Teamsters Organize 40,000 Workers in 2008

[Omaha Steve]

http://unionreview.com/teamsters-organize-40%2C000-workers-2008



The Teamsters Union has reached an important milestone for workers across the nation, reaching its goal of organizing 40,000 workers into the union so far in 2008. With five weeks remaining in the year, the union is well on its way to surpassing that number.

“We announced two goals for the Teamsters in 2008: To organize 40,000 workers and to elect Barack Obama President of the United States,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “I am proud to say that thanks to the hard work by so many in our union, the Teamsters delivered on both promises.”

The successful, bold organizing plan focused on the Teamster core industries—particularly those in the global supply chain—and under the leadership of General President Hoffa and the Teamsters Organizing Department involved the work of the whole union.

“In order to organize on the scale needed to grow this union, we all have to be organizers at all levels—the international, divisions, Joint Councils and locals,” Hoffa said.

Organizing has been a central focus of Hoffa’s administration, culminating in 2005, when the Teamsters Union left the AFL-CIO to found the new the Change to Win federation with a key emphasis on organizing and growth.

Hoffa’s growth agenda has paid off. The union has achieved an annual increase in organizing gains every year since, with 2008 marking a record-breaking year. Contributing to the great success in organizing this year were several key campaigns, including:

* UPS Freight: More than 120 local unions under the leadership of International Vice President Ken Hall, in partnership with the Parcel and Freight Divisions and Organizing Department, organized 12,000 drivers and dockworkers. These former Overnite Freight workers became Teamsters thanks to an organizing rights agreement negotiated with UPS.

* Canadian National Rail: Earlier this year, Teamsters Canada added 3,200 workers at Canadian National Rail.

* School Bus and Transit workers at private and public organizations, including First Student, First Transit, MV Transportation and STA were organized this year as part of “Drive Up Standards”, the Teamsters’ National School Bus and Transit Campaign. Over 40 Teamster locals have organized more than 8,700 workers so far this year, bringing the total for the campaign to more than 14,000 workers organized since the campaign began in May 2006.

* United Airlines mechanics: 8,600 United Airlines mechanics would not have won Teamster representation without the support of seven key airline locals and the Airline Division.


FULL story at link.

[ClarkUSA]

1. Seems unions are reversing their slide and President Obama will certainly help with furthering it.

:thumbsup:

[DainBramaged]

2. I wish they would reverse their slide here.

:cry:

[ClarkUSA]

4. Where do you live?

:shrug:

[DainBramaged]

5. DU, we are treated like lepers.

[ClarkUSA]

6. Are you sure?

Union members are "lepers" here? Hmm, first I heard of it.

[Juche]

3. Great

I have read that if EFCA gets passed union membership will grow by 1 million a year for a decade or more. By the end hopefully we will have up to 20% of the workforce in unions.

I hope to God Obama passes EFCA. I have heard you can tack it to a budget bill so it can bypass the filibuster. If he needs to do it, so be it. No issues are more important to maintaining a middle class and building a long term progressive majority than universal healthcare and EFCA.