Ta, Robyn. It's O'Brien who needs a wake up call, sooner rather than later. Our union (1199) endorsed Harris-Walz, and sent busloads of people to PA last weekend to knock on doors for Democrats. Solidarity forever.
“Teaching moment.” Here’s what I learned from Teamsters when I was in film production: they leave their engines idling all the time because I guess it’s too much effort to start the vehicle at any given moment? They work long hours, it’s true, but their jobs mostly consist of showing up early with the work trucks and setting up their camp chairs until quitting time. They make scads and scads of overtime and they have a pension plan that I’m pretty sure they can thank Democrats for.
I’ll never forget being in a shuttle van with a teamster when OJ was arrested. This is verbatim what he said: “If OJ killed her, the bitch deserved it.” Did he represent all Teamsters? Prove he didn’t.
Union political staff here (and proud union member - NOT a Teamster - here). This is long, and obviously no one has to read it. But I am putting it here because I think it's important to understand Labor history and how we got into a place where this Teamster mess could happen. Also, for the record, I personally do NOT consider Police Associations as unions, given their record as acting as strike breakers (also they are racist AF, but sadly racism isn't a disqualifier for being a union)
I think it's really critical to acknowledge that the Labor movement has it's own dark history of racism and sexism. Major unions often did little to fight tiered wages or shitty hiring practices, if those wages/hiring practices were about women or BIPOC workers. Women and BIPOC workers were often excluded from leadership positions. Hell, some unions actively opposed women's rights and the civil rights movement. It really isn't until the rise of public sector unions that *some* of this began to be acknowledged. (Still often a problem, still needs work). It should come as no shock to y'all that public sector union members are more likely to identify as women and BIPOC workers.
Fast forward into the early 2000s, some unions (mostly public sector) realized after decades of being under attack that they had to think about unionism in a different way, so they began shifting away from traditional "business" style unionism towards an organizing model (explaining that is a whole 'nother conversation), and really importantly thinking about how to use our bargaining power as a way to improve the lives of everyone - (this is called Bargaining for the Common Good https://www.bargainingforthecommongood.org ). This mindset rejects the idea that the sole purpose of unions should be to bargain better contracts for the bargaining unit, provide representation if a member needs it, and engage in politics ONLY if it directly impacts the union.
This change is why you see educators advocating for climate change solutions and nurses advocating for housing solutions and county workers advocating for education funding. Unions have chosen to take smaller financial increases in order to get things that benefit students or patients or other staff. (This model also has the added benefit of of building positive relationships with community members that don't have any experience of being in a union.)
Private sector unions (mostly) have remained wedded to traditional patterns of bargaining, and representation. Especially among the Teamsters. Teamsters have historically tended to be white, male, and with no post-secondary education. Rank and file members in the Teamsters have been trending Republican since the late 60's, and they have become more insular, more racist, more sexist, more angry, over time. Union leadership, often wanting to remain in power, will cater to those loud voices, rather than begin to do the work to move their members. And all the data we have (and we have a lot), suggests that deeply racist and deeply sexist voters (including union members) will vote against their OWN self-interest if that vote reinforces their own racism/sexism.
If you couple this kind of insular practices along with the old union tradition of treating politics as simply trying to identify who will win and throwing some $ their way so that hopefully they won't fuck us too hard, THAT is how you get a Sean O'Brien (who was once suspended for threatening a member of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union, the progressive arm of the Teamsters)- or any other number of union leaders that make boneheaded decisions. And you know he knew it is a fucked up decision, because they hired some company to do an online poll, and used that as their reasoning.
Nationally, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is slowly dying. Because they can't convince women and BIPOC workers to join them. And they won't join because they see that national union does nothing to address the racism and sexism and xenophobia by the old white fucks and plays politics as usual (the Joint Councils have this problem to a lesser degree). Meanwhile, public sector unions (the ones targeted by the Janus case), hospitality workers (UNITE) and retail grocers (UFCW) have seen their membership rise, and urban locals (like the one I work for) are changing the relationship with elected by withholding endorsement and contributions from electeds that have stabbed us in the back.
By dismissing the Teamsters National Black Caucus like they were a fringe group O'Brien is dog whistling to the old white fucks that he will continue to cave to their behavior. And it's important to note that the TNBC's willingness to defy their International by coming out, on stage at the DNC to support Harris-Walz has given a number of Joint Councils the permission to come out in support of Harris-Walz themselves.
For those outside the union world, Sean O'Brien's behavior is terribly shocking. For active union members like myself, we see leaders behaving like this all too often. The good news is, we know the solution is to build collective power, and vote the mother fuckers out of office.
I'm retired from the IUOE locals 3, 12 and 501. We voted them in to represent our public sector bargaining unit. They didn't do us a lot of good, certainly didn't treat us as full-fledged union members. We paid higher dues than private-sector members, but we don't receive a union pension or benefits package. Still, we got better treatment than what the previous unions gave us. I was appalled to hear fellow members stating their intentions to vote for whatever Republican candidates were on any ticket at any time, but at least the International would endorse the right candidates, including this year, Harris/Walz.
Yeah, I didn't want to bring the history of the Trades into my already long comment, but it's very similar to the Teamsters. And it's very true across the board that public sector workers in traditionally private sector unions generally don't fare well. (I would love to see more locals adopt a wall-to-wall organizing strategy for public sector workers, but I don't think it will happen.)
The saddest part in all of this is that unions (in the US) really come out of a mutual aid tradition. Some of our most powerful moments are also moments of solidarity across race and/or gender or worksite lines, and are moments when we are fighting for things that go beyond wages.
I would argue that union members that are strictly grounded in JUST their own self-interest are shitty union members. And it's on those of us in the labor movement to make sure that we are sharing the history of the labor movement (the good, the bad, and the ugly) with new comers.
I'd say this is a clear example of how Sean shouldn't be the head of the Teamster's Union. If you can't communicate to your members when PAB is directly saying that "if the workers go on strike you just walk in and say "YOU'RE FIRED" " then he's a fucking moron. PAB is no friend of labor, and the rank and file of the Teamsters better get their heads out of their asses.
If we're going to take union democracy seriously (and the Teamsters especially have a problematic history there), it's just as well that Sean not blatantly contradict the clear preference of his rank-and-file members. He might well disagree with them - he'd be right to - but having him just do as he sees fit regardless of their view is not a good look.
"a certain group that’s not affiliated directly with the Teamsters Union" - what he means is, they're Teamsters all right, but *he does not and can not control them*
/The piano portion of Layla which was written by Rita Coolidge and "borrowed" by Eric Clapton plays as montage of Teamster Bosses found in dumpsters and abandoned cars continues/
Here in ultra-liberal SF I live in a condo of below market rate units, 50% people of color, and a significant number of immigrant families for whom English is a second language. Over a decade ago the building was constructed by developers who wanted to meet requirements to include affordable housing out of their luxury developments by putting it all next to the railroad tracks south of Market. We've been breathing some of the highest levels of diesel particulate pollution in the state ever since. Now, Amazon has purchased an entire city block facing our building less than 50 feet away. They want to build a massive warehouse that will bring 175 delivery vans and 20 freight trucks through the neighborhood 24/7/365. Plus a 400 car parking lot on the roof. Did I mention that our building has a negative pressure ventilation system? That mens whatever is in the air outside is sucked inside without filtration. Other neighbors in the immediate facility include an art college and a soon to be constructed K-5 school. Now, my point: One of our strongest allies in the fight to stop this abomination has been the local Teamsters. So seeing the Teamster non-endorsement of Harris broke my heart. Thankfully, our local Teamster chapters have stepped up and done the right thing. But if Sean O'Brien ever goes on strike I'm crossing that rat bastard's picket line on a jet powered skateboard. Justing sayin'.
Gotta point out that the Teamsters were a big reason why people thought Unions were "mostly corrupt." And O'Brien seems to be determined to perpetuate that belief. It seems to me that the overwhelming subtext in all the coverage of this non-endorsement is "what's in it for O'Brien?" I know the membership is asking that.
The only unions I still put in the "mostly corrupt" bucket are the police unions, and that's one that is going to take a LONG time to fix. Every time the "days without a police brutality incident that is covered up" calendar gets reset back to zero, the argument that the police unions are doing good instead of evil makes me do a Fry Squint.
Do police officers deserve healthcare and insurance and pensions? YES! Do they also deserve to be allowed to protect each other when they oops accidentally murder someone for the crime of being Black while existing? NO!
Here in New York Republicans and Democrats at the state level both promise the moon to the dude public unions (cops, prison workers) while promising to shit on chick public unions (teachers, state employees).
no doubt many of the more stupid white union members get a stiffie at the thought of all those hardworking LatinX immigrants who force lazy whites to clean up their acts by out-performing them, a thing I personally witnessed in the last decade of my working life, being yoinked out of the competition. a lot of guys hated being showed up by those eager beavers from south of the border, not to mention the standard racist distaste for people sporting noticeable melanin.
O’Brien was talking out both sides of his mouth. Biden walked a picket line and Trump went to a non union plant. He went to the RNC because he thought Biden was the nominee and that Biden was going to lose the election. If Tim Walz and Kamala Harris’ roles were reversed, O’Brien would endorse the Dems. That said, he’s still not sure VP Harris will win and he’s hedging his bets.
It’s crazy to see how many lemmings fly off that cliff in service of Cinnamon Hitler.
Apparently the Teamsters let eight rank-and-file members join the board meetings with the candidates. And they ALL endorsed Harris, although the overall board did not.
So why is Sean O’Brien doing this? Is he bought and paid for by the Republicans?
Ta, Robyn. It's O'Brien who needs a wake up call, sooner rather than later. Our union (1199) endorsed Harris-Walz, and sent busloads of people to PA last weekend to knock on doors for Democrats. Solidarity forever.
I thank God for the union everyday.
O'Brien's trying to walk a fine line and keep his own job. But we all know what happens to the people who try to please everyone.
“Teaching moment.” Here’s what I learned from Teamsters when I was in film production: they leave their engines idling all the time because I guess it’s too much effort to start the vehicle at any given moment? They work long hours, it’s true, but their jobs mostly consist of showing up early with the work trucks and setting up their camp chairs until quitting time. They make scads and scads of overtime and they have a pension plan that I’m pretty sure they can thank Democrats for.
I’ll never forget being in a shuttle van with a teamster when OJ was arrested. This is verbatim what he said: “If OJ killed her, the bitch deserved it.” Did he represent all Teamsters? Prove he didn’t.
“Teaching moment”
Fuck this asshole
Union political staff here (and proud union member - NOT a Teamster - here). This is long, and obviously no one has to read it. But I am putting it here because I think it's important to understand Labor history and how we got into a place where this Teamster mess could happen. Also, for the record, I personally do NOT consider Police Associations as unions, given their record as acting as strike breakers (also they are racist AF, but sadly racism isn't a disqualifier for being a union)
I think it's really critical to acknowledge that the Labor movement has it's own dark history of racism and sexism. Major unions often did little to fight tiered wages or shitty hiring practices, if those wages/hiring practices were about women or BIPOC workers. Women and BIPOC workers were often excluded from leadership positions. Hell, some unions actively opposed women's rights and the civil rights movement. It really isn't until the rise of public sector unions that *some* of this began to be acknowledged. (Still often a problem, still needs work). It should come as no shock to y'all that public sector union members are more likely to identify as women and BIPOC workers.
Fast forward into the early 2000s, some unions (mostly public sector) realized after decades of being under attack that they had to think about unionism in a different way, so they began shifting away from traditional "business" style unionism towards an organizing model (explaining that is a whole 'nother conversation), and really importantly thinking about how to use our bargaining power as a way to improve the lives of everyone - (this is called Bargaining for the Common Good https://www.bargainingforthecommongood.org ). This mindset rejects the idea that the sole purpose of unions should be to bargain better contracts for the bargaining unit, provide representation if a member needs it, and engage in politics ONLY if it directly impacts the union.
This change is why you see educators advocating for climate change solutions and nurses advocating for housing solutions and county workers advocating for education funding. Unions have chosen to take smaller financial increases in order to get things that benefit students or patients or other staff. (This model also has the added benefit of of building positive relationships with community members that don't have any experience of being in a union.)
Private sector unions (mostly) have remained wedded to traditional patterns of bargaining, and representation. Especially among the Teamsters. Teamsters have historically tended to be white, male, and with no post-secondary education. Rank and file members in the Teamsters have been trending Republican since the late 60's, and they have become more insular, more racist, more sexist, more angry, over time. Union leadership, often wanting to remain in power, will cater to those loud voices, rather than begin to do the work to move their members. And all the data we have (and we have a lot), suggests that deeply racist and deeply sexist voters (including union members) will vote against their OWN self-interest if that vote reinforces their own racism/sexism.
If you couple this kind of insular practices along with the old union tradition of treating politics as simply trying to identify who will win and throwing some $ their way so that hopefully they won't fuck us too hard, THAT is how you get a Sean O'Brien (who was once suspended for threatening a member of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union, the progressive arm of the Teamsters)- or any other number of union leaders that make boneheaded decisions. And you know he knew it is a fucked up decision, because they hired some company to do an online poll, and used that as their reasoning.
Nationally, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is slowly dying. Because they can't convince women and BIPOC workers to join them. And they won't join because they see that national union does nothing to address the racism and sexism and xenophobia by the old white fucks and plays politics as usual (the Joint Councils have this problem to a lesser degree). Meanwhile, public sector unions (the ones targeted by the Janus case), hospitality workers (UNITE) and retail grocers (UFCW) have seen their membership rise, and urban locals (like the one I work for) are changing the relationship with elected by withholding endorsement and contributions from electeds that have stabbed us in the back.
By dismissing the Teamsters National Black Caucus like they were a fringe group O'Brien is dog whistling to the old white fucks that he will continue to cave to their behavior. And it's important to note that the TNBC's willingness to defy their International by coming out, on stage at the DNC to support Harris-Walz has given a number of Joint Councils the permission to come out in support of Harris-Walz themselves.
For those outside the union world, Sean O'Brien's behavior is terribly shocking. For active union members like myself, we see leaders behaving like this all too often. The good news is, we know the solution is to build collective power, and vote the mother fuckers out of office.
I'm retired from the IUOE locals 3, 12 and 501. We voted them in to represent our public sector bargaining unit. They didn't do us a lot of good, certainly didn't treat us as full-fledged union members. We paid higher dues than private-sector members, but we don't receive a union pension or benefits package. Still, we got better treatment than what the previous unions gave us. I was appalled to hear fellow members stating their intentions to vote for whatever Republican candidates were on any ticket at any time, but at least the International would endorse the right candidates, including this year, Harris/Walz.
Yeah, I didn't want to bring the history of the Trades into my already long comment, but it's very similar to the Teamsters. And it's very true across the board that public sector workers in traditionally private sector unions generally don't fare well. (I would love to see more locals adopt a wall-to-wall organizing strategy for public sector workers, but I don't think it will happen.)
The saddest part in all of this is that unions (in the US) really come out of a mutual aid tradition. Some of our most powerful moments are also moments of solidarity across race and/or gender or worksite lines, and are moments when we are fighting for things that go beyond wages.
I would argue that union members that are strictly grounded in JUST their own self-interest are shitty union members. And it's on those of us in the labor movement to make sure that we are sharing the history of the labor movement (the good, the bad, and the ugly) with new comers.
I'd say this is a clear example of how Sean shouldn't be the head of the Teamster's Union. If you can't communicate to your members when PAB is directly saying that "if the workers go on strike you just walk in and say "YOU'RE FIRED" " then he's a fucking moron. PAB is no friend of labor, and the rank and file of the Teamsters better get their heads out of their asses.
If we're going to take union democracy seriously (and the Teamsters especially have a problematic history there), it's just as well that Sean not blatantly contradict the clear preference of his rank-and-file members. He might well disagree with them - he'd be right to - but having him just do as he sees fit regardless of their view is not a good look.
"a certain group that’s not affiliated directly with the Teamsters Union" - what he means is, they're Teamsters all right, but *he does not and can not control them*
/The piano portion of Layla which was written by Rita Coolidge and "borrowed" by Eric Clapton plays as montage of Teamster Bosses found in dumpsters and abandoned cars continues/
Here in ultra-liberal SF I live in a condo of below market rate units, 50% people of color, and a significant number of immigrant families for whom English is a second language. Over a decade ago the building was constructed by developers who wanted to meet requirements to include affordable housing out of their luxury developments by putting it all next to the railroad tracks south of Market. We've been breathing some of the highest levels of diesel particulate pollution in the state ever since. Now, Amazon has purchased an entire city block facing our building less than 50 feet away. They want to build a massive warehouse that will bring 175 delivery vans and 20 freight trucks through the neighborhood 24/7/365. Plus a 400 car parking lot on the roof. Did I mention that our building has a negative pressure ventilation system? That mens whatever is in the air outside is sucked inside without filtration. Other neighbors in the immediate facility include an art college and a soon to be constructed K-5 school. Now, my point: One of our strongest allies in the fight to stop this abomination has been the local Teamsters. So seeing the Teamster non-endorsement of Harris broke my heart. Thankfully, our local Teamster chapters have stepped up and done the right thing. But if Sean O'Brien ever goes on strike I'm crossing that rat bastard's picket line on a jet powered skateboard. Justing sayin'.
Gotta point out that the Teamsters were a big reason why people thought Unions were "mostly corrupt." And O'Brien seems to be determined to perpetuate that belief. It seems to me that the overwhelming subtext in all the coverage of this non-endorsement is "what's in it for O'Brien?" I know the membership is asking that.
Roy Williams. That is all.
Mobbed-up thugs
The only unions I still put in the "mostly corrupt" bucket are the police unions, and that's one that is going to take a LONG time to fix. Every time the "days without a police brutality incident that is covered up" calendar gets reset back to zero, the argument that the police unions are doing good instead of evil makes me do a Fry Squint.
Do police officers deserve healthcare and insurance and pensions? YES! Do they also deserve to be allowed to protect each other when they oops accidentally murder someone for the crime of being Black while existing? NO!
I remember when the police unions in Wisconsin endorsed Scott Walker for governor... he promised to hurt the teachers' unions, but not the cops'.
Oh, surprise surprise, he got elected and f***ed over the police unions, too.
Here in New York Republicans and Democrats at the state level both promise the moon to the dude public unions (cops, prison workers) while promising to shit on chick public unions (teachers, state employees).
I think O’Brien is just giving his racist union members cover to vote racist instead of vote union. Sounds like he may do so himself.
no doubt many of the more stupid white union members get a stiffie at the thought of all those hardworking LatinX immigrants who force lazy whites to clean up their acts by out-performing them, a thing I personally witnessed in the last decade of my working life, being yoinked out of the competition. a lot of guys hated being showed up by those eager beavers from south of the border, not to mention the standard racist distaste for people sporting noticeable melanin.
I'm think O'Brien is looking for the biggest bribe. He's wanting to play with the million/billionaires and this is his resume.
It's a tradition.
"It’s far too long that the Democratic Party — and I’m a Democrat — has just got their way."
Sure, Jan.
What did that even mean, when repubs have stopped so many things by filibuster or lawsuit?
O’Brien was talking out both sides of his mouth. Biden walked a picket line and Trump went to a non union plant. He went to the RNC because he thought Biden was the nominee and that Biden was going to lose the election. If Tim Walz and Kamala Harris’ roles were reversed, O’Brien would endorse the Dems. That said, he’s still not sure VP Harris will win and he’s hedging his bets.
It’s crazy to see how many lemmings fly off that cliff in service of Cinnamon Hitler.
Amen all around, Ms. Pennacchia.
Of interest: https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-09-19-what-really-went-down-teamsters-harris/
Apparently the Teamsters let eight rank-and-file members join the board meetings with the candidates. And they ALL endorsed Harris, although the overall board did not.