TDU’s 47th Annual Convention is a wrap. More than 450 Teamsters attended our largest Convention since the 1997 UPS strike. We are looking ahead, fired up, and arming ourselves with the tools to fight back and win. 

UPS Contract Summit

At the UPS Contract Summit, rank-and-file UPSers met with IBT President Sean O’Brien, General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, and UPS Contract Campaign Coordinator Rob Atkinson to discuss key contract issues and strategize how to win a standard-setting contract.

At the UPS-Amazon Organizing Summit, members talked about how to support the movement to unionize Amazon, and link it to the UPS contract campaign.

Workshops & Breakout Meetings

The TDU Convention program featured over 30 workshops and breakout meetings, including sessions for freight, T-Force, Carhaul, and grocery and warehouse Teamsters and caucus meetings for Black, Latino and Women Teamsters. 

Speakers

Guest speakers Sean O’Brien and Sara Nelson brought down the house. 

Teamsters Local 135 President-Elect Dustin Roach told us how the Members First movement successfully took back their 14,000-member local union. 

Local 251 member Tiffany Thompson shared her story of police brutality against strikers at Northeast Transportation/DHL. 

BMWE member Matt Mortensen—now an elected member of our International Steering Committee—spoke about rail Teamster organizing for a fair contract.

Building TDU

Members elected a new TDU Steering Committee and donated $96,904 to fund TDU organizing in the coming year.

Throughout the weekend, members strategized together on building strong contract campaigns in core Teamster industries, drilling down locally to transform the Teamsters from the bottom up, and recruiting new activists and leaders to the TDU movement. 

As Dustin Roach told the packed ballroom on Saturday night, “the real work lies ahead.”