Evening star., 1953-02-10
Dc. MajorGoa
In Teamsters'
Member Drive
10000 to Be Sought,
Including Cab and
Truck Drivers
By jones Y. Newton
SYnK Staff Co1raspondap1

MIAMI BEACH, Fla, Feb. 10.
The AFL Teamsters' Union
today announced that Washing
ton would be one of it's main
targets in a powerful Nation
wide organizing drive aimed at
adding half a million members
within year.
Dave Beck, dynamic 57-year-
old new president of the team
sterS. said the union plans to
get about 10000 new members
in the Nations Capital within
a comparatively short time. He
estimated the union now has
between 5000 and 1000 men,
bers there now.
The campaign in Washington
will be aimed at enrolling the
city's 10000 cab drivers and ad-
ditional thousands of truck
drivers, warehousemen and work.
erS in filling stations, garages
and auto sales agencies.
Goal of 3 Million.
AS outlined by Mr.. Beck, the
Nationwide campaign will be
the most intense and ambitious
membership drive ever carried
on by a union. He said the goal
was a total membership of 3 mil
lion eventually.
Mr.. Beck told Of the drive as
he opened the annual meeting of
the unions Executive Council.
The session began shortly after
the AFL Executive Council ended
its winter meeting by announc-
ing that it will ask Congress for
20 amendments to the Taft
Hartley Act.
Mr.. Beck said he was conf
dent the union can bring it's
strength in Washington to at
least $4,000. It would make the
union by far the most powerful
non-Federal union in the city.
The drive, Mr.. Beck said, will be
started as soon as the union can
perfect new organizing ma
chinery.
The teamsters recently moved
their international headquarters
to Washington from Indianap-
oils. Mr.. Beck today signed a
contract for construction of a
$3.5 million Office building on
Louisiana avenue NV, next to
the Continental Hotel. The new
structure, plans for which were
announced a few weeks ago, will
be started in about 10 days.
Will Fan Out Over Nation.
The teamsters' new national
organizing campaign will fan out |
over most Of the country. Mr.. |
Beck said that within so days |
his organizing committees will |
be established in II Midwestern
States.
within 80 to 100 days." Mr.. |
Beck added, I'VE will be set up
for intensified organizational ac-
tivities in the Eastern States.
We will organize the South, too,
through our contractors and
contacts in the north. But that
campaign will be more gradual"
Mr.. Beck said the goal of new
members in the New York City
area was 100000 within a year,
and would include the cab driv-
erS.
Elected Last Year.
Last year, Mr.. Beck was
elected president of the team
Sters' international, succeeding
Daniel j. Tobin, for years a
power in affairs of labor and
the Democratic Party. Mr.. Beck
now is moving his center of ac-
tivity eastward.
The teamsters already have
more than 1.250.O00 members
and they claim to be the coun-
try's largest union. But nearly
a third are in the West.
Mr.. Beck revealed that his
union has $28 million Gin LIQUID
cash" to toss into the organizing
drive if all of it is needed.
Il am interested in members,
not money" Mr.. Beck said. The
union last month began assess
ing each member 10 cents per
month to add capital to the
campaign to line up new mem
bers.
Mr.. Beck also announced he
had worked out a new agree
ment with the AFL Machinists
Union. splitting jurisdiction in
the filling stations, garages and
the general automotive field,
The machinists will get the me-
chanicS, and the teamsters the
washers, greaserS, automobile
statesmen and other employees.