Oklahoma tornado recovery aided by Teamster power, Teamster sweets

(UPDATES to add volunteer in final graf.)
Teamsters are putting their hearts and their muscle into helping Oklahoma City recover from a series of miles-wide tornadoes that shattered communities and killed dozens of their neighbors. 

Today, Teamsters from Local 886 are driving emergency supplies from a Red Cross warehouse to suburban neighborhoods devastated by the storms.  

For the past three days, Teamsters from Local 886 handed out diapers and rakes, MREs and batteries, whatever tornado victims need to start rebuilding their lives. Some Teamsters are driving around neighborhoods looking for people to help; others are parked in staging areas, where victims can come to them. 

And for children, there's a special treat: Local members filled bags with sweets from Kellogg's, which the Teamsters represent. 

Our brothers and sisters at Local 886 are helping each other as well as the community. Dozens of Teamster homes were damaged or destroyed. Local 886 is giving $100 MasterCards to tide them over for gas or groceries. Three Teamsters -- Gerald Elcyzyn, Bill Underwood and Bobby Allstat -- traveled around the area looking for members whose homes were hit by a tornado. They handed out supplies, helped them apply for aid and offered cleanup crews from the hall. 

Recovery efforts have sometimes been chaotic, as is always the case after a disaster. Teamsters Local 886 President Ron Cobb has been rounding up agents and retirees on very short notice to load trucks at the warehouse or deliver supplies to the neighborhoods. On Thursday at 6 pm he got a call asking for eight Teamsters to help. "I got 10," he said. 

Teamster retirees deserve a special shout-out for their quick response and tireless work. "We couldn't have helped the Red Cross without them," Cobb said. 

Here's a list of Teamsters who've worked so hard to get Oklahoma City back on its feet.

Ed Hall  YRC Retiree
Arnold Rowlan  Sysco Retiree
Bobby Altstat ABF Employee, Local 886 Chaplain and OKC Police Chaplain
Tim Chapman ABF Retiree
Terry Raulston Retired President Local 886
Gerald Elcyzyn  Retiree ABF Freight
Bill Underwood Jack Cooper Transport Retiree
Jerry Sims Jr--UPS Business Agent Local 886
Linda Bush Laid off YRC Driver from Portland, Oregon Local 81
Dennis Duello Jack Cooper Transport Retiree
Lew Homme Jack Cooper Transport

Teamster power, Teamster sweets

This was once a Teamster home.

Visiting another damaged home.

Handing out supplies.

Okla. Teamsters mobilizing to stop ALEC's corporate takeover of state capitols

Our brothers and sisters at Local 886 in Oklahoma City are mobilizing hundreds of Teamsters to march FOR the middle class and AGAINST ALEC in early May.

ALEC, the billionaire-backed escort service for corporations and state lawmakers, will hold its annual meeting on May 2-3 in the Oklahoma state capitol. Behind closed doors they will plan ways to eradicate the middle class by weakening workers' rights, eliminating consumer and environmental protections, empowering corporations and privatizing education.

Local 886 President Ron Cobb put out the call:

Make plans now to attend the Rally and March against the actions of ALEC. ALEC and its followers directly affect you, Union or not. Bring your family and friends, this will be a great opportunity to support what YOU believe.

They'll begin the march at 4 pm at the Coca-Cola Event Center. It will go through Bricktown, to a rallying point at Cox Convention Center where ALEC is meeting. Speakers will include Harold Schaitburger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighter, state Sen. Connie Johnson and state Reps. Richard Morrissette and Anastasia Pittman. There'll be hot dogs and live music afterward.

If you can't make it, you can sign a pledge here to tell your friends and neighbors about ALEC's attempt to turn your state government over to big corporations. The pledge, along with detailed information about the event, can be found here.

This is what we union thugs do to OK farmers

We feed their starving cows.

Today, Teamsters from Ohio, Indiana and Missouri picked up 10 tons of hay in Wisconsin and hauled it in tractor-trailers to a place just outside of Oklahoma City. There, farmers and ranchers can pick up the hay for their starving livestock.

Local 886 reports,

The Teamsters participation is part of a project that Farm Aid, Inc., is championing to bring food to cattle owned by Oklahoma farmers. Since this year has been especially dry in Oklahoma, the natural food supply has run critically low and many herds of cattle are near starvation level.

Teamsters Local Union 135 in Indianapolis, Ind., the Ohio Conference of Teamsters and Kansas City's Joint Council 56 all donated their time and tractors to help pick up freshly-harvested hay from northern states and bring it to Oklahoma.

It all started last month at the annual Farm Aid concert in Kansas City. Oklahoma farmers asked for help. They said the drought this year is so bad they have nothing to feed their cattle. Many herds are near starvation. Wisconsin farmkers offered to donate hay, and Farm Aid offered to find a way to get the hay to Oklahoma. And that's where the Teamsters came in.

Hats off to the union thugs at Locals 41, 541, 838, 886 and 955.

Teamsters keep up the pressure in OK, HI, NY, NM

Teamsters from Local 808 joined this White Plains rally.

Rally Girl brings us more stories pouring in about hundreds of rallies held across the country on 4.4.11.

In Oklahoma, members of Local 886 braved freezing temperatures and high winds to join nearly 600 outside of the Statehouse. With signs, stickers and the Teamster promise, they made their presence known. Enough Teamsters attended the event that the local actually shut down for a portion of the afternoon, but reopened after the rally had ended.

Local 996 in Honolulu didn't have to contend with nasty weather. Prior to attending the 4.4.11 rally, Hawaii Teamsters rented a trolley and drove around the island banging drums and blowing whistles before meeting with other union members at the Statehouse.

Brother William Ward, a member of Local 808 in New York, attended a rally in White Plains, N.Y., where he was reminded of words his father once said to him.

My father, now deceased, said to me the day he retired after 35 years as a mechanic, that “I feel sorry for you guys today, when I got out of the service in the mid 50's I knew I could get a union job and raise a family and buy a home. Today with you guys, your only a number to Corporate America. God knows where you guys will be in 20 years.” I have never forgotten those words from a long-time, strong supporter of unions and a very involved man with his unions and employee rights. Well, 20 years later here we are fighting a great power with unlimited wealth and a plan that has been in effect now for sometime. We must keep the pressure on politicians and corporate greed!

Sister Cynthia von Hendricks, a member of Local 492 in Albuquerque, sends this account:

My friends and I attended a rally in Albuquerque. There were between 350-400 people on a major intersection in the middle of town. I saw different unions represented, along with people from MoveOn.org and the Gray Panthers. There were also just working folk, like us there. We saw lots of signs, like, "We Are One" and "I Am Working America" and "Unions = Jobs." One person had a bullhorn so there were some union cheers and chants. The most telling thing to me was the attitude of the drivers going by—lots of honking, waving and general support.

I wrote all three news organizations in town and asked why they didn't cover the event. I'm sure (I said) that you cover Tea Party rallies.