Recent Teamster History from Gary Witlen

[OT+]

If your interested in modern Teamster history and want to know more from an objective source, check out former IBT attorney Gary Witlen's Blog. His latest post is "Then came Jackie, Part 1", see it at:
https://t-unionlink.org/ruminations-...me-jackie-pt-1

[JWebb]

I've been reading Gary's posts for sometime. One of the most interesting is on the 1981 Convention and another on the Presidency of Roy Williams, nice work.

[AlJackson1962!]

#2
AlJackson1962! commented
Today, 10:35 PM
Brother Witlin, you wrote: "The Rider was attacked by all political factions; even the union negotiators made minimal effort to sell it to the affected members. It was rejected by a resounding 94,000 to 13,000 votes."

I was working as a casual in Local 707 when the vote was conducted. I had no seniority under the NMFA - I was on a seasonal list (fuel oil drivers in Local 553}, laid off, and working in freight.
I got a call one day, shortly after the ballots were mailed, from TDU organizer Ken Paff. He was asking about the sentiment among Local 707 members regarding how they might vote. I told him the sentiment was overwhelmingly VOTE NO. Paff asked how I planned to vote and why. I told him I received a ballot even though I was a casual; and I would certainly vote no. Paff laughed and said, "So you're voting no because you got a ballot." I said that ratification would mean a big cut in pay, as there were no tiers then; casuals got full rate.

Brother Witlin, you might also recall thar Jackie Presser as IBT GP made headlines by complaining about illegal immigrants, including Puerto Ricans. It was a front page headline in the NY Daily News. Of course, Puerto Ricans have been US citizens since 1917, and the Teamsters had and continue to have a Teamsters Local representing workers there. And there was TDU activity in that Local led by Efrain Maceira, a rank and file Teamster. My wife and I met and spent an evening with Efrain in 1982 while visiting my wife's family. This is an interesting footnote, given, current GP Sean O'Brien's defense of Trump's anti-immigrant terror.

And, what better characterizes Jackie Presser then his being carried into the 1986 IBT Convention in a sedan chair carried by people dressed as Roman gladiators. Presser inherited his Teamster jobs through his father Bill, much like Hoffa, Jr. inherited his Teamster positions as the son of Jimmy, Sr. Likewise in the biggest Teamster Local in the country, NYC Local 237, that was run by Barry Feinstein, who inherited the job from his father.

Presser's relationship with Lyndon LaRouche, the right wing nut from the US Labor Party is another infamous chapter. It was LaRouche operatives that formed BLAST (Brotherhood of Loyal American and Strong Teamsters) and broke into the TDU Convention in 1984 (?); can't recall the year, I didn't attend that one.

The Presser era was a bad period. I wore my "Dump Presser" button proudly when I got recalled for the heating season by Central Petroleum, my Local 553 job. While signing my loading ticket in the control room at the Astoria fuel oil racks, another driver looked at my button and asked, "What the hell is a Dump Presser?" I explained and he gave thumbs up.

- Dave Robbins, retired, Local 251

[Gary Witlen]

Thank you for your observations. When I first started the blog, I expressed the hope that others would share their opinions and memories of the events I wrote about, whatever their point of view. While you and I may not agree on many matters, you have fulfilled my effort to generate exchanges of memories and ideas. Moreover, your observations as to the effects of IBT policies as experienced by a rank and file member balance my view from my perch in Washington. So thank you for taking the time to contribute to my project and I encourage you to continue to share your experiences. I hope it encourages others. As to Jackie's sedan ride through the Eastern Conference reception, you've gotten ahead of my narrative. Prepare to comment further after I cover this event, probably in my next post.