Hoffa Aides Guilty of Selling Out Teamsters
Hogan and Passo Expelled From Teamsters Union
May 30, 2002—Billy Hogan, Jr., and Dane Passo, two top officials in the administration of Teamster president James Hoffa, were expelled from the Teamsters Union today for corruption.
The Independent Review Board (IRB), in an 80-page decision, barred them for life from the Teamsters Union for engineering a scheme in Las Vegas which would have given a sweetheart deal to a nonunion company, United Temps, while undercutting a Teamster contract covering 1,100 convention-industry Teamsters.
Hogan’s brother is the vice president of United Temps. Hogan, Passo and Hoffa met with United Temps president Richard Simon at Harry Cary’s restaurant in Chicago in late July or early August of 2000, as the deal was in the works. (Simon is a part owner of the restaurant, and the meal did not show up on Hoffa’s, Hogan’s or Passo’s expense account.)
Hogan and Passo are both high ranking power brokers in the Hoffa administration. Hogan was Hoffa’s first choice to be his running mate: in 1996 Hoffa announced a “Hoffa-Hogan Ticket”. Later, when the IRB began to uncover extensive corruption and family-dealings in Hogan’s Chicago empire, Hogan stepped aside for a stand-in candidate, Tom Keegel.
Passo was Hoffa’s Midwest campaign coordinator, and held the unique title of “Special Assistant to the President.” He was always at Hoffa’s side at important union events.
As recently a month ago, at the April 30 Teamster Special Convention in Las Vegas, which Hoffa called to raise members’ dues, Hogan was a key speaker at Hoffa’s Unity Rally. Hogan denounced reform Teamsters who called for a membership vote on the dues proposal.
The Hoffa administration’s number one political goal, ahead of issues of benefit to working Teamsters, is to make a political deal to eliminate the IRB along with impartial supervision of Teamster elections. Without the IRB, Hogan and Passo would have faced a “trial” with the jury being Hoffa and his hand-picked slate, with a predictable result.
http://www.tdu.org/HoffaWatch/Hogan_..._expelled.html 
