Teamsters On the Move | Teamsters Teamsters On the Move Organizing in Every Industry Whether it’s parking workers in Boston, or dairy workers in Wisconsin, or drivers in California who shuttle Facebook employees, thousands of workers across the United States have taken the bold step for a better life by joining the Teamsters. “We are faced with a growing crisis of income inequality in this country and while our elected officials stumble to address this issue, thousands of workers are taking matters into their own hands by becoming Teamsters,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “Employers are full of empty promises, but the workers who are organizing know that the only true security comes with Teamster contracts.” In many cases, employers wage anti-worker, anti-union campaigns, but the workers are standing united in their quest for a better life. “We have wanted this for so long,” said Luis Garcia, a driver for the past 11 years at WCA Waste Corp. in Houston, who voted to become a Teamster in November.

“We want fair hourly wages and fair working conditions and the proper training and equipment so that we can do our very dangerous job safely.” Organizing On the Move The Teamsters are on the move, with key victories in core transportation industries—freight and carhaul. In freight, workers at four FedEx Freight locations and three Con-way locations became Teamsters, adding 600 new freight members. The nationwide campaign continues. In another core industry, carhaul, a group of 240 workers at Selland Auto Transport across the West joined the union. The Teamsters are organizing in every industry. In warehouse, the Teamsters had two big victories at food-service giant Sysco, adding 500 new members, and a big win at Americold, with 133 workers joining the union. Nearly 500 paratransit drivers and garage attendants in Chicago voted to join the Teamsters, followed by about 100 dispatchers and service reps at Cook DuPage Transportation.

School Bus and More The union’s school bus campaign is going strong, with hundreds of workers joining the union, including 104 at Paige Bus Enterprises in Chicago and 113 workers at First Student in Maryland, and 93 at First Student in Flint, Mich. In food processing, 459 workers at Saputo, a cheese production facility in Wisconsin, voted 367 to 79 to become Teamsters. Also, the fight for justice for workers at Taylor Farms continues. In a joint effort with CWA, the Teamsters will be representing 1,300 new passenger service professionals at the newly merged American-US Airways. In waste, 130 workers at WCA Waste Corporation in Houston voted 90 to 28 to be Teamsters. This list doesn’t include the many smaller victories the union has had, which are all important in the goal to grow the Teamsters Union. One of these got lots of media attention—it was the 87 drivers at Loop Transportation who shuttle Facebook employees to and from the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif.

“Workers continue to struggle in this country and it’s gotten worse over the years, so these workers are standing up, sticking together and fighting for a more secure future as Teamsters,” Hoffa said. “It’s not easy standing up to the boss, but these workers are courageous, focused and determined to not fall further behind. They are truly working class heroes.” Standing Tall in Texas They say “Don’t Mess With Texas,” but that slogan could also apply to waste workers who recently joined the Teamsters despite the company’s vicious anti-worker campaign. Workers at WCA Waste Corporation in Houston, who are seeking fair wages, job security and safer working conditions, voted in November 2014 to join Local 988. In doing so, the group of 130 drivers, helpers and general laborers became the only unionized private sector waste haulers in Texas. “For far too long this group of workers, primarily immigrants and Spanish speakers, as well as African-Americans, have struggled to achieve the American dream because of the company’s abhorrent policies and working conditions,” said Robert Mele, President of Local 988 in Houston.

“We will work hard to negotiate a contract that addresses the workers’ concerns.” Mele praised the workers for standing united despite the company’s anti-worker campaign. “I would like to personally thank the Teamsters Organizing Department for the hard work that has been put into WCA’s organizing campaign over the last few months. Without the skills of their organizers, these workers would have never been able to withstand such a vicious anti-union campaign,” Mele said. The late Robert Morales, who at the time was Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division, praised the WCA workers. “Texas is a right-to-work state and we saw how the recent election went, with pro-worker candidates suffering defeat, so this victory is especially rewarding,” Morales said at the time. “These workers will finally have the respect and dignity they deserve—as Teamsters.” Teamster Freight Power A group of 74 drivers and dockworkers at Con-way Freight in Miami Lakes, Fla., voted last December to join Local 769 in North Miami. “The Con-way workers have taken a bold step to improve their lives and have a more secure future as Teamsters,” said Mike Scott, President of Local 769.

“As we have seen across the country, the company spent lots of money to wage a vicious anti-worker campaign, but the workers remained strong and united and didn’t let management’s bullying get to them.” The victory followed two earlier ones at Con-way: On September 12, 2014, a group of 113 drivers and dockworkers at Conway Freight in Laredo, Texas, voted to join Local 657. On September 23, 2014, a group of 44 workers in Vernon, Calif., voted to join Local 63. “We work hard to make this company successful, and we want fair wages, better benefits and working conditions, and a pension,” said Emiliano Najera, a driver. “We deserve to be treated with respect and dignity for doing a good job every day.” Numerous campaigns at Con-way and FedEx Freight are under way, and the Teamsters Union is committed to helping the drivers win a more secure future. The workers’ campaigns to join the Teamsters have already paid off. After organizing got under way at Con-way, the company announced it would increase truck driver pay by $60 million in 2015, among other improvements.

At FedEx Freight, the company announced an 80-cent-per-hour raise a few days after Local 107 in Philadelphia filed for an election, and the company got rid of its overly punitive driver scorecard, which gives drivers infraction points for errors. “Our campaigns at Con-way and FedEx Freight will continue to roll because the workers know that they need to get the company’s promises in writing in a binding contract,” said Tyson Johnson, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division. Starbucks Drivers Vote Teamsters YES! In a major organizing win for Boston’s Local 25, drivers and helpers at DPI Specialty Foods voted to join the local in an election in January 2015. The workers, who supply all Starbucks stores in New England and upstate New York, voted 37-5 in favor of Teamster representation. There are 44 workers in the new bargaining unit. Drivers and helpers at DPI sought Local 25’s support in late 2014 in an effort to address concerns with employee health care costs, which the company recently raised by 8 percent. Workers are also concerned with pay. Many are paid for a 10-hour workday but typically work 12-14 hour days.

In response to their organizing drive, the company hired union-busting consultants but the workers held strong for the Teamsters. “We are very excited to join Local 25. Finally, we will have a voice in the workplace and the ability to address the issues and working conditions that matter to us most,” said Mike Anzalone, a DPI driver. Local 25 will negotiate with the company to address the workers’ issues. “This was a hard fought victory for DPI workers with Teamsters Local 25 working with the International to ensure that these workers get the benefits they deserve,” said International Vice President and Local 25 President Sean O’Brien. “We're thrilled to welcome our newest members to the Teamsters Local 25 family.” Dunkin’ Donuts Drivers Seek Fairness By a 2-to-1 margin, approximately 30 drivers who make deliveries to Chicago-area Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants recently voted to join Local 734. The new Teamsters are employees of G2K Logistics, a distribution company exclusively servicing Dunkin’ Donuts from a 100,000-square-foot production facility in Bedford Park, Ill.

Nearly 300,000 donuts are prepared every day at the centralized bakery in Chicago’s southwest suburbs, before being loaded onto trucks bound for 300 area Dunkin’ Donuts locations. “The Teamsters tip our caps to the hardworking drivers at G2K Logistics, who stood strong against an internal anti-union campaign to vote yes for Teamster representation,” said Brian Meidel, President of Local 734 and Recording Secretary of Joint Council 25. “The majority of these workers are on third shift, making early morning deliveries to hundreds of restaurants. They didn’t want to see their hard labor wasted, and they’ve proudly united for respect and fair working conditions.” Though some of the chain’s locations in other parts of the country still make their own donuts on-site, most Dunkin’ Donuts franchises in Chicago have begun using the Bedford Park bakery. The G2K Logistics delivery drivers are working with Teamster representatives in preparation for negotiating their first union contract. Scott Kunz, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 734, said the Teamsters are looking to improve wages and benefits for the drivers, while strengthening work rules and overall job security.

Local 734 represents thousands of delivery drivers in Chicago’s bakery industry, including employees of Sara Lee, Entemann’s, Bimbo Bakeries and Alpha Baking. Local 734 is an affiliate of Teamsters Joint Council 25. Success at Sysco With a potential merger looming between two of the largest food service suppliers in the nation, the Teamsters are complementing an aggressive defense of union jobs with aggressive organizing. The union capped off 2014 with a major organizing victory among drivers and warehouse workers at Sysco in Atlanta. Workers voted more than 60 percent in favor of Teamster representation, bringing 423 new members into Local 528. “This is a huge victory for the workers and it shows that they are determined to have a collective voice on the job,” said Maurice Cobb, President of Local 528. “Sysco is a tough employer with a long history of fighting its workers’ efforts to form a union. But these drivers and warehouse workers stood up against the company’s very aggressive anti-union campaign and consultants.

We look forward to negotiating a strong contract for them that secures fair treatment and job security at Sysco.” The big win in Atlanta came as the Federal Trade Commission continued its review of the proposed merger between Sysco and US Foods, where the Teamsters represent 12,000 members. With the $3.5 billion transaction possibly putting workers’ jobs at risk, Teamsters at both companies are taking action to protect jobs while their nonunion coworkers seek the security of a union contract. “Our best bet for saving jobs and improving our lives during a possible merger with US Foods is having a Teamster contract. That’s why we voted overwhelmingly in support of the union here in Atlanta,” said Steve Biddy, a Sysco warehouse worker. The new bargaining unit in Atlanta includes Sysco drivers, warehouse workers, fleet and facility maintenance employees and shuttle yard drivers. They joined the Teamsters to address unfair work rules and concessions to the company. “After so many years of unfairness and a lack of job security, it feels great to finally have the Teamsters representing us,” said Curtis Duncan, a Sysco driver in Atlanta.

“Especially in this time of uncertainty at Sysco, I definitely encourage drivers and warehouse workers throughout the country to get on board and join the union.” Just one month ahead of the victory in Atlanta, another 43 Sysco warehouse drivers in Kansas City, Mo., joined Local 41. The drivers, who are especially concerned about job security, voted nearly 65 percent in favor of Teamster representation. “Drivers in Kansas City voted for Teamster representation to have a voice and job security at Sysco. We are ready to negotiate a strong contract that addresses drivers’ concerns,” said Local 41 President Victor Terranella. “Sysco and US Foods workers are building a movement to defend jobs,” said Steve Vairma, International Vice President and Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “These workers are joining the Teamsters in the face of a potentially dangerous merger because we are leading the fight to save and improve workers’ jobs at both companies.” Roma Drivers Win Big In another win for warehouse workers, distribution drivers at Roma Food voted 68-15 in favor of joining Local 630 in Los Angeles in November 2014.

The overwhelming support for Teamster representation was rivaled only by the turnout: 83 of the 84 drivers in the bargaining unit voted in the election. The predominantly Latino group of drivers haul goods for Roma, a division of Performance Food Group (PFG), one of the largest private companies in the U.S. The drivers approached the Teamsters seeking a contract that addresses disrespect, long hours, heavy workloads and a lack of job security. “This is a significant victory for industry standards on the West Coast and for the drivers at Roma Food,” said Ernesto Lopez, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 630. “We are proud of these drivers for their courage and we look forward to negotiating a contract that raises them to the standards other Teamsters enjoy in the industry.” PFG is a major competitor of Sysco and US Foods, where Teamster labor contracts set some of the highest standards in the warehouse industry. “PFG has been a threat to the high standards enforced by the Teamsters at its competitors, including Sysco and US Foods, where many workers enjoy the security of a union contract, higher wages and better benefits. This victory means more security for our members throughout the industry,” Lopez said.

Despite heavy pressure from the company’s anti-union consultants, a strong committee of drivers held their co-workers together. “We felt disrespected by the company, but now we feel vindicated. Now that we are Teamsters we can get the respect we deserve as workers and as human beings,” said Roma driver Carlos Escobar. Facebook Drivers “Like” Teamsters Drivers who shuttle Facebook employees to and from the company headquarters in Menlo Park., Calif., voted in favor of representation by Local 853 in San Leandro, Calif. Working with community coalitions isn’t new to the Teamsters Union, and the tactic was used successfully in this campaign. The 87 drivers, employees of Loop Transportation, organized to improve their working conditions, including low pay and an abusive split shift schedule. “The only way that Loop will listen to us is with a union and a collective voice. I’m very relieved that we have that now,” said Demaurae Hooston, a driver. Loop Transportation is one of a number of operators that Silicon Valley companies contract with to provide transportation for their employees. “These companies need to step up and stop demanding the lowest bid contract.

They need to all agree to pay their contractors an amount that allows the union to negotiate for decent wages and benefits. Of all the industries in the world, the tech industry can afford to compensate those that help make them successful,” said Rome Aloise, International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 853. “We’re ready to get to work at Loop to help these drivers better their lives and the conditions they face at work.” The effort of Facebook drivers to organize a union drew attention from all over the world. Drivers are forced to work split shifts, often waiting six hours in between picking up and dropping off Facebook employees—all unpaid. The drivers often start work at 6 a.m. and end the day at 9:45 p.m. “We can’t continue 16-hour days, having drivers sleeping in the cold in their cars while we wait five hours to be able to start our next shift. It’s inhumane,” said Cliff Doi, a driver. “With our union, we can find solutions to these problems.” Teamsters held a rally outside Facebook’s campus in Menlo Park where community, political and religious leaders demanded that Facebook respect the rights of its bus drivers to organize a union without interference.

“These drivers are part of the invisible work force that makes Silicon Valley run,” said Derecka Mehrens, Executive Director of Working Partnerships USA, a community group that participated in the rally. “They are members of our communities that work hard every day, but live in poverty, and the business model of tech companies like Facebook counts on that. Tech companies write the checks to subcontractors who hire these drivers and the thousands of other service workers who make these tech giants able to function. They need to set the standards, too, and say ‘no’ to poverty jobs.” The delegation delivered a petition containing thousands of signatures, calling on Facebook to stop condoning anti-worker, anti-union behavior by Loop Transportation. Facebook refused to accept the petition when it was delivered. In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Aloise wrote, “This is reminiscent of a time when noblemen were driven around in their coaches by their servants. Frankly, little has changed; except the noblemen are your employees, and the servants are the bus drivers who carry them back and forth each day.” Following this organizing victory, drivers who transport employees for six big Silicon Valley companies voted overwhelmingly on Feb. 27 in favor of representation by Local 853.

The 158 full and part-time drivers—employees of Compass Transportation—shuttle Apple, Yahoo, eBay, Zynga, Genentech and Amtrak workers to and from work and home. Steely Resolve Leads to Victory Workers at TCT Stainless Steel in Sterling Heights, Mich., voted in January to join Local 283 in Wyandotte, Mich. Of the 17 workers in the bargaining unit, 12 voted for Teamster representation. It was not the first time TCT Stainless workers, who process coil and strip steel for customers, sought help from the Teamsters. The workers first approached the union in 2013, seeking better benefits, improved working conditions and seniority rights at the Michigan facility. They lost that election by just one vote, but they didn’t give up. “This has been a long, hard-fought effort for these workers to win Teamster representation,” said Local 283 Business Agent Mike Finegan. “The workers withstood a lot of opposition from the company but are proud to finally call themselves Teamsters.” After they lost the first election, workers watched the company break its promises to improve conditions at the facility. So they went back to Local 283 for help.

The company waged an aggressive antiunion campaign during both organizing drives, bringing in outside consultants to beat back the unionization effort. After the workers won the recent election by a landslide, TCT retaliated by temporarily laying off almost half of the workforce. All workers are now back on the job and the union is preparing to bargain with the company. “We are proud to represent our new members at TCT Stainless Steel, addressing their issues at the bargaining table so they can finally enjoy the benefits of a Teamster contract,” said Local 283 President Steve Hicks. Battalion Chiefs Choose Teamsters Controlling and extinguishing fires depends on skilled teamwork—the type of team that can stand up to major obstacles and will rally around each other when there is a need. Fire department battalion chiefs in Anne Arundel County, Md., the men and women who direct a fire crew, recently voted unanimously to join Local 355 in Baltimore to gain strength on the job. “Though we have had success defending our contractual rights, we have had limited resources to pursue some issues,” said Michael Smith, former president of the Battalion Chiefs Association and new member of Local 355.

“We are a unit of 17 members, unconnected and without access to the advice and resources of a larger labor organization, and the county knew it.” Smith has been with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department for 25 years, moving up the ranks from firefighter to his current position as battalion chief. “We’re happy to have this group join our ranks,” said Dan Taylor, a business agent with Local 355. “I think we’ll have a great working relationship and we look forward to positive negotiations.” The group organized three years ago as an independent association, but decided in September 2014 to seek the umbrella of a larger union that could provide the experience and assistance they need to continue to negotiate and enforce their contract. The battalion chiefs join thousands of other public safety professionals across the U.S. who are part of the Teamsters Public Services Division. “Along with the police officers, correctional facility employees and deputy sheriffs, fire fighters put themselves at risk frequently and are true community heroes,” said Michael Filler, Director of the Public Services Division. “We are thrilled to be with the Teamsters,” said Smith, pleased that his group showed their unanimous agreement at the ballot box.

In This Issue TDU at Teamsters for a Democratic Union Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · March 02, 2007 9:37 AM CONVOY DISPATCH is the voice of Teamsters for a Democratic Union. We are the united rank and file movement to reform the Teamsters, created out of the merger of PROD and TDU. We are truck drivers, dock workers, production workers—every kind of Teamster, and spouses, too. We are a grassroots organization with chapters from coast to coast in the USA and Canada. We believe in returning this union to the membership and we are doing it. We are a democratic organization in which every member has a voice and vote. Our 15-member International Steering Committee was elected in Sept. 2006 for one year. Our Rank & File Convention had 250 representatives present. We are proud Teamsters standing up for our rights. TDU invites all Teamsters interested in defending our contracts and reforming our union to join us. We do reserve the right to exclude those who are opposed to TDU and its principles. Rank & File Bill of Rights I. DEMOCRATIC BYLAWS.

All business agents and stewards should be elected. Vacancies in office should be filled by special election within three months. Local union committees should be elected. Contract and strike votes should be by majority (not two-thirds). All contracts should provide for elected officers retaining company seniority. II. DIRECT ELECTION OF OFFICERS. General President and all International officers should be elected by the membership. International VPs should be elected by regions. No more trusteeships and split-off locals. III. A FAIR GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. Innocent until proven guilty, right to remain on the job until final procedure completed. Grievance procedure should include right to a speedy trial, arbitration by peers, and the right to strike if necessary. IV. PRESERVATION OF WORKING CONDITIONS. The union's purpose is to expand and preserve what we have, not trade it away for less. People come first, not productivity. V. SAFETY AND HEALTH. We have the right to enter the workplace without fear for our health and leave in the same condition we arrive. Teamsters should have the right, backed by our union, to refuse unsafe work or hazardous conditions. We are not machinery. VI.

EIGHT-HOUR DAY AND FIVE-DAY WEEK. Forced overtime and unfair dispatch rules destroy our family life and cost us jobs. No mandatory overtime, “flexible” work weeks, or 70-hour slavery. We are for the advent of the four-day work week. We work to live, not live to work! VII. A DECENT PENSION. Every dollar in the pension funds belongs to us. We are entitled to 25-and-out, cost of living on pensions, and union pension trustees elected by the rank and file and retirees to safeguard our money. VIII. JUST SALARIES FOR OFFICERS. A union officer can’t understand the problems of members who make less than half what he or she makes. No officer should make more than the highest paid working members in their jurisdiction. No multiple salaries from union, company, or government sources, or special fringes and pensions. Salary increases limited to the average increase for members, and subject to membership approval. IX. EQUALITY AMONG TEAMSTERS. Bring all wage levels up to the highest standards, not a lot for the few and little for the many. Fight the hardest for the lowest paid. X. END TO DISCRIMINATION.

Employers have used the differences in age, race and sex to divide us for decades. We oppose these injustices and divisions. Support affirmative action to correct past injustices. Employers should bear the cost of their past discrimination, not the members. Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · April 28, 2006 11:32 AM Hoffa Jr. Lacks the Teamster Experience Why are there so few examples of Teamsters secure in their jobs? I don’t mean that the national union has not been there fighting for fairness and contracts in companies like UPS or DHL, I mean language and improvements in the small companies that make up the heart and bone of our union. UPS and the rest are important, the muscle of our brotherhood. But not all of us work for those mega employers. Our jobs have never been in as much danger as they are now. Dues increases, CAFTA, replacement workers, health insurance and pension degradation are just the beginning of indignities heaped upon us by our employers as Hoffa Jr. and his golden boys are at the club mingling with the Bush regime. Where have Hoffa and our national union officials been?

We elected them to see that our lives and futures were secure, but every day I see otherwise. I don’t see that they have earned multiple pensions, much less their current pay. Perhaps playing politics is all they can do. Hoffa Sr. was one of us, someone who had worked for a living in some of the most grueling conditions imaginable. Like most of us, he probably never wanted his children to go through the same experiences. It looks to me like he got that wish. I see a son who has never worked beside us in the trenches, leading our futures from behind a desk, someone who will call ANYONE who has a vision that varies from his policies a SCAB. The Teamsters Union is not a kingdom, and no man or woman has the right to lead us simply because their father deserved our respect. Vote your heart. You know what is right. When we are old and no longer able to work, we will look back and see what we are doing now with either pride or regret. It would be nice to do that with a real pension.

Patrick Lamb Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · April 11, 2006 7:43 AM The following is an interview with Frank Halstead, a grocery worker at Ralphs in Los Angeles Local 572. What are some examples of solidarity, within the IBT and without, that your chapter has been involved in? Our solidarity work is all within the Teamsters. We have our hands full right here! Currently we have a project around organizing a contract campaign for the Sysco facility. This has tremendous promise because we have numerous issues to rally around and we have a core group of TDUers who work there. One important thing to keep in mind is that often solidarity work involves coming into play late in the game. For example, we got involved with the International Window workers (Teamster manufacturing workers) after they had been on strike for three months. Although our TDU chapter did a lot of good work, including a picket of the shareholders meeting, things were too far along and the local union in this case was not willing to do what needed to be done to win. What basic suggestions would you have for other Teamsters who are interested in getting involved in their areas?

Every project we get involved in we have always been able to count on TDU and fellow reformers for sound advice and strategic suggestions. It is vital to lead by example. Getting involved to help other workers also helps build credibility for TDU. The more people that see the truth about TDU the less effective the old guard’s attacks and lies will be. We are all human and we will make mistakes. Don't let that possibility prevent you from helping other workers. Your sincere desire to help your fellow workers will shine through and you will make a difference See these related Articles: TDU History at Teamsters for a Democratic Union Posted on Media by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · January 13, 2011 8:55 AM January 13, 2011: More than 400 union and civil rights activists will march to Cincinnati’s City Hall Jan. 14 to condemn the plan recently elected Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) has to strip Ohio child care and home health care workers of their right to bargain for a better life. The march is part of the annual AFL-CIO King Day celebration Jan. 13-17 in Cincinnati.

Through the march and throughout the conference, activists will send a message that Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of social and economic justice is not dead even in this tough political climate. Workers who provide vital services to the Cincinnati area—including home and child care providers and transit workers—will share their stories and concerns about Kasich and his allies’ attempts to blame and punish low-income workers for the state of the economy. The activists will focus on developing strategies to advance the issues of good job creation, immigration reform and economic equality. Click here to read more at AFL-CIO News. Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · August 31, 2007 2:59 PM fdag Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · August 16, 2007 9:42 AM August 16, 2007: Labor expert Michael Schiavone credits rank-and-file mobilization and the influence of Teamsters for a Democratic Union with winning the 1997 contract victory at UPS.

“With this being the tenth-year anniversary of the Teamsters’ historic strike with United Parcel Service (UPS) it is a good time to revisit the strike and determine how it was won,” says labor writer Michael Schiavone, the author of Unions in Crisis? The Future of Organized Labor in America. In a lengthy, investigative article for WorkingUSA: the Journal of Labor and Society, Schiavone writes that the Teamsters won a superior contract in 1997 to Hoffa’s “Best Contract Ever” because the Teamster leadership built power through “militancy, union democracy and rank-and-file intensive tactics.” “The Teamsters adopted these tactics in a large part because of the influence of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). In 2002, the Teamsters, with James Hoffa, Jr. in charge, employed a top-down campaign, with little rank and file involvement.” Schiavone warns that, “there is a real possibility that the next UPS agreement will also be substandard,” but adds there is reason for optimism.

“If the rank and file pressure the Teamsters hierarchy for a greater say in the UPS negotiations, there is still hope for a good contract,” Schiavone writes. Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · March 19, 2007 12:52 PM Every five years, our Teamsters Union holds an International Convention. The convention nominates candidates for International officers. Delegates also have the power to amend any provision of the constitution. At many Conventions, members have been stripped of our rights. For the last 30 years, TDU has mobilized at Conventions to reverse that trend and win new rights with some successes. Here’s a quick review of how our rights have been strengthened and weakened in the Teamster Constitution from 1940 to the present. 1940 – Majority rule on strikes and contracts ended. Two-thirds rule inserted. - Locals must now notify the joint council and get the consent of the General President to go on strike. - General President salary of $30,000 (no multiple salaries). President Dan Tobin declares at convention that it is too high.

1947 - Business agents, all previously elected, are now either elected or appointed. 1952 - Local union executive boards given authority to use mail ballots to approve contracts. - Dave Beck chosen as General President. - Article 12 amended to mandate joint council approval of strike votes. - Article 3 changed to give locals the power to appoint (rather than elect) delegates to conventions. - Minimum term for local officers raised from one to two years. 1957 - James R. Hoffa chosen General President. - General President can appoint area directors. - Special extra pension plan (Retirement and Family Protection Plan) established for International officers. - AFL-CIO Ethical Practices Committee Report read. Weldon Mathis moves it be struck from the record, which it was. Delegate Jeffrey Cohelan of Local 302 dissents: “The charges contained in this report are serious charges, and they deserve very special consideration. ...

If this convention is foolish enough to simply sweep this from the record or to ignore the very serious charges that have been made here, we will stand before this country, and the labor movement particularly, indicted.” 1961 - Article 5 changed to legitimize multiple salaries for International officers from subordinate bodies. - Article 22 changed to allow one person to hold office in more than one local with approval of the General President. - Article 3 changed to end local elections for convention delegates. - Article 9, Section 9(a) changed to give International authority to pay legal expenses for officers. - Article 22 changed to allow local executive boards to designate times, places, and methods of voting without membership approval. - Article 2 on election eligility changed to extend the two-years continuous good standing to include payment of dues on time each month. - Article 15, Section 7 changed so area conferences are subject to the unqualified supervision, direction and control of the General President. - Special extra pension plan (Affiliates Plan) established to cover all business agents and local and other officials. 1966 - General President now appoints negotiating committees. - General President can intervene in local contracts and order votes by mail.

1976 - Dues rate set at two-hours pay formula, so dues hikes become automatic rather than voted on. - Hoffa’s hand-picked successor, Frank Fitzsimmons, chosen as General President. Fitzsimmons states on the record that those who want to reform this union can “go to hell”. 1981 - Locals with elected BAs could keep them, but new article adopted to prevent any more locals from switching to elected BAs. - New provision adopted to allow for appointment of a new General President to fill a vacancy. Provision comes in handy less than two years later when Roy Williams goes to prison. General Executive Board appoints Jackie Presser president. - Automatic 100 percent cost-of-living raises for all International officers. - Proposal by delegate Diana Kilmury for Ethical Practices Committee shouted down on convention floor. 1986 - 100,000 members petition convention for Right to Vote. - Reform delegates submit proposals for majority rule on contracts, right to vote for IBT officers, increased strike benefits, and resolutions on two-tier contracts and organizing. All are denounced and voted down. - Members dues finance two fancy parties costing $900,000.

Presser carried into Eastern Conference party on sedan chair; Billy Hogan goes on the record to say Central Conference party was just as fancy. - Presser retains Teamster presidency with 99 percent of the vote, and then conducts the “funeral of TDU”. 1991 - Due to Right to Vote provisions in consent order, all delegates elected in supervised elections. Delegates nominate candidates for International office, who are then elected by the members. - Right to vote for IBT officers written into constitution. - Right to elect convention delegates voted down by old-guard majority. Consent order, at least temporarily, protects this hard-won right. - IBT jet planes sold. - Majority rule on contracts written into constitution. - Strike benefits raised to $200 a week, but without funding mechanism. - Members win right to a separate vote on all master contract supplements. - Elections for joint council officers changed to secret ballot votes. - Name of union changed (shortened). 1996 - Hoffa forces disrupt the convention. As reported in Newsday on July 16, 1996, “From the opening moments yesterday, Hoffa supporters ...

screamed, pounded on tables and chanted, almost drowning out Carey and most other officials and speakers.” - This behavior continued throughout the convention, and little was accomplished. - Article 5 changed to add the elected president of Teamsters Canada to the General Executive Board, strengthening unity between U.S. and Canadian Teamsters, with Hoffa delegates voting against. - Code of ethics for pension trustees adopted. Employers not allowed to attend the convention as guests. 2001 – Hoffa forces have 90% of delegates. Teamster Constitution amended to provide for Canadian Teamster Sovereignty, as proposed by TDU delegates in 1981, and again by Carey in 1996. Constitution amended to provide for membership vote for IBT officers, but with the rules and election supervisor appointed by the incumbents [this part was not implemented due to racketeering consent order]. Hoffa delegates reject reform proposals to cut and cap International Union salaries at $150,000, ban multiple salaries for International Union officials, and establish a Membership Bill of Rights.

Delegate Tom Leedham, nominated for General President, asserts on the floor that Hoffa had a “secret plan” to call a special convention after the 2001 International election to raise dues. 2002 – General Executive Board calls Special Convention to raise dues by 25%, with most of the new money going to the International. Reform delegates call for a membership vote, Hoffa forces reject it. For the first time, cameras banned from Convention auditorium, so no pictures can be taken on how delegates vote. 2006 – International leadership goes all out to block the nomination of any opposition candidates for International Office. However, Leedham and the Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate nominated. Three independent candidates ran for vice president positions also. Reform proposals to protect Local Unions from International takeover were rejected, as were constitutional amendments on pension fund trustee accountability and a Membership Bill of Rights. Convention adopted only housekeeping changes to the Constitution.

Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · March 14, 2007 12:56 PM TDU History How the Reform Movement Has Changed the Teamsters Union (1976-1979) In 1976 the Teamsters Union was in big trouble. Union leaders had allowed organized crime to infiltrate the highest levels of the union. Read more . Winning the Fight for Democracy (The 1980s) The 1980s were a difficult time for working Teamsters. They were years of economic recession, freight industry deregulation, and concessionary bargaining. Read more . Rebuilding Teamster Power (1991-1997) Rank-and-file Teamsters won the right to vote for top Teamster officers after a decade-long fight led by TDU. In the 1990s members used that right to elect new leaders and change our union’s direction. Read more . The Fight to Save Our Union (1998-2001) After the UPS strike victory in 1997, the Teamsters stood at the forefront of the American labor movement. But there were tough times ahead.

The coming years would see Ron Carey’s reform efforts as IBT President ended and the restoration of old-guard leadership at the IBT. Read more . Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · March 07, 2007 11:13 AM TDU began publishing the “$100,000 Club” in 1979. Armed with this information, and the Right to Vote, Teamsters have demanded financial reforms and won them. In 1987, Teamster President Jackie presser bagged $609,984 in multiple salaries. In today’s dollars (adjusted for inflation), that would be over $1 million. International Vice President Arnie Weinmeister made $443,612 that year. Others, like Weldon Mathis, took home $305,914. They used union-owned jets to go to golf resorts. In 1989, Teamsters won the Right to Vote after TDU’s plan was adopted as part of the consent order to settle the racketeering suit against top Teamster leaders.

Thanks to TDU, Teamsters had a tool for holding top Teamster officers accountable for their outrageous dues waste. That changed everything. Incumbents like Mathis and Weinmeister were forced to drop out of the race for International Office. Members were not going to elect those millionaires. The incumbent slate, in an attempt to win the election, even adopted part of TDU’s platform! At the 1991 IBT Convention, they capped the General President’s salary at $225,000 plus an unlimited cost of living clause. No International officer or rep is allowed to use multiple salaries to make more than the General President. The fat cats were on the run. TDU’s platform was gaining ground. Then it took a leap forward. In December 1991, Ron Carey won the General President position and took decisive action to change the fat cat life style. The union limo and jet planes were sold. He lowered his own salary to $150,000 and began to phase out multiple salaries. TDU continued to publish the $100,000 Club and press for more reforms.

In 1993, Ron Carey abolished the “Area Conferences” which were a useless layer of bureaucracy. In one day, 65 multiple salaries were eliminated, and millions of dues dollars returned to local unions. By 1996, even James Hoffa had to support TDU’s financial reforms—at least in his campaign platform. Hoffa promised to “cut n cap” with no International officer allowed to make over $150,000 by using multiple salaries. When Hoffa won office in late 1998, he abandoned the platform. He raised his own salary, brought back multiple salaries, and pays himself and Tom Keegel a lucrative “housing allowance” to pad their income more. Despite the setbacks and renewed waste under Hoffa, TDU’s hard-won reforms still have staying power. Look at the $150,000 Club today. No one is bagging the kind of money they used to get – the members just won’t tolerate it. Our union is more democratic, thanks to the Right to Vote and the fact that TDU is there to get the facts out. The result is less financial waste and more money for strike benefits and organizing. Can we do better?

You bet. But where would our Teamsters Union be without TDU and the $100,000 Club? Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · April 26, 2006 8:16 AM · 1 reaction On June 25 some 1,700 delegates and several hundred alternates will assemble at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas for the 27th Convention of the Teamsters Union. The majority of these delegates will be there to rubber stamp whatever Hoffa proposes. Many see the convention as a chance to party on members’ dues money. But hundreds of delegates will fight for changes to rebuild our union’s power and strengthen members’ rights—and history is on their side. At every Teamster Convention, the majority of the delegates have been hostile to reform. At past conventions, delegates have voted against the right to vote for International officers, the right to elect delegates, majority rule on contracts, the right to vote on local union mergers, sovereignty for Teamsters Canada and many other reforms. TDU members and other reform delegates have been booed, threatened, attacked, even beaten for proposing these changes.

But today, Teamster members enjoy each and every one of these rights. Even Hoffa has to call himself “reform-minded” on his website! How did that happen? And what does it mean for reform proposals that will be introduced this year like pension trustee accountability and the right to vote on dues increases? How the Tide Turned The tide began to turn toward reform in 1991. TDU came to the Orlando convention that year proud of big victories recently won. For the first time in decades, the delegates to the Convention had actually been elected. They would nominate candidates for Teamster president and International officers that the membership would elect, also for the first time in Teamster history. The old guard was there, and had a clear majority of the delegates. Their leaders included Tom Keegel, Chuck Mack, Jim Santangelo, Ken Wood, John Coli, Fred Gegare, Jack Cipriani, John Murphy, Dan Kane and others who are now on the Hoffa Slate. Right off the bat, they voted to strip members of the right to elect delegates. They wanted local officers to automatically be delegates. They denounced reformers as a “tiny minority.” Reform delegates spoke out for the right of members to elect delegates.

They won the debate but not the vote. The only reason Teamsters maintained the right to elect delegates was that the consent order guaranteed it. Teamsters should never have to rely on a court order to protect our Teamster democracy. Born Again Reformers But on other issues, top officials became “born again” reformers. They had conducted polls that showed TDU-backed reforms were supported by the majority of the rank and file. After years of rabid opposition, the Hoffa crowd suddenly supported - The Right to Vote for Teamster president and top officers - Majority rule on contracts Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · March 18, 2006 10:54 AM 1. How soon after the formation of the IBT did reformers challenge an incumbent president? ___Two years ___Twenty-eight years ___Fifty-four years ___Eighty-eight years 2. Which Teamster leader was beaten and nearly killed by opponents? ___ Ron Carey ___ Pete Camarata ___ Cornelius Shea ___ Tony Provenzano 3. Which Teamster leader likened himself to a Roman emperor? ___Tom Keegel ___Jackie Presser ___Mike Ruscigno ___Dane Passo 4.

Which are victories won by TDU? __ Stopped unreasonable rules used to disqualify challengers from running for office. __Wrote and got enacted a new law giving truck safety whistleblowers protection from retaliation. __Established fair contract votes and right to separate vote on supplements. __Ended the 2/3 rule used by the IBT to impose contracts even though rejected by a majority of members. __Established Right to Vote for IBT officers. 5. During which Teamster strike were 21 people killed and 416 injured? __Steelhaul strike of 1979 __1997 UPS strike __Chicago strike in 1905 __Minneapolis strike in 1934 __1999 strike against Overnite __1990s Detroit Newspaper strike 6. Was TDU the only group in IBT history to put forward the proposal that Teamster presidents be directly elected by the membership? __Yes __No 7. When was the first time that a Black Teamster served on the General Executive Board? __1912 __1946 __1961 __1976 8. When did the first woman serve on the IBT GEB?

__1907 __1942 __1966 __1991 9. Which Teamster president brought about the following changes in our union? *Innocent Until Proven Guilty language in contracts. *Expanded protections for local union elections. *Eliminated 100 multiple salaries paid to top officials. *Organizing program with highest number of wins in decades. *Human rights commission. 10. What was the group that called itself BLAST? ___A recreational group of Chicago Teamster officials. ___A fundraising committee for James Hoffa. ___A goon squad that launched violent attacks on TDU. ___ Tom Keegel’s bowling league. 11. In which years did UPS Teamsters strike for better contracts or against serious problems? __1970 __1974 __1976 __1978 __1979 __1994 __1997 12. What was the RISE program? ___ An exercise regime Hoffa implemented for the General Executive Board. ___ Hoffa’s anti-corruption program that is now defunct. ___ An IBT staff wagering pool on which official’s salary will rise the most in one year.

13. Who is the only Teamster president who never made a living as a rank and file member? ___Hoffa Sr. ___Roy Williams ___Cornelius Shea ___Hoffa Jr. Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · March 17, 2006 12:09 PM Before TDU won the right for direct elections of delegates, women and minorities hardly ever made it to the floor of the Teamster Convention. The Right to Vote helped that situation. As we look forward to building a movement that includes the voices of all Teamsters, TDU would like to take advantage of Women’s History Month to acknowledge some exceptional women who have fought for their sisters and brothers against the corruption of previous Teamster leaders. Diana Kilmury, Vancouver Local 213, enraged the old guard in 1981 when she spoke for ridding the union of its bad apples. “I didn’t say you were a bunch of crooks ...

[but] if you’re too damn scared to have an Ethical Practices Commission that you yourselves, the General Executive Board will control, then my God, you must be up to something.” Later, Kilmury would go on to become our union’s first female International Vice President in 1991. Those events inspired the film “Mother Trucker: the Diana Kilmury Story.” Linda Gregg, Denver Local 435, was one of the first women to become a local principal officer. She spoke in favor of increasing strike benefits at the 1986 convention. The majority of delegates, led by then-President Jackie Presser, voted down the proposal on the grounds that it would be too expensive and make the members too eager to strike. The previous night the Teamsters had footed the bill for giant parties with lobster and free-flowing booze. Ten years later, Laurie Craig from Minnesota Local 1145, spoke against multiple salaries. “Mr. Chairman, why would a union leader want to be paid two, three, or more salaries? It’s against the principles this union is built upon. We are not a corporation where greed is king. We are a union of brothers and sisters.

Let’s unite and do what’s right. Put that money, millions of dollars, to work in organizing and bargaining and strike benefits.” The proposal to eliminate multiple salaries will again be made at the 2006 Teamster Convention. The questions these women have raised still resonate with the average Teamster. Local 805 President Sandy Pope, a candidate for International Vice President, is the former director of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). She is one of the three women on the still-growing Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate.Hoffa’s slate contains 21 men and no women yet. Pope says she believes the Teamsters can realize the dreams of the women and men who faced down the old guard in decades past, and that the common-sense, members-first approach advocated by women such as Kilmury, Gregg, and others have given our reform movement a strong base for the work to be done in the twenty-first century.

Posted on News by Teamsters For A Democratic Union Tdu · March 15, 2006 12:02 PM Review: "I Heard You Paint Houses": Frank 'the Irishman' Sheeran and the Inside Story of the Mafia, the Teamsters, and the Final Ride of Jimmy Hoffa. "I heard you paint houses." Those are the first words Jimmy Hoffa ever spoke to Frank Sheeran, who would become a top Teamster official in the 1960s and '70s as well as a hired killer for Hoffa and the mob. The words refer to the splatter of blood when the deed is done. Hoffa hired Sheeran in that first telephone conversation as an "organizer," on the recommendation of Russell Bufalino, the Mafia boss of Pennsylvania. I Heard You Paint Houses is Sheeran's story of his life with Hoffa and in the mob, as told in hundreds of hours of tapes to one of his former attorneys, Charles Brandt. There have been too many books on the mob and on the Hoffa era in the Teamsters, most of them terrible. This one is worth reading.

Sheeran was close to Hoffa, and gives an insider's feel for the intimate relationship of Hoffa and the Teamster leadership to the mob. An Insider's Story Hoffa created a local union for Sheeran: Delaware Local 326 was carved out of Philadelphia Local 107, with Sheeran installed as president. He was identified as a mob leader in the 1987 RICO lawsuit against top Teamsters that led to the present-day consent order. It's an easy book to read, and even fun, if that's an appropriate word for a book about murder and union corruption. Sheeran and Brandt (half the book is taken verbatim from the Sheeran tapes, the rest written by Brandt) don’t romanticize the mob; to "The Irishman", it's just a business and the way he lives. He matter of factly describes killing three people in one day and then he "met up with Jimmy to give him the report." There is considerable coverage in the book of Hoffa's trials. Hoffa was tried for taking payoffs from carhaul employers, and got a hung jury by bribing several jurors.

His co-defendant was Bert Brennan, his business partner in the scams that sent him to prison. Brennan's son Larry currently heads Michigan Joint Council 43. Then Hoffa was tried and convicted in 1964 for the jury tampering, and also convicted by a Chicago jury of defrauding the Central States Pension Fund to line his own pocket in a Florida land scam. His appeals ran out in 1967 and he entered Lewiston Prison to serve a combined 13 year sentence. The chapters on the trials show Hoffa as master strategist and as a brazen crook who used threats and bribes routinely. And they show that his famous ego could be his weakness. Why Hoffa Was Murdered James P. Hoffa, the current Teamster president, likes to say the mob killed his dad. It's half true. Mobsters killed Hoffa for sure, but Hoffa was a part of their operation. Sheeran makes very clear who their victims are: they kill their own. Mainly they kill mob insiders who they fear have information that may be used against them.

Hoffa was too eager to get back into office, and they felt he would trade information in exchange for lifting the restrictions put on him to stay out of the union when Nixon pardoned him in December 1971. Sheeran adds some details to what is already well-known about the corrupt relationship between Hoffa and the Nixon administration. Sheeran himself delivered a suitcase of money to the home of John Mitchell, the Attorney General who later went to prison himself for Watergate crimes. After Hoffa left prison in 1971, Sheeran claims he was a changed man. More "puffing," as Sheeran calls it, about what he would do to whom, even though his power was gone. That "puffing" scared top mobsters; it made them think he would make a deal with the Justice Department. That's why Russell Bufalino co-ordered the hit on Hoffa. Sheeran believes the 1972 book by Kennedy aide Walter Sheridan played a role in the Hoffa murder. That book revealed that Hoffa had snitched to the FBI on Teamster President Dave Beck to help send Beck to prison and Hoffa into the Marble Palace.

Bufalino and other Hoffa associates feared that once again he would turn FBI informant to get into the Marble Palace. That's the FBI's view of the crime as well. Sheeran adds one new twist: that he himself, not Salvatore "Sally Bugs" Bruguglio, pulled the trigger on July 30, 1975. The other new tidbit is a Detroit home address where Sheeran says the Teamster president was killed. (The owner of the house now has a website, apparently shopping for his 15 minutes of fame.) Whose Union Is It? I spoke with Dan Moldea, author of The Hoffa Wars, the authoritative 1978 book on Hoffa and his era, about Sheeran's book. Moldea thinks Sheeran embellished the story by making himself the trigger man, but that otherwise there's a lot to learn from the book. It adds some details and intimate connection to Hoffa that only an insider can provide. Teamsters interested in how the Teamsters Union became corrupted should read it. While mob influence in the Teamsters (and in the USA overall) is lower today, the culture created then lives on inside much of the Teamsters.

Hoffa became obsessed with saying of his former flunky and successor, Frank Fitzsimmons "It's not his union, it's my union." The idea that the Teamsters belongs to any general president or official is a legacy of the mob era that Teamster members continue to struggle against today. Ken Paff

Question: What workers make up the majority of the Teamsters Union in the USA?
Answer: Truck drivers