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Landrum Griffin Act
The Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959

The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959 has brought about significant changes for U.S. labor unions. It is important to know what led to the creation of the act and how the act changed labor unions entirely. The paper will examine the history of labor crime on one of labor unions largest unions, the Teamsters. The paper will also discuss the creation of the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959 and will examine the Landrum-Griffin Act in its entirety.

Labor Organized Crime

A labor union is an organization of workers who join together to influence the nature of their employment. They seek to improve wages and benefits or protection against arbitrary treatment and discharge from their employers. The Philadelphia shoemakers formed the first permanent union back in 1794 along with the start of local craft unions. Throughout history labor unions fought for what they believed in and some even got involved in illegal criminal battles and conspiracies. During the 1950s labor unions had reached its toll. A few of the unions had strayed away from the original purpose of a union and got involved in organized crime. It was evident when a journalist from New York appeared on national television with dark glasses and bandaged hands outraged from labor movement corruption. This journalist was blind from an acid attack linked to New York gangster Johnny Dio. For this purpose, the senate created a committee to investigate labor corruption. This committee, the Select Committee, also known as the McClellan Committee, was named after Arkansas Senator John McClellan who was appointed chairman and lawyer Robert Kennedy appointed as chief counsel.

One of the largest unions, formulated in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as Teamsters, became involved in illegal schemes and was investigated for union corruption. The Teamsters is a union representing



References: 1. Budd, John W. (2010). Labor Relations. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. 2. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, (n.d.). International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Retrieved 7 February 2011 from http://www.teamster.org. 3. National Labor Relations Board, (n.d.). The First Sixty Years. Retrieved 4 February 2011 from http://www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/shared_files/brochures/60yrs_26-30.pdfx. 4. The McClellan Committee and Labor Racketeering. (2001). American Decades. Retrieved 4 February 2011 from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3468301939.html. 5. U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act. Retrieved 01February 2011 from http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-lmrda.htm.

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