TEAMSTERS REFORM: A NEW UNIONISM? L~ABOR BY JEREMY BRECHER TODAY

N NOVEMBER 1991, Mafia is still in charge, let me be clear. unions have been decimated, losing the 1.6 million mem­ The party's over." members, clout, and long-established bers of the Interna­ While the Teamster's situation is conditions. In the past 20 years, union tional Brotherhood unique, it may be symptomatic of a membership has fallen from nearly 30 of Teamsters each re­ new wave of union reform efforts. The percent to barely 16 percent of the ceived a secret. tam- UAW's New Directions group is plan­ United States workforce . .______. per-proof mail ballot ning to run well-known dissident Jerry Turning the Teamsters into a clean, A month later, guarded by 28 black­ Tucker for union president at the head well-run organization is itself an shirted security guards, machines of a ticket pledged to establish one­ awesome challenge. But it will not be counted the returned ballots in the first member one-vote direct election of of­ enough to reverse the union's plunging one-member one-vote election in the ficers in the UAW-a challenge which membership (down 750,000) or the union's 88-year history. may receive strong impetus from the declining wages and deteriorating To the astonishment of most ob­ debacle at General Motors. According working conditions of its members. For servers, the reform slate of Ron Carey, to Susan Jennik, executive director of today's unions are as poorly adapted to a former UPS driver and local union the Association for Union Democracy, a radically-changed economy and president from Queens, New York, took "The Teamsters is an indication of a society as were the craft unions of pud­ all of the top 16 positions in the inter­ trend. There are more contested elec­ dlers and tinsmiths in the mass produc­ national union. Carey's first announ­ tions at the national level than I have tion industries of 50 years ago. Today's cement as president-elect was that he ever seen." union reformers will only succeed if would cut the president's salary from These reform effons occur as the they can help spark the creation of a $225,000 to $175,000 and then "get the labor movement is taking a devastating new unionism at least as different from bums out." "To those who think the beating. Even the best-run, least-corrupt today's as the CIO was from the

' WOOOHA VEN, MIOUOAN-flM WE.ST, IMPACT VISUALS

60 Z MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 1992 AFL-and if they can help tum today's growing social discontent into a move­ ment as dynamic as the rise of the CIO.

Taking The Union Back HE TEAMSTERS BEGAN as a craft union of drivers, but today repre­ Tsents factory workers, healthorganized crime, vast salaries and perks for union officials, nepotism, sweetheart contracts with employers, and the use of every tactic from manipulation to murder to prevent rank-and-file challenges to leaders' power. Three of the union's last five presidents went to jail on charges rang­ ficers. and 138 leaders charged with Carey's petition drives netted more ing from tampering with union pension corruption were removed from office. funds to bribery of public officials. In than 100,000 Teamster signatures, Soon after the consent decree, Ron qualifying him under the consent 1990, 154 Teamster officials made over Carey announced that he would run for decree for space in the Teamster $100,000 a year-not counting "expen­ president of the union. Carey is like a magazine. His oft-repeated message ses" or illegal payments. Hollywood version of a rank-and-file was "This is the year that we can take In 1975, a small insurgent grouping union reform hero. His father drove a our union back." within the union, the Teamsters for a truck for UPS for 40 years and believed Carey 's support was best in his own Democratic Union (TDU), organized strongly in the labor movement. After a UPS jurisdiction and among carhaulers, for the daunting task of trying to stint in the marines, Carey followed his the South, and other areas where the reform the Teamsters. An awesomely father into UPS. Carey became a shop TDU is strong. He drew crowds of dedicated band, the TDU worked tire­ steward, took labor relations courses, 1,000 in Memphis and 500 in Nashville lessly turning out leaflets and news­ and in 1967 won an election for presi­ in October, while his principal op­ papers, running local election cam­ dent of his 6,800-member local. ponent, R. V. Durham, drew 34 in Den­ paigns. and challenging official policies Carey led several strikes which ver and l 00 in Des Moines. and bargaining agreements. Today the helped double wages and won workers The Durham slate had the bucks, TDU has 10,000 members and drew the right to retire after 25 years. He was raising $475,000 from April through 550 delegates to its 1990 convention. known for visiting the "barns" daily. September 1. Twenty-three current or While enrolling fewer than I percent of He banned nepotism in the local and former members of the Durham slate Teamsters, the TDU has considerably took a voluntary salary cut when union contributed an average of nearly sympathy; in a poll of rank-and-file funds were low. His local kept at arms­ $12,000 each. They had good reason to Teamsters released in May, 1991, TDU length from the International, but was be so generous: according to a report received a "favorable" rating from one­ known for the support it gave other by a TDU affiliate, 15 of Durham's third of those polled and an "un­ Teamster locals on strike. It would be slate members earned over $100,000 in favorable" from eight percent-a far difficult to find a trade union official 1990. Carey's slate raised $173,000, better rating than any of the union's with a stronger reputation for integrity more than half of it in small contribu­ presidential candidates at that time. and commitment to his own rank and tions from members of his home local. In 1988, the Justice Dcparunent filed file. Not one member of the Carey slate a RICO anti-racketeering suit against Carey spent almost two years cam­ received a $100,000 salary. the Teamsters, and a Federal court ap­ paigning, travelling the country in a The 1991 Teamsters convention pointed an administrative panel to over­ beat-up station wagon and staying in provided the first big testing-ground for see the union. In 1989 the Teamsters members' homes and budget motels. He union politics under the consent decree. leadership-fearing criminal prosecu­ was not a member of the TDU, but he Reformers ran candidates in a quarter tions-agreed to a consent decree worked closely with them. The TDU of the union's 638 locals and elected at which mandated radical changes in the kept a low profile in the campaign but least one delegate in about half of union's constitution, policies, and per­ provided Carey's major organizational them. Where reformers had elected sonnel. Members were guaranteed a support. Carey included two TDU only 24 delegates in 1986, they elected one-person one-vote election for con­ vention delegates and the 18 top of- leaders on his ticket. 300 in 1991.

61 Z MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 1992

1991 leAMSlEIS CONVEJlmON. OIU.ANDO-JIM WEST, IMPACT VISUALS Much of the reformers' platform was to power in any kind of mass up­ large-scale purge of the ineffective and approved, including the right to vote surge-only one member in eight voted corrupt? Should they sponsor opposi­ for all international officers, majority for Carey. It was Federal intervention tion slates in the major locals? Or rule on contracts and contract supple­ and the crumbling of the old Teamster should they allow those proclaiming ments, and a four-fold increase in strike leadership under legal assault-a ver­ loyalty to remain in office? benefits. Nonetheless, the Convention sion of reform from above-that made An important lesson here comes remained dominated by the union of­ their victory possible. from the history of Miners for ficialdom: it refused to pass meaningful The first problem the new reform Democracy, an insurgent movement in limits on staff salaries and gave Carey leaders face as they start their five-year the United Mine Workers which, with only 15 percent of the votes compared terms is to take over the reins of power the aid of a Federally-supervised elec­ to 83 percent for the two establishment in the face of hostile officials at local, tion, threw out a corrupt and murderous candidates. regional, sectoral, and national levels­ union machine in 1972 and elected Ar­ The results in the rank-and-file elec­ a "nomenklatura" who opposed Carey's nold Miller, a highly-respected rank­ tion were very different Carey won 48 election and whose livelihood and way and-file leader (himself a victim of percent of the vote-ample to beat the of life are threatened by his success. black lung disease) as union president two old-guard candidates. His slate These officials are lilcely to follow a After the election, many MFD leaders took all 16 General Executive Board dual strategy. On the one hand, they became union officials and MFD itself positions it contested. However, only will proclaim their loyalty to the was virtually disbanded. about one-fourth of the membership reformers, indeed, try to identify them­ Unexpectedly, Miller proved unable voted. Carey received fewer than selves as reformers to capture the to provide adequate leadership and be­ 190,000 votes from the union's 1.6 mil­ movement's base. (Carey's principal came increasingly divorced from the lion members. opponent already ran on the union's rank and file. Yet with the MFD dis­ need for "new directions. '1 At the same banded, rank-and-file miners found time, they will sabotage the functioning themselves almost as powerless to chal­ Reformers At The Wheel of the reform effort, and even of nor­ lenge the new leadership as they had HE REFORM VICTORY in the mal union operations. Some powerful been the old one. The lesson is clear for Teamsters represents a peculiar local leaders have already threatened to Teamster reformers: it is important that Tcombination of reform from withhold dues from the International if groups like the TDU remain an or­ above and reform from below. While Carey's reforms go too far. ganized force, independent of union of­ many union "reform" movements are Reformers are likely to be preoc­ ficialdom, however well-intentioned the largely palace coups led by turncoat cupied at first with the tactics of the latter may be. senior officials, Carey and the TDU struggle against the old guard. Should The role of an organized rank-and­ represent true outsiders to the union's the new leadership utilize internal or file movement is even more important establishment. But they did not sweep external review boards to conduct a because the Teamsters has long been a

62 Z MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 1992 relatively decentralized organization. file. What the new leadership can do is tional practices. For example, the union Regional conferences, joint councils, create a supportive environment for that can do a great deal to facilitate com­ and company and industry councils snuggle. Under the consent decree, the munication among the local leaders and wield much of the union's power. union was mandated to establish a the rank and file. (Just printing and dis­ Union barons have generally used such three-member Independent Review tributing literature to all Teamster mem­ institutional bases to run the union as a Board appointed jointly by the govern­ bers strained Carey's campaign resour­ collection of personal fiefdoms. ment and the union to address union ces, and simply getting in touch with This decentralization has advantages corruption. Ron Carey has proposed a others in the same industry was a big and disadvantages for the reformers. It constitutional amendment to replace the initial problem for the TDU.) Staff makes the immediate cleaning out of Board with an I I-member Ethical Prac­ roles can be redefined as support for entrenched officials far more difficult­ tices Committee of both Teamsters and rank-and-file activity, not being the according to one estimate, Carey may outsiders, modeled on the UAW's boss of the union, and staff members be able to fire and replace only about Public Review Board. trained accordingly. The tone for all 100 officials. TDU reformers have also proposed a this must be set at the top; it will also The positive side of this is that suc­ number of other constitutional amend­ probably require the creation of some cess will lead to far more rank-and-file ments, including the direct election of kind of internal educational program. control than in more centralized nation­ pension plan trustees, direct election of Leadership development programs al unions. And the network of regional, stewards, local negotiating committees, and new institutional snuctures can be company, and industry snuctures could local and international officials and developed to support active participa­ serve as the starting point for a flexible business agents, a limit on officials' tion by women, who form about 30 organization better adapted than craft salaries, and a ban on multiple salaries. percent of the Teamsters membership and industrial unions for dealing with These might be supplemented by other but have only one of its 154 highest­ the decentralized, transnational, inter­ protections, such as a member's bill of paid officials. (The first woman was linked companies of the new economy. rights and a member's right-to-know elected to the General Executive Board Some such resnucturing will be essen­ about the functioning of the union. on the Carey slate.) A strong emphasis tial to a revival of the labor movement. These and other reforms will likely be on supporting the role of women in the Because of the Teamsters structure, on the agenda of the next Teamsters union would simultaneously expand the the reformers will need far more than convention. base for reform and radically alter the their formal positions of authority at the These formal democratic reforms union's image and culture. top of the union to make significant can be supplemented by efforts to cre­ Carey has promised "To deeply in­ change. Even if the TDU remains an ate a democratic cul~ and organiza- volve the broad membership of my organized force, it, plus Carey's own support within UPS, is too narrow a base for a serious effort to reform the Teamsters. The reformers need YES BU?: to create a broader movement YOU GET within the rank and file and A Ff

Democratization AREY'S AVOWED OBJEC­ TIVE of returning the Cunion to the control of its members can't be achieved from the top. It requires a con­ tinuing battle by the rank and

63 Z MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 1992 union in all decision-making and prin­ and torpor into an activist support for people, they need a major overhaul in cipal activities." That will require more community and labor struggles. For that all their practices. Unions need to be than just throwing out the bums. It will reason these efforts will probably re­ redefined not just as the bargaining mean a virtual cultural revolution in the quire a new institutional structure to agent for one group of workers with Teamsters. serve as a vehicle for channeling Team­ their employer, but also as a unit within ster resources into a wide range of or­ a movement to represent the broad in­ ganizing efforts. This structure might terests of working people in all spheres Out Of Isolation be comparable to a political action of society. They need to address the HE LABOR MOVEMENT developed departtnent. It might sponsor the crea­ concerns of the 84 percent of workers historically out of the need of tion of local or regional Worker Ad­ who are not in unions as much as the Tworking people to deal with their vocacy Resource Centers. These in tum 16 percent who are. They need to be­ individual powerlessness by joining might support a wide range of activities come vehicles for empowering their together to act collectively. But in the by both Teamster members and others own members, rather than preserving U.S., this impulse came to be narrowed in their communities. For example: the perks of an entrenched bureaucracy. to a structure of unions representing Unions need to fit the transformed • Organizing the hundreds of thousands particular groups of workers in relation structure of the national and interna­ of unemployed Teamsters and other to their employers. This meant unions tional economy, rather than the in­ unemployed workers to fight for their structured around the collective bar­ dustrial structure of half-a-century ago own survival needs. gaining contract, little concerned with and the tortuous bargaining unit rules the wider interests of working people. • Joining Jobs with Justice or utilizing of national labor law. Finally, unions For the past 40 years, the Teamsters the Jobs with Justice model to get themselves have to break out of bur­ union has been a grotesque parody of union members to take an "I'll be eaucratic domination and develop a this condition, with leaders out not there" pledge to help in campaigns radically democratic culture and struc­ even for the special interests of one beneficial to workers and the labor ture. The current transformation of the group of workers but just for themsel­ movement. Teamsters will test to what extent exist­ ves. However, bringing the Teamsters ing unions can make these changes. • Organizing members to campaign for back to the "state of the art" of good, We are clearly entering a period of health care refonn. clean special-interest unionism will not mass popular discontent, manifested by save it from the free fall in which it • Revivifying Teamster traditions of such contrasting events as the upset finds itself-along with the rest of the picket line support for strikes. victory of progressive, labor-backed labor movement. • Providing training and support for Senate candidate Harris Wofford in If it is to have a future, the labor Pennsylvania and the vast vote for members and non-members in com­ movement has to redefine itself, not KKK and Nazi sympathizer David munity and labor organizing. just as the bargaining agent for one Duke in Louisiana. This opens the pos­ group of workers with their employer, • Channeling members into campaigns sibility for a renewal of the labor but as the champion of the needs and for women's and minority rights. movement-but only if it is able to supporter of the rights of the 84 percent recreate itself in a new form. In order • Mobilizing members to protect public of workers who are not in unions. to succeed, the Teamster reformers and municipal services. For the Teamsters, this means sup­ need to project the image-and begin porting the participation of members • Participating in community coalitions creating the reality-not just of a new and leaders in a wide range of activities for industrial retention and community Teamsters union, but of a new labor from which the old guard stood aloof economic development. movement. or which they actively opposed. These The Teamsters union finds itself in a Besides helping the Teamsters break range from participation in community­ position parallel to that of the United out of their isolation, such a program labor coalitions to mobilization for Mine Workers in the mid- l 930s. The would have several side-benefits. It health care reform to protecting public weakness of the labor movement as a would help project a new image, not services and community efforts at in­ whole meant that the UMW's strongest just of the Teamsters, but of the labor dustrial retention. bastions could be threatened by union­ movement as a whole. It would create Last year's Teamsters budget in­ busting. To survive, it had to try to local structures around which reformers cluded $2.5 million for General Execu­ stimulate and support a national labor could rally. It would draw new sectors tive Board members' salaries and $18.6 insurgency. John L. Lewis, though a of the membership into the reformers' million for the union's fleet of air­ conservative and autocratic leader, ranks. It would help organize new planes. It would be a dramatic step for poured the UMW's efforts and its members and workplaces. It would pro­ the union to announce it will dedicate a treasury into supporting the militant vide educational and organizing ex­ substantial part of such funds to pro­ and unruly new unions of the CIO. perience and training for members. It grams designed to further the interests Union reformers can't recreate the would create a community of allies of all working people-including, of best of the old unionism, for that is al­ ready to help each other in future course. Teamster members themselves. ready going under. They need to start strikes and organizing campaigns. It will be extremely difficult for the creating a new unionism. If U.S. unions are to return to health new Teamster leadership to move the Indeed, their choice is a new and meet the needs of today's working existing bureaucracy out of its isolation unionism or no unionism. z

64