1950's Law and Justice | The McClellan Committee and Labor Racketeering

Congress Considers the Unions.

The two most significant congressional probes of criminal activity during the 1950s were the Kefauver committee and the Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor-Management Field, or the McClellan committee, after Arkansas senator John L. McClellan, the committee's chairman. The goal of the committee was to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of power in the country's labor unions, especially the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the largest and strongest union in America. The investigation resulted in the prosecution and disgrace of more than a few top labor leaders. A round of housecleaning among the nation's unions followed, but the reputation of organized labor in America was seriously—and perhaps permanently—damaged.

The Racketeers.

A labor union operates on the principle that its members, by acting together, can secure for themselves...