In last week’s Roundup, I posted this during the Republican convention:
And the reaction has not been long in coming (courtesy of indefatigable Reader Mike L.):
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Vice President at large John Palmer announced he is mounting a challenge to current President Sean O’Brien after he gave a speech at the Republican National Convention.
Palmer laid out several reasons why O’Brien has shown he is not fit for his leadership position, including fear of retaliation among members and failing to support members in contracts.
“This [Teamsters] administration rode into power on a wave of excitement generated by our members’ desires and frustration. We were promised a more engaged leadership and a more militant union. What we have received so far is a PR blast furnace of misinformation and betrayal.”
I guess we’ll just leave it to the teamsters to fight it all out.
Ordinarily, I’d encourage outsiders (i.e. Republicans) to stay away from this little imbroglio, but I have just one thing to say to the teamsters, and it’s only a few words:
Under the Biden administration, we’ve been seeing more and more non-union truck drivers, longshoremen and low-income workers coming into the country illegally and taking your jobs. Trump is committed to bringing back American jobs to Americans. Ask yourselves which (governmental) Administration will serve your interests better.
But hey… far be it for me to try to tell people how to vote.
As a proud member of the Steel workers Union, I’ll pass on a little secret. Aside from the Pizza at the monthly lunch meetings of our local and the Annual Lobster Picnic, the Union Leadership never did anything for me except collect my dues. ( They even sided with management when I had a disagreement when I retired ). Sure, there were some “True Believers” who voted the way we were told but the vast majority paid very little attention, said nothing and voted the way they wanted.
As to just why a software developer was a member of the Steel Workers Union, that’s still a mystery. I didn’t have a choice. Apparently once a union member, always a union member.