"The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters Union leadership stands up to employers." ????!!!!!!

[AlJackson1962!]

The below quoted text is on the TDU website this morning:

"4. Courage


"TDU members have had the courage to stand up against hostile employers and against many hostile union officials.


"In the 1980s, top Teamster officials organized a goon squad called BLAST (the Brotherhood of Loyal Americans and Strong Teamsters) who violently attacked the TDU Convention and other TDU meetings.

"When Hoffa and local officials were pushing concessionary contracts and pension cuts, TDU members swam against the current to organize
Vote No campaigns and a campaign to stop massive cuts to Teamster pensions.

"We’re in a different moment. The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters Union leadership stands up to employers and has opened up our union to more member participation. TDU members are not vilified by International Union officers like we were in the past.

"But TDU continues to support Teamsters who are taking courageous action—whether they are standing up to employers or to local officials who keep members shut out of our union."

I have been fighting since 2020, before my retirement in 2022, to get 16 months of delinquent, uncollected New England Pension Fund contributions for eight Teamsters Local 251 members that were employed as drivers by the Crown Linen Services, Pawtucket, RI operation. Crown Linen shut down their Rhode Island facility and permanently laid off all unit members in 2021. I have brought this concern directly to TDU Staff Director David Levin, after Local 251 Principal Officer Matt Taibi has continually refused to acknowledge this injustice. Sean O'Brien, as NE Pension Fund Co-Chair has ignored multiple requests to fully investigate this matter and has yet to fulfill his fiduciary responsibility in this matter.

After my informational picket line duty on Friday evening at the TDU Convention (where we protested Sean O'Brien's invitation to the TDU Convention) I was greeted by O'Brien as he walked into the TDU Convention. Trailing behind him and witnessing my brief conversation with O'Brien, were Ken Paff and David Levin. I shook the hand O'Brien offered me as he said "Hi Dave". The conversation was as follows thereafter:

Me: Sean, I still have not heard back from you regarding the delinquent Crown Linen Pension Fund contributions. Me and Local 251 BA, Tommy Salvatore talked to you in Spring 2021 on the Johnson Brothers (a liquor distributor striking for a first contract) picket line about that matter and you told us you would check into it and get back to us.

O'Brien: Its not going to happen.

Me: Why?

O'Brien: Because its illegal.

Me: Why is it illegal?

O'Brien: I'll check into it.

I'll keep members apprised of any updates. Levin had told me, when I brought the matter to his attention that even during the Ron Carey administration at the IBT, there were disappointments. Bottom line:
Neither Levin, Paff, Taibi, or O'Brien give a rat's ass about rank and file members getting the shaft when they are getting the shaft from those they support.

[Barry455]

They've learned to play the odds and the odds are that members will get fed up with the run around and just give up. "It's illegal" lol.

[Graveyard]

First, congratulations to everyone that protested at the convention, it must have been a direct hit as TDU appears to be in a defensive mode!

Brother Jackson is correct; 4. Courage was recently posted on TDU’s website. I was always taught to watch what they do not what they say!

4. Courage “…The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters Union leadership stands up to employers and has opened up our union to more member participation.”
I am sure TDU’s convention had great workshops that informed members of their rights and how to protect. That is until the Local, Joint Council or the IBT declines to be involved or union/worker rights/safety are destroyed by Trump’s annihilation of the NLRB, or by O’Brien’s heavily promoted Secretary of Labor that instantly supported “Right to Work,” reversed the “Joint Employer” rule. Trump fired thousands of federal union workers, significantly curbed the collective bargaining rights of over one million federal workers, while TDU because of their newly found pot of gold remains silent supporting O’Briens vision for the Teamsters, “Teamsters (TDU) Vs Everybody,” except Trump.

Want an example of less member participation? I believe it was in Portland OR, when UPS was closing a large facility and the “MEMBERS” filed a grievance against UPS but the local refused to accept it. When the members learned that UPS was going to build a new facility, developed a plan to attend City Council meetings to delay the building permits but the local and VP Mark Davidson wanted no part of disrupting UPS’s plans.

4. Courage “…TDU members are not vilified by International Union officers like we were in the past.” What?” Is this why TDU sold out, because FZ threw his license plates away? Maybe the IBT doesn’t think it anymore, but to us reformers “TDU SUCKS.” Real reformers find strength in standing up to the abuse and wear it as a badge of honor! But I guess you would have a real Teamster to understand.

Wasn’t it Ken Paff that said ‘If you pay someone enough money their going to say nice things about you.” How much dues money is O’Brien paying TDU for its support, silence and to say nice things about him?

4. Courage “…But TDU continues to support Teamsters who are taking courageous action" Wasn’t standing up to TDU leadership against O’Brien’s endorsement a “courageous action"? TDU says it supports, but its action is to silence its own member’s voices!

4. Courage “…who keep members shut out of our union.” “OUR UNION?” Shouldn’t that be “who keep members shut out of THEIR union? “OUR UNION” sure sounds like a closed-door elite club likened to a smoke-filled backroom where members must follow TDU’s beliefs, strictly obey TDU’s rules, never question TDU’s authority/direction or the result will be banned from Teamsters for a DEMOCRATIC (?) Union convention.

Looks like one thing has not changed, TDU’s control is just more embolden and less independent under SOB’s exploitation of dues money and his firm grip on any opposition.

THE BATTLE GOES ON, WITH OR WITHOUT TDU!

[WTF891]

Hat's off Brother Jackson. Straight up truth!