filed "disciplinary charges" against four Chicago bosses for allegedly
associating with organized crime and allowing their locals to be controlled
by criminal elements. Luskin targeted Bruno Caruso, Local 1001 boss and
Chicago Laborers' Dist. Council ex-president. The Dist. Council was placed
under a trusteeship in Feb. 1998. Note that Caruso opposed Arthur A. Coia
for LIUNA general president at the 1996 convention. Others charged: Caruso's
brother and ex-Local 1006 boss Frank Caruso, his cousin and Local 1006
boss Leo Caruso and Local 5 boss James DiForti. A recent report said Luskin
charged the four Mar. 3 with having a "knowing association with members
and associates of organized crime and for permitting organized crime to
exercise control over the affairs of the union." The report also claimed
that DiForti and the Carusos played a, "significant role in a breakdown
of democratic practices" within the Dist. Council. Trusteeships over Local
1001 and 1006 are reportedly possible. [BNA 4/29/99]
In addition to the unions and organizations covered in this Union Corruption Update, readers can look forward to news and information on other corrupt and abusive unions in future editions.
All back issues of the Union Corruption Update can be viewed at NLPC's website (www.nlpc.org). Also available is a union-by-union and state-by-state index of all Union Corruption Update articles.
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Union Corruption Update is part of NLPC's Organized Labor Accountability Project which is investigating and exposing corruption and extremism in the Teamsters, LIUNA, AFL-CIO and many other union organizations. NLPC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation promoting ethics and accountability in government through research, education and legal action.
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