Eco James Coli (February 15, 1922-December 1982) was an alleged labor racketeer in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Starting in 1945, Coli's arrest record included attempted hijacking and assault and battery. He also was questioned in the murder of a Republican ward committeeman. During the 1950s, Coli received one year on probation for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In 1952, Coli was sentenced to eight-to-ten years imprisonment for stealing slot machines from a suburban country club, but the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

overturned his conviction in 1955. Coli was also involved in the

Teamsters Union The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the un ...

. He served as a secretary-treasurer for Chicago

Local 727, made up of parking lot attendants, funeral drivers, directors, embalmers and others. Coli instituted pensions, health insurance and negotiated lucrative contracts for his members during his tenure. Coli would run this local for 20 years up until his death. During the 1969 Chicago Columbus Day Parade, Coli made headlines by walking the parade route next to Chicago Mayor

Richard J. Daley Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1955 and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee from 1953 until his death. He has been cal ...

and Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie. Both Daley and Ogilvie claimed ignorance of Coli's criminal background. James Coli died in 1982 from natural causes. Teamsters Local 727 is now run by James Coli's grandson, John Coli.

References

*Sifakis, Carl. ''The Mafia Encyclopedia''. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005.

External links

July 4 2004 Chicago Sun Times, Sons of the mob step up in family business -- unions
by Robert Herguth {{DEFAULTSORT:Coli, Eco James 1922 births 1982 deaths American trade unionists American gangsters of Italian descent