Teamster Power on and off the job!

Local 25 Teamster Leslie Russell

Every year at the Teamsters Women’s Conference, one local woman is presented with an award for her activism. This year, Leslie Russell, a nine-year member of Local 25 in Boston, was recognized for her involvement in union activities in support of her Teamster sisters and brothers.

At the conference, Teamsters took time to remember sisters who passed away this year, including Clara Day, a longtime member, and union and civil rights activist. They also remembered Barbara Liddy, a woman who wore many hats in the union and is remembered for her commitment and dedication to her fellow Teamsters.

For the first time this year, the annual award that Russell received was named the “Barbara Liddy Teamster Woman Activist Award.” Among her countless roles, Liddy was Recording-Secretary and Political Coordinator for Local 396 in Covina, Calif., and had previously spoken at the conference.

Ron Herrera, IBT International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 396, said:

She was a great example of a strong, outspoken woman in the Teamsters. She had courage beyond belief and fear never stopped her.

Russell is also a strong, committed Teamster woman, who was honored this year for her work in her union and community. Russell counsels Teamsters with stress and sleep issues, mental health issues, addiction, health and wellness and other concerns.

Upon receiving the award, Russell said:

I work with the belief that no one should suffer in silence, and this conference rejuvenates me to do the best that I can. I really enjoy working with and helping the members. I’m so grateful to be a Teamster.

Through the Local 25 and Joint Council 10 women’s committees, Russell takes part in a variety of community projects, including outreach to homeless women and walks to benefit multiple sclerosis research, among others. She works on the Local 25 Autism Committee, which plans a hugely successful annual gala to raise funds for autism research. And she volunteers at the Boston Marathon medical tent as part of a mental health team.

CT Teamsters get something going at May Day rally

Teamsters came out in force for a May Day rally in Hartford.  

UPDATE: Added Locals 677 from Waterbury and Local 191 from Bridgeport.

From the Better Late than Never Department:

We've just learned details about a terrific May Day rally in Hartford, Ct., that got people educated and fired up about the War on Workers.

Teamsters were by far the largest contingent at the rally, which drew 2,000 people near the Statehouse on a beautiful spring day.

Connecticut workers haven’t endured the kind of assaults experienced by workers in Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin and elsewhere. But Dave Lucas, Teamsters Local 671’s principal officer, told the crowd that they’d better be ready.

Dave Lucas, principal officer, Local 671

Said Lucas,

It can come up on you any time. We gotta be ready for it and send a message: “Don't bring that crap here.”

Connecticut Teamsters came from Locals 493 in New London, Local 1150 in Stratford, Local 677 in Waterbury, Local 191 in Bridgeport and Local 671 in Bloomfield. Joint Council 10 from New England brought four or five carloads of Teamsters (along with the Teamsters truck). Teamsters drove all the way from Local 633 in Manchester, N.H., Local 10 in Boston and Local 40 from Mansfield, Ohio.

T-shirts sold like hotcakes.

Local 671 gave “Stop the War on Workers’ t-shirts to members and sold them to others at cost. The t-shirts were gone by the end of the day.

Lucas said he was pleased to see members from his local that he never expected to see.

We really beat the bushes to get them to go, to get them aware, and it really worked. This took on a meaning. We got something going.

It really built the people up.

The Day reported on the rally, noting that budget shortfalls in Connecticut meant government workers were being asked to make concessions.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was invited to attend but was out-of-state.

The first-term Democrat governor is on the opposite side of the bargaining table with unions representing more than 40,0000 state employees. The Malloy administration is seeking $1 billion in annual savings and givebacks from state employees to help plug a $3.4 billion budget hole in the next fiscal year...

James Findley, a state union worker, held aloft a sign asking “Sacrifice Shared by Whom?” The message was a reference to Malloy’s calls for “Shared Sacrifice” among Connecticut residents in mending the state’s finances.

The 47-year-old Storrs resident said that because the wealthy experienced greater gains than the middle class in recent years, the state needs a more progressive tax structure than what is in Malloy’s budget, which would raise the top income tax rate to 6.7 percent.

“He’s asking for an extraordinarily large contribution to be made by the unions and I would just like there to be a little more shared sacrifice from those who have benefitted over the past 10 years,” he said.