know how bad O'Brien is

[JZuraw]

.... but boycott his lousy podcast

[JZuraw]

This O'Brien quote is reprehensible: "Social issues are well and good, but protecting illegal immigrants that come into our country to commit crimes and steal jobs, that's a tough pill to swallow."

He's a hate-monger.

His people immigrated. My people immigrated. What percentage of Teamster members (by virtue of being indigenous) doesn't have immigrant forebearers? This is (overwhelmingly) a nation of immigrants.

People who come here to work aren't stealing jobs. They're contributing.

Has any Teamster officer, IBT or Local, called out O'Brien for this garbage?

[Koldiww]

Your witnessimg a microcosm of the US in the Teamsters. No one is able to call out trump and he will reak havoc on millions of people without consequence and O'Brian has the same free pass with officers and officials. There is virtually no opposition to whatever oz does. Everyone sees that the IIO is a weapon for oz, truth and facts mean nothing, and opposition is futile. The new election officer will bless whatever oz wants, and unless there is phony opposition served up to show how "democratic" the ibt is, there will be no opposition. Tdu is dead, and this site is all there is lefy. Thank you to those sponsoring this. The situation is pathetic within the US and the ibt...

[The Direct Line]

Sounds like union authoritarianism is taking root. I find it funny when SOB says "I have 1.3 million bosses". What a fucken joke. Like someone texted me, "he's gone full fascist".

[David Brad Bishop]

This is pretty rich, considering Local 25's sordid past and his own father's implication in the murder of two guards during a 1994 armored-car heist. For those unfamilar, here's a fascinating read from The Boston Herald circa 2002. As you read this, don't forget how TDU and the Labor Notes crowd heralded Sean O'Brien as the guy to take on "the old guard."


ANALYSIS - Teamsters indictments might be just the beginning
January 20, 2002 Boston Herald (MA)
Author/Byline: Jack Sullivan Page: 2 Section: News


The 179-count indictment unsealed Thursday against Teamsters boss George W. Cashman charging him and others with bribery and embezzlement is not the end - but it could signal the beginning of it for the embattled Local 25 president, according to sources and union insiders.

The federal grand jury in Worcester investigating the racketeering allegations against Cashman and other Local 25 members has yet to hand up indictments on the charges of union shakedowns of Hollywood producers, threats, intimidation and assaults on rival union members, and payoffs and bribes of local Teamsters officials from other companies, just to name a few.

"The case will continue to be investigated," U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said Friday, declining to talk about specifics of the probe. 'It's been an intense investigation for a long period of time."

The investigation by the federal Department of Labor's Office of Labor Racketeering began in the fall of 1999, according to sources, nearly a full year before reports began to surface.

In the interim, there have been allegations of the Teamsters movie crew run amok, a crew of bad actors that includes ex-cons, Mob associates, Hell's Angels and killers who pluck the plum $2,000 a week plus expenses and overtime jobs with little or no seniority while longtime union members are routinely passed over.

"It's a crew of Damon Runyon characters," one Teamsters insider once told the Herald.

Investigators have traveled coast to coast, north and south, to interview filmmakers about their encounters with Local 25. A parade of Hollywood who's who has testified before the grand jury, according to sources, and records have been subpoenaed from some of Hollywood's biggest studios - Disney, Dream Works, Miramax and Warner Brothers - as well as state offices.

Investigators have raided the homes of Local 25 movie crew bosses James P. Flynn of Weymouth and William O'Brien of Medford, coming away with a slew of records related to the movie crew and, in the case of O'Brien, about $50,000 in cash.

Flynn, an ex-con and reputed Mob associate, is also a focus of the investigation for allegedly forcing producers to rent equipment from his company, Location Connection, in exchange for labor peace.

"When Jimmy stands in the (court) dock," said one source, "that's the signal it's all coming down."

O'Brien, whose son runs the Teamsters driving school on rent-free Massport property in East Boston, was identified in an indictment as the person whose name appeared on the rental for the getaway car in the infamous 1994 armored-car heist in New Hampshire where two guards were executed. O'Brien was never charged in the case, but seven of the eight men convicted in the holdup were members of Local 25, most working on the movie crew at one time or another.

Prosecutors also have subpoenaed copies of Teamsters records from the Charlestown office and from Massport, where Cashman sits on the board of directors, at least for now.

Investigators are probing charges of Teamsters padding overtime and expense sheets and adding unnecessary but connected workers to payrolls, including disgraced Middlesex Sheriff John McGonigle, who got on the movie crew within months of his release from federal prison.

Federal agents have also looked into the beating of a snack-truck driver on the set of "What's the Worst That Could Happen" when she allegedly refused a demand by Flynn to turn her concession over to a Local 25 member.

Sources told the Herald that Flynn wanted to have the woman killed or others would lose respect. But, according to sources, Lou DiGiampaolo, who negotiates the movie crew's contracts with producers, caught wind of the plan and alerted Cashman. Sources said Cashman nixed Flynn's plan but OK'd having her beaten to "send her a message."

None of that was even hinted at in the indictments that were unsealed Thursday. Cashman and his vice president, William Carnes of Melrose, were charged along with brothers James and Thomas DiSilva and their brother-in-law, William Belanger, with trying to defraud the union's health and pension benefits funds. The five are accused of submitting bogus time sheets for 19 people to give them eligibility to collect the benefits when they didn't deserve or earn them.

At least 11 of the 19 worked at one time on the Local 25 movie crew, and at least one of them was in jail at the time his hours were submitted, according to sources.

"Nice work if you can get it," said one source.

Cashman was also named but not charged in a separate indictment of John J. "Mick" Murray, a reputed Mob associate. Murray, who is a forklift driver at the Herald, was charged with 12 counts of racketeering and extortion but the bigger news was a "close association" prosecutors claimed Murray had with fugitive Mob boss James J."Whitey" Bulger and his imprisoned partner Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi.

Prosecutors said Murray belonged to a loosely knit gang of criminals they dubbed "the Charlestown group" who "exerted influence" over Cashman. Despite the whispers, that is the first time Cashman has been officially and publicly connected, however indirectly, to Bulger.

In July 2000, Cashman acknowledged the ongoing investigation but denied he was a focus.

"If l am," he said in a published interview at the time, "no one has told me about it."

That, however, may have been a stretch. Not only did Cashman receive a target letter when the grand jury began its investigation, according to sources, but movie-industry officials and local unions relying on films had been complaining to then-Gov. Paul Cellucci's administration for years about Teamsters intimidation cutting the legs out of the state's ability to compete.

"The Teamsters' high-cost, antiquated contracts, strong-arm techniques and inability to adjust to a changing marketplace have cost Massachusetts a significant amount of film business," state Film Office director Robin Dawson wrote in an "urgent matter" memo to Cellucci on Jan. 29, 1997.

But through it all, Cashman has survived, mainly through his bond with former Govs. William Weld and Cellucci, support that has given him a tenuous relationship with Cellucci's protege and successor, acting Gov. Jane Swift.

That, however, likely will be gone within the next 48 hours. If Cashman fails to heed Swift's call for his resignation from the Massport board, she will suspend him and pick a replacement, according to Swift spokesman James Borghesani.

And officials at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters headquarters in Washington, D.C., who did not return calls from the Herald, have been huddling on the matter, which caused some embarrassment on Thursday. President Bush was at the IBT office when the indictments were handed up, meeting with James Hoffa and other officials to praise the Teamsters president for cleaning up the union and ridding it of organized-crime influence.

Teamsters sources said the IBT is not ready to remove Cashman yet, waiting to see what the next wave of indictments bring and who else will be swept up. If more members of the Charlestown-based Local 25 executive board are indicted, the union stands a good chance of being placed into receivership just as other locals around the country are coming out of it.

Caption: NOT DONE YET: Teamsters boss George Cashman leaves federal court last week after his indictment for bribery and embezzlement, with more likely on the way. Staff photo by Kevin Wisniewski

[4thfloor]

Something every Teamster should know about. Thanks.

[The Direct Line]

Luis Felix Leon writes for Labor Notes but overall Labor Notes have been quite. TDU it is dead silence, no peep. Maybe that is how SOB wants and likes it. Like a good well trained dog, they stay in their place

[Moyama]

This is pretty rich, considering Local 25's sordid past and his own father's implication in the murder of two guards during a 1994 armored-car heist. For those unfamilar, here's a fascinating read from The Boston Herald circa 2002. As you read this, don't forget how TDU and the Labor Notes crowd heralded Sean O'Brien as the guy to take on "the old guard."


ANALYSIS - Teamsters indictments might be just the beginning
January 20, 2002 Boston Herald (MA)
Author/Byline: Jack Sullivan Page: 2 Section: News


The 179-count indictment unsealed Thursday against Teamsters boss George W. Cashman charging him and others with bribery and embezzlement is not the end - but it could signal the beginning of it for the embattled Local 25 president, according to sources and union insiders.

The federal grand jury in Worcester investigating the racketeering allegations against Cashman and other Local 25 members has yet to hand up indictments on the charges of union shakedowns of Hollywood producers, threats, intimidation and assaults on rival union members, and payoffs and bribes of local Teamsters officials from other companies, just to name a few.

"The case will continue to be investigated," U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said Friday, declining to talk about specifics of the probe. 'It's been an intense investigation for a long period of time."

The investigation by the federal Department of Labor's Office of Labor Racketeering began in the fall of 1999, according to sources, nearly a full year before reports began to surface.

In the interim, there have been allegations of the Teamsters movie crew run amok, a crew of bad actors that includes ex-cons, Mob associates, Hell's Angels and killers who pluck the plum $2,000 a week plus expenses and overtime jobs with little or no seniority while longtime union members are routinely passed over.

"It's a crew of Damon Runyon characters," one Teamsters insider once told the Herald.

Investigators have traveled coast to coast, north and south, to interview filmmakers about their encounters with Local 25. A parade of Hollywood who's who has testified before the grand jury, according to sources, and records have been subpoenaed from some of Hollywood's biggest studios - Disney, Dream Works, Miramax and Warner Brothers - as well as state offices.

Investigators have raided the homes of Local 25 movie crew bosses James P. Flynn of Weymouth and William O'Brien of Medford, coming away with a slew of records related to the movie crew and, in the case of O'Brien, about $50,000 in cash.

Flynn, an ex-con and reputed Mob associate, is also a focus of the investigation for allegedly forcing producers to rent equipment from his company, Location Connection, in exchange for labor peace.

"When Jimmy stands in the (court) dock," said one source, "that's the signal it's all coming down."

O'Brien, whose son runs the Teamsters driving school on rent-free Massport property in East Boston, was identified in an indictment as the person whose name appeared on the rental for the getaway car in the infamous 1994 armored-car heist in New Hampshire where two guards were executed. O'Brien was never charged in the case, but seven of the eight men convicted in the holdup were members of Local 25, most working on the movie crew at one time or another.

Prosecutors also have subpoenaed copies of Teamsters records from the Charlestown office and from Massport, where Cashman sits on the board of directors, at least for now.

Investigators are probing charges of Teamsters padding overtime and expense sheets and adding unnecessary but connected workers to payrolls, including disgraced Middlesex Sheriff John McGonigle, who got on the movie crew within months of his release from federal prison.

Federal agents have also looked into the beating of a snack-truck driver on the set of "What's the Worst That Could Happen" when she allegedly refused a demand by Flynn to turn her concession over to a Local 25 member.

Sources told the Herald that Flynn wanted to have the woman killed or others would lose respect. But, according to sources, Lou DiGiampaolo, who negotiates the movie crew's contracts with producers, caught wind of the plan and alerted Cashman. Sources said Cashman nixed Flynn's plan but OK'd having her beaten to "send her a message."

None of that was even hinted at in the indictments that were unsealed Thursday. Cashman and his vice president, William Carnes of Melrose, were charged along with brothers James and Thomas DiSilva and their brother-in-law, William Belanger, with trying to defraud the union's health and pension benefits funds. The five are accused of submitting bogus time sheets for 19 people to give them eligibility to collect the benefits when they didn't deserve or earn them.

At least 11 of the 19 worked at one time on the Local 25 movie crew, and at least one of them was in jail at the time his hours were submitted, according to sources.

"Nice work if you can get it," said one source.

Cashman was also named but not charged in a separate indictment of John J. "Mick" Murray, a reputed Mob associate. Murray, who is a forklift driver at the Herald, was charged with 12 counts of racketeering and extortion but the bigger news was a "close association" prosecutors claimed Murray had with fugitive Mob boss James J."Whitey" Bulger and his imprisoned partner Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi.

Prosecutors said Murray belonged to a loosely knit gang of criminals they dubbed "the Charlestown group" who "exerted influence" over Cashman. Despite the whispers, that is the first time Cashman has been officially and publicly connected, however indirectly, to Bulger.

In July 2000, Cashman acknowledged the ongoing investigation but denied he was a focus.

"If l am," he said in a published interview at the time, "no one has told me about it."

That, however, may have been a stretch. Not only did Cashman receive a target letter when the grand jury began its investigation, according to sources, but movie-industry officials and local unions relying on films had been complaining to then-Gov. Paul Cellucci's administration for years about Teamsters intimidation cutting the legs out of the state's ability to compete.

"The Teamsters' high-cost, antiquated contracts, strong-arm techniques and inability to adjust to a changing marketplace have cost Massachusetts a significant amount of film business," state Film Office director Robin Dawson wrote in an "urgent matter" memo to Cellucci on Jan. 29, 1997.

But through it all, Cashman has survived, mainly through his bond with former Govs. William Weld and Cellucci, support that has given him a tenuous relationship with Cellucci's protege and successor, acting Gov. Jane Swift.

That, however, likely will be gone within the next 48 hours. If Cashman fails to heed Swift's call for his resignation from the Massport board, she will suspend him and pick a replacement, according to Swift spokesman James Borghesani.

And officials at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters headquarters in Washington, D.C., who did not return calls from the Herald, have been huddling on the matter, which caused some embarrassment on Thursday. President Bush was at the IBT office when the indictments were handed up, meeting with James Hoffa and other officials to praise the Teamsters president for cleaning up the union and ridding it of organized-crime influence.

Teamsters sources said the IBT is not ready to remove Cashman yet, waiting to see what the next wave of indictments bring and who else will be swept up. If more members of the Charlestown-based Local 25 executive board are indicted, the union stands a good chance of being placed into receivership just as other locals around the country are coming out of it.

Caption: NOT DONE YET: Teamsters boss George Cashman leaves federal court last week after his indictment for bribery and embezzlement, with more likely on the way. Staff photo by Kevin Wisniewski

Holy Shit! Am I the last person to know all this. WOW

[Gimme_Danger]

Back up from that. In Local 25, Cashman ran for office after McCarthy was GP when the consent decree was imposed. Cashman had been a VP under Carey, 2nd term, and then ran independently for VP in the rerun. After all the movie shenanigans came about, he went to jail and was banned.

[Yard Dog]

He is going to be your GP for years to come. I don't think this ne t group that is being assembled will beat him.

[LastDriver]

.... but boycott his lousy podcast

Looks like folks took your advice and boycotted, it's a LOSER.

[BBeatle]

The first one had big numbers because the guest brought a lot of followers along. Since then, not so much. He lost me when Josh Hawley was on.

[Yard Dog]

Bringing those TDU Commies in is what is destroying this Union. He should have never done that.

[WTF891]

Bringing those TDU Commies in is what is destroying this Union. He should have never done that.

He's using TDU, it's called buying off the opposition. TDU sell's it's soul for a few pieces of copper and rubber stamps O'Brien the Republican loving commie fascist. OBrien is Paff's Putin. TDU has no seat at the table. Simply put they are cheap ass street hookers no one is going marry them. O'Brien shows up at their convention speaks and hauls ass ASAP. TDU are the useful idiots.

[Bob Randall]

I'm not sure what a "commie fascist" is.

[WTF891]

While not the same, both communism and fascism originated in Europe and gained popularity in the early to mid 20th century.
Both ideologies tend to support a centralized, authoritarian government that suppresses dissent and individual freedoms. In practice, both communism and fascism often lead to totalitarian regimes.
Both systems emphasize the importance of the collective over the individual. Communism promotes collective ownership of the means of production, while fascism often emphasizes national unity and strength over individual rights.
Both ideologies reject liberal democracy and its principles, such as pluralism and multi-party systems. They often seek to eliminate political opposition and control the political landscape.
Both communism and fascism utilize propaganda to promote their ideologies and maintain control over the populace. They often manipulate information and education to align public opinion with state goals.
Both systems can exhibit militaristic tendencies. Fascism often glorifies the military and uses it to enforce nationalistic goals, while communism may also emphasize military strength in the context of defending the revolution.
Both ideologies promote a strong sense of ideological commitment among their followers, often portraying their vision as a historical necessity or a path to a better future.

[1speed]

So maybe Yard Dog had a point after all. lol

[WTF891]

If TDU had a voice, they don't .

[Yard Dog]

I am hearing alot people no longer support him. I personally don't have any real issues with the kid.

[LastDriver]

Your witnessimg a microcosm of the US in the Teamsters. No one is able to call out trump and he will reak havoc on millions of people without consequence and O'Brian has the same free pass with officers and officials. There is virtually no opposition to whatever oz does. Everyone sees that the IIO is a weapon for oz, truth and facts mean nothing, and opposition is futile. The new election officer will bless whatever oz wants, and unless there is phony opposition served up to show how "democratic" the ibt is, there will be no opposition. Tdu is dead, and this site is all there is lefy. Thank you to those sponsoring this. The situation is pathetic within the US and the ibt...

There are lots of other parallels both want isolation. Trump isolating the country from our allies and O'Brien's "Teamsters vs Everyone".

[OT+]

@DanaWhite talks about his friendship with the big guy DJT. New episod... DanaWhite TikTok.jpg
...just hangin with the anti-union crowd...

[Knucklehead]

Dana White is a horrible, horrible, union buster. Look at his record at UFC and the fighter's attempts to organize. He is brutal on worker's rights. This might be SOBs worst friendship - worse than Trump, Sen. Markunion Buster, Hawley...even TDU.
It reveals the most about his narcissistic character and the need to hang with other bighead egotists. Union folk don't hang with scabs. Maybe somebody should ask him when is he going to Organise the fighters at UFC?