Free Republic

“I won’t lie to you. I expect to be judged by results” – President Barack Obama, February 10, 2009 Who do you think said the following? Unlike most previous social-policy milestones, this law was jammed through Congress over the opposition of all Republicans, some Democrats and most of the public. The financial crisis had delivered the Democrats such large majorities in 2008 that they could accomplish longstanding ideological goals that had nothing to do with that crisis. Nor did Obama himself have a mandate for the law, having campaigned against some of its most controversial features — for instance,...

OAKLAND TWP. (WWJ) - Federal agents searching for the body of former Teamsters chief Jimmy Hoffa believe they are about to crack one of America’s biggest unsolved mysteries. CBS News has confirmed a suspicious concrete slab was retrieved by investigators from the Oakland Township field where they have been digging for any sign of Hoffa. It’s too soon, however, to know whether the slab is anything more than part of an old foundation for a barn. The dig — the latest in what’s been nearly a 40-year search — is reportedly the result of extensive FBI interviews with former mobster...

The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment in search of the elusive remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive when he left for lunch with two mobsters 38 years ago. Federal agents brought excavation equipment Monday to a field in suburban Detroit where Tony Zerilli said Hoffa’s remains were buried. Zerilli, 85, told Detroit television station WDIV in February that he knew the location of the remains. …

<p>Investigators plan to dig up an Oakland County field Monday in hopes of discovering the remains of Jimmy Hoffa, an FBI spokesperson confirms to FOX 2.</p> <p>Monday's dig comes after aging mobster Tony Zerilli said earlier this year that Hoffa's body was buried in the northern Oakland Township field, about 20 miles north of the restaurant where he was last seen in July 1975.</p>

Think loan sharks charge predatory rates? Compared with what it costs to get out of union pension funds, those guys are cheap. When he was forced to downsize his last, part-time unionized trucker, George Kerver said he was charged nearly half a million dollars to help bail out the Teamsters union pension fund. "We got the bill and it was for $465,774," said Kerver, president of Fastdecks Inc., a concrete forming company in Walled Lake. "We have made three payments so far. The first one was due five days after our receipt of their demand. Three sets of lawyers have...

Tony Zerilli, alleged to be the underboss of Detroit's biggest crime family, is breaking his silence on one of the greatest unsolved crimes in American historyA man who federal agents say is a main character in the infamous unsolved mystery about the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa is breaking his silence after decades of refusing to answer questions. The reputed gangster says the union leader was buried in a field in suburban Detroit -- about 20 miles north of the restaurant where he was last seen. Eighty-five years old and barely able to walk, Tony Zerilli never thought this day would...

A photo depicting what appears to be the Teamsters Union flag improperly flying above the American flag outside the union’s D.C. headquarters on Tuesday was sent to TheBlaze, and the story of how a Marine veteran who tried to bring it to the group’s attention was treated is sure to raise eyebrows. The photo was taken by the Marine at approximately 2:10 pm ET and sent to TheBlaze by his brother. Both have requested anonymity for fear of retaliation by the union. This is the picture:

This article analyzes the history of labor union violence, and how Rep. Capuano's comments are a perfect continuation of this historical truth. Labor Unions: A History of Murder and Sabotage The New American 28 February 2011 The raging union-led protests in Wisconsin have resulted in many Americans taking a closer, more critical look at labor unions and their political clout and influence in shaping policy. With the ubiquitous announcement from AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka that he is granted an audience at the White House “nearly every day,” the American people have become more skeptical of unions and the role...

Yesterday we brought you news of union members in Michigan becoming violent against conservatives. First, there was the tearing down of a large Americans for Prosperity tent while women and elderly people were inside and then conservative activist Steven Crowder was punched in the face four times and threatened with murder. Now, straight out the Saul Alinsky playbook, the Left, the Teamsters Union and MSNBC's Ed Schultz are accusing AFP of tearing down their own tent down and are accusing Crowder of provoking union workers to attack him. The Teamsters have gone so far as saying the protest in Michigan...

Michigan Republicans touched off a firestorm Thursday with an abrupt push to pass right-to-work legislation, in what would be a blow to organized labor in the home of the U.S. auto industry. Right-to-work legislation prohibits unions from forcing workers to pay union dues. Unions and their Democratic allies adamantly oppose these laws -- but with little warning, Michigan Republicans on Thursday laid the groundwork to, in a matter of days, make their state the 24th with right-to-work legislation. "This is all about taking care of the hard-working workers in Michigan, being pro-worker and giving them freedom to make choices," Michigan...

The National Labor Relations Board regional office issued a complaint against Minneapolis-based Teamsters Local 974 after the union reportedly failed to follow proper procedures regarding an employee's request to refrain from paying a portion of his union dues. A former employee with New Brighton Ford recently requested to stop paying union dues that supported nonrepresentational activities, according to Marlin Osthus, regional director for the Minneapolis National Labor Relations Board office. His request is protected under union members' "Beck rights," a term coined from a 1988 Supreme Court decision that ruled unions could not require members to pay for their political...

Hostess Brands Inc. said Tuesday night that mediation talks with its bakers union failed and the company will proceed with plans to close down and sell its assets.

Teamsters Local 120 -- a large and prominent Minnesota local -- was taken over Tuesday by its parent union after an investigation found evidence of financial irregularities by top leaders. The union and its president, James P. Hoffa, put Local 120 into emergency trusteeship after a "determination that there has been a violation of fiduciary responsibility," said Bret Caldwell, a spokesman for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The top two executives of Blaine-based Local 120, Brad Slawson Sr. and Brad Slawson Jr., have been put on a leave of absence, and the local's executive leadership board has been dissolved, Caldwell...

In the southeast Michigan town of Roseville, there will be a dig of a driveway to see if there's a body buried underneath it, and utlimately, if it's the remains of missing Teamsters union-boss Jimmy Hoffa, according to Granite Broadcasting sister station MyTV20 News. According to the report from MyTV20 News: Police have used ground-penetrating radar and discovered an anomoly under a driveway pavement that could be the remains of a body buried there some 35 years ago - around the time that Hoffa disappeared. Read the press release from the Roseville, Michigan police department: "Roseville Police Investigate Possible Cold...

A crew of rogue Teamsters shook down major Hub convention organizers, assaulted rivals and rigged union votes in a lucrative “pay-to-play” reign — including once strong-arming the state Democratic Party by threatening to obstruct a fundraiser by Gov. Deval Patrick where President Obama spoke, officials said.

Four former members of the Teamsters union were in federal court today to answer charges they behaved like common thugs, committing multiple acts of extortion and racketeering while beating up and bullying their own brotherhood who tried to question their methods and leadership, authorities said. John Perry, 60, of Woburn, Joseph “Jo Jo” Burhoe, 44, of Braintree, James “Jimmy the Bull” Deamicis, 49, of Quincy, and Thomas Flaherty, 49, of Braintree, have been charged in a 30-count indictment with racketeering, conspiracy to extort, extortion, attempted extortion, mail fraud, prohibition against certain persons holding office and theft of government money. The...

When James Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, looks at the Tea Party today, he flashes back to 1964 and sees the John Birch Society. "The Tea Party, these right wingers are basically the modern-day John Birch Society," he told U.S. News. "They are being extremists." The John Birch Society gained traction in the earl 60s with its vehemently anti-communist rhetoric and distrust in government. Hoffa says just like in the early 60s when the John Birch Society pushed for Barry Goldwater, who was the more conservative candidate, to be the Republican presidential nominee, the Tea Party has...

Unions hit Democratic convention where it hurts: In the wallet By: Robin Bravender and Anna Palmer August 9, 2012 06:44 PM EDT The Democrats are hitting up unions — their go-to cash cows — for last-minute donations to help pay for next month’s convention in Charlotte. The response from some big unions? Tough. Union leaders insisted from the start that they wouldn’t help fill the piggy bank for this year’s Democratic National Convention after the party picked a labor-hostile location and at the same time made fundraising tougher by banning corporate contributions and capping individual donations. And with the event...

Historian Lamar Waldron is out with his new book Watergate: The Hidden History which exposes Nixon's role as the liaison between the CIA and the Mafia in their failed plots to assassinate Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, and it was files on this subject which the Watergate burglars were seeking as reported by Thom Hartmann for the Huffington Post: As one of the Watergate burglars admitted, and Senate Watergate Committee investigators indicated in their secret questioning of Mafia don Johnny Rosselli, Nixon was worried about a Cuban Dossier of CIA attempts to kill Fidel Castro. Those attempts began in earnest in...

Coca Cola and union members from Teamster Local 1035 have reached an agreement putting an end to a six-week strike. Union workers voted and passed a six-year agreement that includes annual wage increases and additional company contributions to employee retirement plans. The agreement also provides shared responsibility for healthcare costs through employee contributions, Coca Cola said in a statement released Thursday night. Workers will be returning back to the job on Monday morning.