Teamster Reformers: Their Union, Their Jobs, Their Movement

Abstract:     
This article surveys the history of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), one of the most important and most sustained rank and file movements ever to emerge from the ranks of American labor. The article describes TDU’s activities as a reform caucus within the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, including the important role it played in helping to shape, and to utilize, the changes that are still in place within the IBT’s governing structure that were brought about by the federal government’s civil RICO case against the IBT in the late 1980’s. The article also discusses a variety of issues affecting Teamsters on the job that TDU has taken up on behalf of rank and file members, relating to truck safety, contract negotiations and enforcement, organizing, and Teamster pensions.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 15

Keywords: Teamsters Union, Teamsters for a Democratic Union, labor movement, labor unions, union democracy, labor law

JEL Classification: K31, J51

Accepted Paper Series