Sandy relief: Next wave of Teamsters set to roll

Teamsters gettin' 'er done.

Sister Bernadette Kelly at Joint Council 16 is rounding up dozens more Teamsters for the next big push to distribute Red Cross supplies to victims of Superstorm Sandy.

We've been trying to keep track of what all the Teamsters have been doing to restore the lives and neighborhoods damaged by the worst natural disaster in the region's history. We've found that hundreds, and more probably thousands, of our brothers and sisters are key to the New York area's recovery.

As the storm pounded the region, hospital workers from Local 237 and emergency personnel from Local 707 evacuated patients from New York hospitals.

Kenny Adams from local 863

New York’s Strongest -- sanitation workers from Local 831 -- prepared the city for the storm. Then they moved mountains of garbage, essential to keeping communities free of disease.

Local 817 members were everywhere, volunteering hundreds of hours after 12-hour work days. Their 18-wheeler traveled through the region with supplies helping New York Cares and the Red Cross. Local 776 brought supplies from Philadelphia and Local 728 loaned its tractor from Atlanta.

Local 237 Teamsters tackled the massive challenge of cleaning and repairing public housing, while protecting the properties from looting.

Local 584 delivered milk to Long Beach where children hadn’t had milk for a week.

Local 812 brought the first supplies – water and clothing – to a Long Beach emergency shelter.  With Local 237, they delivered pallets of desperately needed water to public housing in Far Rockaway.

Teamsters from Local 553 gave out clean-up supplies to residents of Lindenhurst, N.Y. Teams of UPS Teamsters spent entire weekends delivering supplies to devastated areas of Staten Island, Manhattan and Rockaway.

Shop steward Tom Fallon in the warehouse.

When the Red Cross asked for Teamster drivers on a few hours’ notice, dozens answered the call. Soon, wave after wave of Teamsters and their families came to Red Cross warehouses in New Jersey, working side by side with Joint Council 16 President George Miranda and Joint Council 73 President Al Rispoli. Locals 210, 812, and 817 took charge of the logistics in the  Red Cross warehouse, making sure more than 100 trucks went out over the weekend.

Last night, when a cargo plane arrived at JFK filled with 16,000 blankets from Russia, UPS Teamsters were there  to pick them up and deliver them.

That’s how we Teamsters roll.

Bernadette Kelly and Al Rispoli. He delivered to Red Hook.

Now more help is needed. Here are the details:

The warehouses need forklift and warehouse workers 24/7 throughout the weekend. We need drivers starting at 8 am Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

Tonight 11/15, forklift and warehouse workers are needed at 100 Industrial Drive, Jersey City, NJ 

Tomorrow 11/16, forklift drivers and warehouse workers are needed at 100 Industrial Drive, Jersey City, NJ. AT LEAST 20 drivers are needed starting at 8 am from 100 Industrial Drive 

Saturday and Sunday 11/17 and 18, forklift drivers and warehouse workers are needed at 100 Industrial Drive. 

75 drivers are needed to be dispatched from four staging areas starting at 8 am this weekend. 

Floyd Bennet Field
50 Aviation Rd 

Aqueduct Race Track
110-00 Rockaway Blvd 

Miller Field
National Park Service
New Drop Ln  Staten Island, NY 

MacArthur Airport
City of Islet, Parking Lot 10
100 Arrival Ave
Ronkonkoma, NY

If you can volunteer, call Sister Bernadette Kelly at (202) 437-1705.

If you can't volunteer, please consider making a donation to the Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund. Just click here.