Teamsters say Obama promised nothing for their endorsement

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama did not promise to end federal oversight of the Teamsters in exchange for an endorsement, a union official said Monday.

"Senator Obama has promised us nothing in exchange for our endorsement," spokesman Bret Caldwell said.

The Teamsters endorsed Obama in February.

The union, one of the nation's largest, has been under federal oversight since 1989, when it signed a consent agreement with the Justice Department to end a corruption lawsuit aimed at rooting out mob influence.

Only a federal judge can dissolve the decree.

"We would never expect a candidate to promise that, and we would know they were lying if they did," Caldwell said.

The most a president could do is try to nominate people to the Justice Department who would support dissolving the agreement.

A president also could try to fill a vacancy in the New York district where the decree was issued with a federal judge who would support ending government oversight.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that union and Obama campaign officials said the Illinois senator won the Teamsters' endorsement after privately telling the union he supported ending federal oversight.

All three major Democratic candidates -- Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, who is no longer in the running -- suggested to the Teamsters during meetings in March 2007 with the union that they thought the time for government oversight of the union was over, Caldwell said.