I first learned what a union was from my Uncle Tommy, a UPS driver in Schuylkill County. The grandson of union coal miners and the son of a police officer heavily involved in the union, his first job in a factory in his hometown was also organized. It was from Uncle Tommy that I first heard pro-union rhetoric, and seeing the good work he did as a member of the Teamsters union has always inspired me.
For 15 years. Tom was a union steward, a person who is elected by the workers in their firm (for Tom, that was the UPS) to bring grievances to the boss. This means that Tom was able to address many problems the workers were facing, including long-hours and poor pay. Later on, he was an elected official in the Teamsters local union in Luzerne and Lackawanna County, serving as their recording secretary. In this role, he supported all union members throughout these two counties and interviewed people running for office on both the local and state levels to see which candidates would support the union’s interests and help support their campaigns. Finally, he was also responsible for helping other local factories and workplaces organize to achieve the same ends.
In addition to securing benefits and better working conditions for himself and his colleagues, my Uncle Tom worked hard to help other workers in the area, which I think is very admirable. In my hometown (which is unfortunately pretty anti-union), I have heard many people express the belief that union leaders are corrupt or are not in it for the right reasons. Some even claim that unions merely exist as money making schemes for leaders (to see more common misconceptions about unions, look here).
This unfortunate reputation of corruption exists in the Teamsters because of past mistakes by leaders, but it is not representative of the organization today. Today, the Teamsters are “recognized as one of the strongest and most democratic unions in the world” and have had success in “setting the standard for higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions” for workers in a variety of industries (Teamsters.org). In addition to these more traditional functions, the Teamsters and other unions across the country ”perform vital tasks in pension management, safety and health, community outreach, and governmental affairs and communications” (Teamsters.org). Additionally, per a report done by the Economic Policy Institute, communities with a high percentage of organized workers tend to be more democratic, resulting in increased civil engagement. This is most likely due to the fact that working-class political candidates receive broader support in pro-union areas. Furthermore, the report found that people tend to have more favorable attitudes towards their communities when the unions in that area are strong (Banarjee, et. al).
I have always been inspired by my uncle’s dedication to supporting workers through his work in the Teamsters union. Many people are quick to demonize labor organization efforts because they are not entirely sure what unions do and what their chief goals are. Increasing education on the work the Teamsters and other organizations do to support the working class is important because it shows people how vital they are to our society as a whole.
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Uncle Tom sounds like an absolute g wow. I had never heard of the Teamsters before so this was cool to read about. I honestly have learned so much about unions from your posts it’s great.
That’s so cool that your Uncle Tom was involved in that way! Like Morgan, I also had never heard of Teamsters before but it’s been super interesting to learn about. It’s awesome that you’ve had such close family members so involved in your community!