Lopez denies rigging union election; factions explained

Maywood trustee Richard Lopez, who recently ascended to the presidency of Teamsters Local 743, was indicted for disenfranchising the members of his union to keep his ticket in control of the local.

Proviso Herald (David Pollard) interviewed Lopez.

"I got a lawyer looking over it," he said about the indictment. "I don't understand what's going on here. I think it's politics. It's just (George) Bush politics. I've never done anything wrong and I don't admit to doing anything wrong."

Lopez characterized the losing slate as making sour grapes allegations of election fraud as an excuse for losing. The opposition, 743 New Leadership Slate, has a web site that allows comments.

Lopez is right that election losers often complain of fraud. But it's rare that law enforcement authorities bring charges. And U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has an exceptional conviction rate. As far as I know in every political case where Fitzgerald has brought an indictment the defendant has been convicted of at least some of the charges.

Normally union elections are skewed in favor of the incumbents. It's difficult to organize an insurgency from within the ranks.

Richard Berg, ran as one of the opposition candidates, explained that there are two factions vying for control of Local 743. The incumbents are aligned with International Brotherhood of Teamsters President James P. Hoffa, son of iconic union boss Jimmy Hoffa, Jr.

The opposition slate was aligned with Tom Leedham. Leedham was supported by Teamsters for a Democratic Union.

Richard Berg ran on Leedham's slate as Central Region Vice President. Berg received 41% of the vote.

Berg says that the anti-Hoffa faction does not want the union put into trusteeship as a result of the charges against Lopez and his slate. Berg explained that if the local was put into trusteeship Hoffa would appoint the leadership who would then work to marginalize the opposition. Berg expressed confidence that he and his allies can win a free and fair election at this point.

Berg says that Lopez was not slated to be one of the candidates in the upcoming election.

Maywood trustee Rich Lopez indicted for rigging union election

Village of Maywood trustee Rich Lopez has be indicted for illegally influencing the election of officers in Teamsters Local 743. Lopez has been a Maywood trustee since April, 2005 and is part of the majority block aligned with village president Henderson Yarbrough.

Lopez was also elected Secretary-Treasurer of Local 743 in 2005. Secretary-treasurer is usually the #2 position in a local. Lopez ascended to be the president of the local when President Robert Walston retired on August 31, 2007. See Local 743 press release (pdf).

From the U.S. Attorney, Northern Illinois District, press release (pdf).

The indictment alleges that between August and December 2004, Lopez, Mosley, Jones and Rodriguez, together with others, engaged in a scheme to rig the election by diverting official ballot packages to the defendants' friends, family and associates, and casting the ballots or causing them to be cast in both the October and December elections for incumbent officers, known as the "Unity Slate," to ensure their election. The defendants and others allegedly caused the addresses of certain Local 743 members to be changed in union records so that official ballot packages would be diverted in the mail to their friends, family and associates, rather then being delivered to Local 743 members in good standing who were eligible to vote in those elections. The defendants and others allegedly caused the addresses of Local 743 members in a computer database to be changed from the members' previously recorded addresses to new addresses collected and provided by the defendants that in fact belonged to their friends, family and confidantes. The defendants then allegedly collected the fraudulently delivered ballot packages, and the ballots later were cast or caused to be cast in favor of the incumbent slate of officers.

[UPDATE: You can read the indictment on the U.S. Attorney's website (pdf).]

[UPDATE2: Sun-Times (Dave Newbart) covered the story.

[A union friend told me that he expected Local 743 to be put into trusteeship as a result of these charges. When the Department of Labor has enough evidence to file an indictment it results in the larger union (in this case the Teamsters) placing the local into trusteeship. The officers are removed and the larger union appoints some outsiders to serve as caretakers while the local reorganizes and installs a non-corrupt regime.]