ALAMEDA COUNTY
Just months after the banishment for two years of likely the most influential Teamster on the West Coast, the Alameda Labor Council is set to honor him during its annual Unionist of the Year dinner next May in Oakland.

After a years-long investigation, the Teamsters suspended Rome Aloise, the president of the Teamster Joint 7 Council, for two years from all union-related activities. His pay and benefits worth a total of $383,000 is also being withheld by the union.

But this black eye is not stopping the Alameda Labor Council from honoring Aloise next month. In fact, the flyer advertising the fundraising dinner, which has a top-shelf price tag of $25,000, boldly calls Aloise “An Unstoppable Force for Good.”

Last fall, a report by an independent review investigator detailed Aloise’s improper involvement in local union elections, incidents where he received personal benefits while negotiation labor contracts, including $1,000 tickets to a Playboy Super Bowl party, and seeking as a favor, employment for a relative.

On Dec. 22, the Teamster suspended Aloise, but not before a separate investigations review officer wrote “Aloise stands alone in the number and breadth of serious violations he was found to have engaged in while an International Vice President.”

During the same union dinner next month, the Alameda Labor Council is also honoring State Sen. Nancy Skinner as the “Unstoppable Labor Champion & Warrior of the Year.”

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