Unions: Cleanup by Takeover

The war dates back to the era of tail fins and Hula-Hoops. Finally, after 30 years of frustration, the Justice Department is preparing a new offensive in its continuing struggle to cleanse mob stains from the 2 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Federal officials confirmed last week that the Government plans to file a path-breaking civil suit asking the courts to replace the national leadership of the Teamsters with a federal trustee. The takeover bid would not affect the upcoming criminal trial of Teamster President Jackie Presser on federal racketeering charges.

But the Teamsters are not likely to come under federal control until the 1990s, if then. The only precedent is a Teamster local in New Jersey with close ties to organized crime, which was placed under a federal trusteeship last year. That case took four years to resolve.