ITOC’s counter-power plan

[TheMilitantTeamster]

Tony and the rest of us worked on this. We’re tired with this shit and Local 162 leadership would be surprised at who is involved in this project! Always good keep close to thy enemies.

ok here’s official statement

Decades of concessions and compromises by the Teamsters’ leadership have left workers increasingly disenchanted with the direction of the labor movement. The rise of Teamsters for a Democratic Union, along with the Democratic Socialists of America, has been a disaster. TDU, once hailed as the beacon of hope for reform within the Teamsters, has not only betrayed its promises but has degenerated into a force even more detrimental to the interests of rank-and-file members than the establishment it sought to challenge.

Instead of challenging corporate interests and fighting for workers’ rights, TDU and DSA leadership have capitulated to corporate demands and “needs” while making compromises with the most backwards sections of the union (General President O’Brien) totally undermining the interests of the rank-and-file.

This betrayal of trust has only deepened the resolve among workers for genuine change. Recognizing the failure of these reformist efforts to address systemic issues within the union bureaucracy, there is a growing consensus among rank-and-file workers that a new formation is needed.

[Tony R Cochran]

This is going to sound stupid but what is the ITOC? And can anyone give a recap on the history behind it?

Mixmax that's not a stupid question at all. The Independent Teamsters Organizing Committee or ITOC, is a recently formed group out of Local 162 to fight against layoffs and shift closures. Here's from our About Us page,

"The Independent Teamsters Organizing Committee (ITOC) was formed in direct response to the 2024 mass layoffs of UPS Teamsters, driven by AI/automation and corporate greed, and permitted by Teamster leaders.

Our mission is to empower the working class by resisting exploitation, asserting control over the means of production, and establishing a new economic system where technology serves workers. Right now, no UPS Teamster job is safe, and millions of other jobs are on verge of being wiped out from the coming AI/automation revolution." https://independentteamstersorganizi...tee.org/about/

We have members in almost every shift and in multiple classifications. We also have members in other locals.

A bit of history: At the end of January, UPS announced that it would close the day shift at Swan Island, laying off over 270 UPS Teamsters. There was little to no information, so a group of us - mainly sorters from day and twilight sorts, but later from night sort (and then a full-time inside and a feeder driver) - started to review daily volume (it's printed on every shift's sheet), examine the revenue from the last quarter and also link up with seasoned Teamsters. Howard Williamson, a retired 36 year RCPD, former Local 162 steward and IBT organizer, founder of Blacks United to Motivate Progress (BUMP) and a regular at IBT Conventions, became a founding member and a guide. Howard helped mentor and prepare us to ask questions about AI/automation for an "information" meeting with Local 162 BA and national bargaining committee member Ben Vedus. That exchange was reported on by the World Socialist Web Site here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/202.../upsl-m29.html

We are a work in progress but we will continue to fight against O'Brien, Davison and others who spent hours and a lot of dues money to sell us this sell out contract.