Jackie Presser

Presser was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1926. His grandfather, a Jewish emigrant from Austria, became a garment worker, and was active in and participated in several strikes led by various garment makers' unions in New York City. Presser's father, William (Bill) Presser, was at the time of Jackie's birth a Teamster organizer. The Pressers were very poor: Bill Presser stuffed newspapers into shoes to block holes in the uppers and strengthen worn-out soles. The family often moved into an apartment at the beginning of the month and out again at the end of the month because the Pressers could not afford the rent.[1]

Bill Presser, however, was a protege of Jimmy Hoffa and quickly rose within the local, regional and international Teamsters ranks. He was elected president of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters and eventually a vice president of the international union.[1] Bill Presser was also intimately connected with the Cleveland mob.[2][3][4]

Presser's childhood, by his own account, was a happy one. However, he was deeply influenced by his family's poverty, and by the anti-semitic prejudice he often encountered.[4]

Presser dropped out of school in the middle of the eighth grade. Using his father's connections, he got a job delivering juke boxes to local restaurants and bars.[4][5]

Presser enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 when he was 17, and served in World War II. After the war, Presser returned to Cleveland and got a job as a truck driver for a vending machine company.[1][4][5]

After a year as a truck driver, Presser was hired as a union organizer by Local 10, a Cleveland affiliate of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union. In 1948, Presser was elected president of Local 10. He merged his local with four other local unions in order to improve the workers' collective bargaining position. He also began receiving a markedly larger salary, and spending large amounts of money on travel and automobiles. He wore pinky rings and diamond bracelets, and became notorious for wearing loud, brightly colored sports jackets. He also began to gain substantial amounts of weight, a health problem he would fight for the rest of his life. In 1952, Presser lost re-election as union president after members became dissatisfied with his colorful and lavish lifestyle.[1][4][5]

In 1952, Jackie Presser was hired as an organizer by the international Teamsters union and held a series of staff jobs for the next 12 years. Presser's break came in 1964, when he and his father brokered a real estate deal in suburban Cleveland for a group of local investors (which included himself). The investors built an upscale sports club and restaurant on the property secured by a $1.1 million loan from the Teamsters' Central States Pension Fund. The project went bankrupt, however, and the pension fund lost more than $265,000.[1][2]

Presser also undertook a personal transformation at this time. He stopped wearing flashy rings and loud clothing and began expressing a taste for expensive, conservative, tailored suits. He also undertook a series of diets in an unsuccessful attempt to lose weight (he weighed close to 140 kg [300 pounds] for the rest of his life).[1]

In 1966, Bill Presser gave his son Jackie a charter to form a new Teamsters local in Cleveland. Jackie Presser organized 12 workers at a local paint company and established Local 507. Presser hired a number of organizers, and Local 507 quickly organized 6,000 workers in dozens of plants and warehouses in the Cleveland area -— making Local 507 the largest Teamster local in the metropolitan area.[1][4][6]

Bill and Jackie Presser soon were some of the most powerful men in the Teamsters union. By 1972, the father-son combination led the Ohio Conference of Teamsters. Jackie Presser quickly helped make the Ohio Conference a model within the Teamsters for providing social services, engaging in union-member communications, and undertaking effective political activity. Both Pressers were also trustees of the Teamster's Central States Pension Fund, one of the richest and most influential pension plans in the nation.[7]

Jackie Presser was elected an international vice president of the Teamsters in 1976. His father, Bill Presser, was forced to resign his vice presidency after he was convicted of extortion and obstruction of justice. According to court testimony, Bill Presser and the Cleveland mob agreed to nominate Jackie as Bill Presser's successor. Bill Presser met with Roy Lee Williams, then president of the Central Conference of Teamsters -— a regional council which controlled union locals in 14 Midwestern states (including Ohio). Williams, who was working with the Kansas City crime family, agreed to help Presser convince Teamster President Fitzsimmons to make Jackie a vice president. Jackie Presser's subsequent election was unanimous.[1][6][8][9][10]

As an international vice president, Presser urged the Teamsters to root out corruption and pushed for a massive public relations campaign to improve the union's image. In 1977, the Teamsters built a large public relations operation at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Presser soon won authorization for a $250,000-a-year advertising campaign, and the union began sponsoring football games on the radio.[1][4]

But that same year Presser, along with Fitzsimmons and 17 other Teamster leaders, was forced to resign as a trustee of the Central States Pension Fund. The Department of Justice had charged Presser and others with making improper loans to mob-controlled Las Vegas casinos, racetracks and real estate investments. In 1978, Presser was named a defendant in a civil suit brought by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), which sought damages and reimbursement on behalf of union retirees.[7][11]

By 1979, Presser was making $231,676 a year. He drew a salary as both secretary-treasurer of Local 507 and as an international vice president of the union.[12]

In 1980, Ronald Reagan forged a close political relationship with Jackie Presser. During Reagan's 1980 campaign for president, Jackie Presser served as one of Reagan's hosts at a private luncheon for Teamster and other union leaders and escorted Reagan to private meetings with Teamster officials.[20] After the November 1980 presidential election, Reagan named Presser as a labor advisor to his transition team. The media soon reported that Presser was reputed to have links to organized crime and that he was the object of a DOL civil suit for financial malfeasance. Reagan and his advisors claimed to have been unaware of the accusations, and Presser denied having any ties to organized crime.[15][21] Just days after the story broke in the national press, however, New Jersey State Police witnesses testified that Presser was the primary contact for the DeCavalcante crime family of New Jersey and the Patriarca crime family of Boston whenever crime figures needed loans from Teamster pension funds.[22] The courtroom testimony intensified the pressure on the Reagan transition team.

Democrats and leaders of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), a Teamster reform group, demanded that Reagan remove Presser from the transition team. But Reagan aides said that the transition team had completed its task and the issue was now moot.[23]

The U.S. Department of Labor began investigating Presser in 1981 after receiving allegations he had padded the Local 507 payroll with "ghost employees." A secret affidavit outlining the government's actions and preliminary findings was filed with a federal court in 1982.[24]

On April 15, 1981, Frank Fitzsimmons announced he was stepping down as president of the Teamsters due to worsening health. Roy Williams and Jackie Presser were mentioned as possible successors, and some press reports indicated a fight for the presidency was under way. But Presser announced he would not be a candidate and that he was supporting Williams instead.[25] Williams was opposed by Pete Camarata—a dock worker from Detroit, Michigan, and co-founder of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). When TDU activists picketed the Teamster convention at which Williams was elected, Presser declared the picketers "an ever-changing cast of union drop-outs, college students, aimless transients and an elite group of zealots who clearly have the clout over the sign carriers" and declared them to be under the control of "Marxist leaders from the International Socialist Party." He also repeatedly referred to Camarata as "Commie-Rat-A."[26] Camarata accused Presser of hiring a "squad of thugs" to intimidate delegates and provoke violence—allegations which would later prove accurate.[27]

During the convention, Presser was asked whether he supported the reaffiliation of the union with the AFL-CIO. He told the press that his attitude was "very negative" toward reaffiliation.[28]

In mid-June, Bill Presser died of a heart attack.[29]

Jackie Presser, who was re-elected as an international vice president at the June convention, later reported that he earned $353,737 in 1981 from his various Teamsters jobs.[30] In 1982, he made $394,895.[31]

In February 1983, Presser was re-elected to the international union's policy committee.[36]

Just two months later, Roy Williams was convicted for conspiring to bribe U.S. Senator Howard Cannon. Williams announced he would resign as Teamsters president while appealing his conviction.[37]

Williams' conviction was no surprise to Presser. Beginning in 1979, Presser began providing the Justice Department with extensive information on Williams. It was Presser who had turned over the critical evidence which showed Williams had arranged to give Sen. Cannon a parcel of land as a bribe to defeat trucking deregulation legislation.[3]

Press reports at the time claimed that a ferocious fight erupted over Williams' successor. Williams' resignation came just 15 days before the Teamster convention, at which a successor would have to be elected. In addition to Presser, other candidates for the presidency were reported to be M.E. (Andy) Anderson, president of the statewide Teamsters organization in California; Joseph Morgan, president of the Teamsters in Florida; Don Peters, president of the large Teamsters local in Chicago; and Ray Schoessling, secretary-treasurer of the international Teamsters union and a Williams appointee.[38] The press reported that Presser had formed an alliance with Anderson, which gave him enough votes to win the presidency.[8][39]

In fact, no internal fight existed. Instead, mafia families in Chicago, Cleveland and various cities on the East Coast had met shortly after Williams' resignation announcement and picked Presser to lead the Teamsters. Initially, organized crime figures did not prefer Presser. But mob leaders Angelo Lonardo, Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, and Milton "Maishe" Rockman (Scalish's brother-in-law) met with mafia officials throughout the country to build support for a Presser presidency. The final decision was made at a meeting in a Chicago hotel attended by Jackie Cerone, Aiuppa, Lonardo and Rockman. Presser himself informed the FBI shortly after the mob meeting that he "had the support of all the East Coast families" and that he would be the next Teamsters' president.[3][40]

Jackie Presser was elected president of the Teamsters on April 21, 1983. He pledged to re-invigorate the union, organize new members, and end trucking deregulation. He also said he had no opinion as to whether the Teamsters should rejoin the AFL-CIO.[7][41]

Shortly after his election, Presser told his FBI contacts that anyone who sought to do business with him needed to go through the mafia first.[3]

Presser's biggest opponent within the Teamsters was actually William J. McCarthy, president of Joint Council 10 (which covered all Teamster locals in New England). In an attempt to discredit McCarthy, Presser told the FBI that McCarthy had sought the support of organized crime in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Presser to appoint him secretary-treasurer in 1983.[42]

Reports later showed that Presser was paid more than a half million dollars in salary in 1983 (the year of his election to the presidency). He received $216,000 as secretary-treasurer and executive officer of Local 507; $42,500 as vice chairman of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters; and $59,500 as president of Teamsters Joint Council 41 in Ohio. His presidential salary was $216,000 a year.[43]

On May 5, 1983, the U.S. Department of Labor settled a portion of its case against the former trustees of the Central States Pension Fund. Several insurance companies agreed to pay more than $6.75 million to the fund. Presser was not involved in the settlement, and the civil suit against him continued.[44] But the same day DOL claimed victory against pension fund graft, Presser told FBI agents that organized crime still controlled the pension fund.[3] In 1984, Presser and the remaining trustees settled their personal liability suit for $2 million.[45]

Three years later, the U.S. Department of Labor settled its final civil case against Presser and the other Central States Pension Fund trustees. The agreement, which included Presser, turned operation of the pension fund over to a federal court until the year 2007. In addition, Presser and the other 17 trustees paid an additional $175,000 to reimburse the fund for certain other costs. It was the first time the Labor Department won restitution from individual pension fund trustees under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).[46]

Presser quickly established his control over the Teamsters during his first six months in office. He appointed Robert Holmes, a Detroit Teamster leader, as director of the Central Conference of Teamsters; Paul Locigno, a Teamster staffer from Ohio, as director of government affairs; Wallace Clements, a staff political coordinator in the Deep South, as political director; and Vicki Saporta, a longtime organizer, as organizing director. Presser also strengthened the union's research and lobbying shops and established the Titan System, a computer networking system which established email communication throughout the union for the first time.[47] He also began a major lobbying effort, particularly against a proposed labor racketeering bill.[48]

In October 1983, the TDU announced a slate of candidates to try to oust Presser.[49]

On November 8, 1983, Presser underwent triple bypass heart surgery in Cleveland.[50]

By the end of 1983, Presser was making $755,474 a year.[51]

On October 24, 1984, Presser named Weldon Mathis secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters. Mathis replaced Ray Schoessling, who retired effective January 1, 1986.[52]

In 1984, Presser received more than $530,000 in pay. Presser was paid $224,000 in salary by Local 507, $59,500 by Teamsters Joint Council 41, $18,100 by the Ohio Conference of Teamsters, and $229,000 by the international union.[53]

In April 1986, as Presser's legal woes worsened, C. Sam Theodus, leader of Teamster Local 407 in Cleveland, announced he would run as the TDU candidate against Presser. Presser's legal problems, however, seemed unlikely to harm his chances for re-election.[54]

At the regularly scheduled Teamsters convention in May 1986, Presser was elected to a full five-year term as Teamsters president. Presser arrived in the ballroom accompanied by composer Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man. Four muscular men dressed as Roman centurions bearing him on a golden sedan chair. Despite being indicted days before on embezzlement and racketeering charges, Presser received 1,729 votes to Theodus' 24 votes. Theodus conceded after the first hour of balloting, but Presser ordered the roll call to continue to the end (it lasted another three-and-a-half hours) to humiliate Theodus. After the balloting, delegates defeated proposals to cut the president's salary by $100,000 and to prohibit national leaders from collecting multiple union salaries.[55]

A month later, the press reported that Presser had received a total income of $588,353 from his four union positions.[56]

In October 1987, Presser led the Teamsters back into the AFL-CIO. Presser had repeatedly said he was uninterested in reaffiliation, and AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland had been deeply angered by Presser's attempt to merge with the ITU and to raid AFL-CIO affiliated unions with members in the publishing industry.[57] But as Presser's legal problems mounted and a federal takeover of the union appeared more and more likely, Presser sought reaffiliation as a means of shielding the Teamsters from the government. In August and September 1987, leaders of the AFL-CIO and the Teamsters secretly worked out a tentative reaffiliation agreement—exactly 30 years after the Teamsters were first expelled for corruption. Pushing reaffiliation on the AFL-CIO side were Robert Georgine, president of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and William H. Wynn, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers.[17][58] Law enforcement officials said the reaffiliation undercut their effort to put the Teamsters under federal control.[59]

The 1981 investigation into Presser's payroll-padding at Local 507 finally led to a decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute Presser in June 1984.[92] Five days later, the Los Angeles Times named Presser as a U.S. government criminal informant. The report quoted unnamed FBI sources, making this the first time that government officials had confirmed the unverified accusations of mob informants and other reports.[93]

But nearly a year passed before any prosecutorial action was taken. During this time, the Justice Department debated whether to protect Presser as a source or prosecute him. Finally, on May 16, 1985, top Justice Department officials ordered federal attorneys to drop their prosecution of Presser over concerns that his extensive cooperation with the government would be revealed.[94]

Outraged members of Congress demanded an investigation into the handling of the politically sensitive case. Over the next year, Senate investigators learned that FBI field agents had not kept FBI officials fully informed of their actions, that FBI field agents may have improperly approved illegal actions, and that FBI officials did not keep DOJ and DOL officials fully informed of their relationship with Presser.[95]

Presser's attorneys claimed that the FBI had given him permission to initiate and maintain the payroll-padding scheme as a means of shielding him from mob suspicions. Such permission, which is permitted under FBI and DOJ rules and federal law, should bar prosecution, Presser's lawyers argued.[96]

Federal grand juries in Cleveland and Washington, D.C., soon opened investigations into the FBI's handling of the Presser case as well as whether the promises made by FBI agents had been authorized.[97] Justice Department leaders eventually undertook a prosecution of one of the FBI field agents who handled Presser, claiming that he had not been authorized to give Presser permission to engage in the payroll-padding scheme.[98]

In May 1986, federal prosecutors again indicted Jackie Presser for fraud.[99]

Presser's declining health caused numerous delays in his trial. He had surgery to remove two cancerous tumors in January 1987. His cancer returned in June 1987, and he spent several months undergoing chemotherapy and recuperating. He underwent surgery again in the fall of 1987 to remove another cancerous tumor. He suffered additional heart and pituitary gland problems throughout the winter and spring of 1988.[100]

On May 4, 1988, Jackie Presser told the Teamsters executive board that he was taking a four-month leave of absence due to his health problems. Weldon Mathis was named the union's acting president.[101]

Presser was diagnosed with a brain tumor 10 days later, and underwent surgery to have the tumor removed.[102] Presser went home, but was re-admitted to the hospital on June 27 suffering from cardiac problems, a blood clot in his lung and pituitary gland dysfunction.[103]

Jackie Presser died in Cleveland on the evening of Saturday, July 9, 1988. He was four weeks shy of his 62nd birthday. The proximate cause of death was cardiac arrest, a complication of his cancer and ongoing cardiac problems.[1]

Hours after Presser's funeral on July 12, Teamster leaders met at a nearby restaurant and agreed to support William J. McCarthy as his successor.[3]

Presser and his first wife Pat had two children, a daughter Bari (born 1953) and a son, Gary. Presser divorced his second wife, Carmen, in 1983. The couple had two children. Presser's son, Gary, was elected vice president of Local 507.[6]

Presser was an avid golfer. He also enjoyed fine food, and patronized five-star restaurants.[6]

Presser was the first labor leader to be named to the Greater Cleveland Growth Association board of directors (the city's chamber of commerce). He also worked with the Special Olympics, and organized tournaments for blind golfers.[5]

A 1992 made-for-TV movie was produced for HBO about his time in office, called Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story, which starred Brian Dennehy and Jeff Daniels.

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• Perl, Peter. "Senate Subcommittee Requests Files On Aborted Probe of Teamsters Chief." Washington Post. July 26, 1985.
• Perl, Peter. "Some Teamsters Find Contract Ominous." Washington Post. April 4, 1985.
• Perl, Peter. "Teamsters Reject New Trucking Contract." Washington Post. July 13, 1985.
• Perl, Peter. "Truck Labor Talks Start." Washington Post. January 16, 1985.
• Perl, Peter. "Typographical Union Prepares to Vote On Teamsters Merger." Washington Post. July 8, 1985.
• Perl, Peter and Russakoff, Dale. "Teamsters Endorse GOP Ticket." Washington Post. August 31, 1984.
• Perl, Peter and Swoboda, Frank. "AFL-CIO Chiefs Said to Plan On Readmitting Teamsters." Washington Post. October 23, 1987.
• Porrello, Rick. To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia. Novelty, Ohio: Next Hat Press, 2004. ISBN 0-9662508-9-3
• Pound, Edward T. "Union Dissidents and 2 In Congress Assail Teamster In Reagan Group." New York Times. December 17, 1980.
• "Presser Allegedly Sought Help From Crime Figure." United Press International. December 18, 1980.
• "Presser and FBI Agent Indicted." Los Angeles Times. May 16, 1986.
• "Presser Is Called Informer Since '74." Associated Press. November 27, 1987.
• "Presser Prepares Concession Proposal." Associated Press. August 3, 1983.
• "Presser Reported Alert, Undergoing Tests In Cardiac Unit." Associated Press. June 30, 1988.
• "Presser Terms Union Demands 'Heavy'." Associated Press. August 1, 1985.
• "Presser, 2 Aides Plead Innocent." United Press International. May 30, 1986.
• "Presser Will Advise Reagan On Labor." Associated Press. December 19, 1980.
• "Printers Proceeding In Talks On Merger With the Teamsters." New York Times. September 28, 1983.
• Raab, Selwyn. "Top Teamster Informer Told F.B.I. That McCarthy Asked Mafia Help." New York Times. March 17, 1989.
• Richey, Warren. "Despite Legal Probes, Jackie Presser Seems A Cinch For Teamster Reelection." Christian Science Monitor. May 12, 1986.
• Sawyer, Kathy. "ITU Members Replace Chief, Reject Teamsters." Washington Post. July 28, 1984.
• Sawyer, Kathy. "Teamsters President Agrees to Resign to Avoid Jail During Appeal." Washington Post. April 16, 1983.
• Seppy, Tom. "Court Rejects Presser Bid to Avoid Crime Panel Questions." Associated Press. April 5, 1985.
• Serrin, William. "Dissident Teamsters Count Some Gains Despite Convention Losses." New York Times. June 8, 1981.
• Serrin, William. "Jackie Presser's Secret Lives Detailed In Government Files." New York Times. March 27, 1989.
• Serrin, William. "Kirkland Opposes Teamsters Merger." New York Times. October 7, 1983.
• Serrin, William. "Ohio Leader Named Teamsters' Chief." New York Times. April 22, 1983.
• Serrin, William. "Teamster Delegates Elect Williams. Any Objections?" New York Times. June 7, 1981.
• Serrin, William. "Teamster Presidency Race Narrows." New York Times. April 20, 1983.
• Serrin, William. "Teamster Says Union Prefers Reagan to Mondale." New York Times. September 26, 1983.
• Serrin, William. "Teamster's Tough Road." New York Times. October 23, 1983.
• Serrin, William. "Teamsters Open Convention With Reagan Message." New York Times. June 2, 1981.
• Shabecoff, Philip. "Fitzsimmons, Ailing, May Quit Union Job." New York Times. April 16, 1981.
• Shenon, Philip. "Corrupt Unions to Be the Target of Justice Dept." New York Times. November 22, 1986.
• Shenon, Philip. "Officials Say U.S. Plans Indictment of Teamster Chief." New York Times. May 10, 1986.
• Shenon, Philip. "Teamster Leader Is Indicted by U.S. For Racketeering." New York Times. May 17, 1986.
• Shenon, Philip. "U.S. Sues to Oust Teamster Chiefs." New York Times. June 29, 1988
• Shipp, E.R. "Teamsters' Leader Is Silent at Inquiry by Crime Panel." New York Times. April 24, 1985.
• Silberg, William. "Fitzsimmons May Step Down." United Press International. May 8, 1981.
• "Suit Charges Teamster Chief 'Rigged' Vote." Los Angeles Times. September 1, 1984.
• Swoboda, Frank. "Presser Terminally Ill, Doctor Tells U.S. Judge." Washington Post. June 8, 1988.
• Swoboda, Frank. "Presser Trial Postponed For Health Review." Washington Post. January 26, 1988.
• Swoboda, Frank. "Teamsters, U.S. Settle Pension Suit." Washington Post. November 11, 1987.
• Swoboda, Frank. "Unanimous AFL-CIO Council Votes to Readmit Teamsters." Washington Post. October 25, 1987.
• Swoboda, Frank. "U.S. Sues to Take Over Teamsters." Washington Post. June 29, 1988
• "TDU Blasts Salaries For Top Teamsters Officials." Associated Press. July 26, 1982.
• "Teamster Chief Ordered to Testify About Union." Associated Press. April 6, 1985.
• "Teamster Chief Taking Leave." Associated Press. May 6, 1988.
• "Teamster Chief Tells Senators He Opposes Racketeering Bill." Associated Press. June 8, 1983.
• "Teamster Complains About Stand On Mondale." Associated Press. March 27, 1984.
• "Teamster Group Opens Drive Against Presser." Associated Press. October 16, 1983.
• "Teamster Leader Undergoes Triple Bypass Heart Surgery." Reuters. November 9, 1983.
• "Teamster Leader Was Paid $530,000." Associated Press. May 2, 1985.
• "Teamster President and Dissidents Disagree Over UPS Proposal." Associated Press. August 18, 1984.
• "Teamster Wants Merger With Printers' Union." Reuters. July 30, 1983.
• "Teamsters Accept A New Contract." Associated Press. May 18, 1985.
• "Teamsters Approve Car Haulers Contract." United Press International. September 13, 1985.
• "Teamsters Hold Off." Washington Post. January 20, 1984.
• "Teamsters Leader Jackie Presser Hospitalized." Associated Press. June 28, 1988.
• "Teamsters Officials Served As Informants in 1970s." United Press International. August 23, 1981.
• "Teamsters President Hospitalized, Reportedly Has Brain Cancer." Associated Press. May 14, 1988.
• "Teamsters President Retains Policy Post." New York Times. February 15, 1983.
• "Three-Way Race Surfaces For Teamsters President." Associated Press. May 1, 1981.
• "Top Teamsters Informed On 'Enemy' Union Members, Time Says." Associated Press. August 23, 1981.
• Townsend, Ed. "Teamster Vote Results Seen As Blow to Union Leaders." Christian Science Monitor. September 21, 1983.
• Tucker, Brian. "Presser Helped By Father In Teamsters Rise." Associated Press. April 21, 1983.
• Turner, Wallace. "Documents Show Strong Ties Between Organized Crime and 2 Top Teamsters." New York Times. September 29, 1980.
• "25 Teamster Officials Made More Than $100,000, Group Says." Associated Press. June 23, 1980.
• "20,000 Union Members Go On Strike." Associated Press. July 26, 1985.
• "Typographers Reject Teamsters Merger." Associated Press. August 28, 1985.
• "Union Boss Denies Newspaper Charges Through Lawyer." Associated Press. August 24, 1981.
• "U.S. Gives Up Effort to Indict Teamster Chief As Embezzler." New York Times. July 25, 1985.
• Von Bergen, Drew. "ITU, Teamsters In Merger Talks." United Press International. September 28, 1983.
• Von Bergen, Drew. "Teamsters Officials In Big Bucks." United Press International. July 25, 1983.
• Von Bergen, Drew. "Teamsters Open Convention." United Press International. June 3, 1981.
• Von Bergen, Drew. "Teamsters Push Pay Hikes and Turn Back Investigation." United Press International. June 3, 1981.
• Von Bergen, Drew. "Teamsters Settlement Does Not Involve Presser." United Press International. May 6, 1983.
• Von Bergen, Drew. "Teamsters Sticking With Reagan." United Press International. June 8, 1983.
• Von Bergen, Drew. "Union Leader Beaten In Re-Election Bid." United Press International. July 27, 1984.
• Warren, James. "Old Union Swallows Its Pride to Survive." Chicago Tribune. November 30, 1986.
• Warren, James. "Printers Reach Accord." Chicago Tribune. January 10, 1985.
• Warren, James. "Printers Union Votes to Join Phone Workers." Chicago Tribune. November 26, 1986.
• Warren, James. "Union Clearing Way For Merger With ITU." Chicago Tribune. July 17, 1986.
• Warren, James and Strong, James. "Teamsters Urge Contract OK." Chicago Tribune. April 4, 1985.
• Weinstein, Henry. "AFL-CIO Votes to Let Teamsters Reaffiliate." Los Angeles Times. October 25, 1987.
• Weinstein, Henry. "116 Receive More Than $100,000." Los Angeles Times. July 28, 1987
• Weinstein, Henry. "Unionists, Lawyers and Law Professors Tell Discomfort." Los Angeles Times. June 14, 1987.
• Weinstein, Henry and Jackson, Robert L. "Presser Takes Leave of Absence As Chief of Teamsters, Citing Illness, Sources Say." Los Angeles Times. May 5, 1988.
• Weinstein, Henry and Ostrow, Ronald J. "Teamsters Rally Forces to Battle U.S. Takeover." Los Angeles Times. September 10, 1987.
• Welch, William M. "Settlement Reached In Teamsters' Pension Fund Case." Associated Press. November 10, 1987.
• "William Presser Dies." United Press International. July 18, 1981.
• Yancey, Matt. "Indictment Seen As Unlikely To Harm Presser's Election." Associated Press. May 16, 1986.
• Yancey, Matt. "Presser Takes Leave As Teamsters Takeover Case Falters." Associated Press. May 5, 1988.
• Yancey, Matt. "Teamsters Elect Presser Overwhelmingly." Associated Press. May 21, 1986.
• Yancey, Matt. "Teamsters Leaders, Dissidents Alike Decry Possible Government Takeover Move." Associated Press. June 11, 1987.
• Yancey, Matt. "Teamsters, Trucking Lines Reach Accord On National Contract." Associated Press. March 31, 1988.
• Yost, Pete. "Presser's Career A Parade of Sharp Changes In Fortune." Associated Press. May 16, 1986.
• Yost, Pete. "Truckers Agree to New 3-Year Contract." Associated Press. April 1, 1985.

• IMDB entry on Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story
• Jackie Presser at Find a Grave