Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) is the longest-lasting grassroots group in U.S. labor movement history. What’s the secret behind TDU’s staying power, and what is the role of TDU today?
1. Rank-and-File Power
When TDU was founded by freight and UPS Teamsters in 1976, top International Union officers were under the thumb of organized crime.
TDU members exposed corruption, sometimes at great risk. But even then, TDU members never believed our union’s problem was a few bad or corrupt leaders.
The problem was not enough leaders. We set out to develop and network rank-and-file activists and to open the union to member participation—an approach called rank-and-file power. It’s been our north star for 50 years.
2. Education
Building rank-and-file power starts with informing and educating members. Over 10,000 Teamsters participate in TDU workshops, webinars, education conferences, trainings and strategy meetings every year.
TDU’s slogan is that “Leaders are people who develop other leaders.” That approach has enabled TDU to develop generations of leaders.
3. Bottom-Up Organizing
TDU champions rank-and-file organizing in action. Contract campaigns, parking lot meetings, contract unity pledge cards, practice picketing, member-to-member conversations, Vote No campaigns, marching on the boss, group chats, steward networks.
None of these tools were invented by TDU. But we spread them, develop new strategies and network members to help them build rank-and-file power.
4. Courage
TDU members have had the courage to stand up against hostile employers and against many hostile union officials.
In the 1980s, top Teamster officials organized a goon squad called BLAST (the Brotherhood of Loyal Americans and Strong Teamsters) who violently attacked the TDU Convention and other TDU meetings.
When Hoffa and local officials were pushing concessionary contracts and pension cuts, TDU members swam against the current to organize
Vote No campaigns and a campaign to stop massive cuts to Teamster pensions.
We’re in a different moment. The O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters Union leadership stands up to employers and has opened up our union to more member participation. TDU members are not vilified by International Union officers like we were in the past.
But TDU continues to support Teamsters who are taking courageous action—whether they are standing up to employers or to local officials who keep members shut out of our union.
5. Coalitions
TDU members have often had to take lonely stands. But a union is about strength in numbers. TDU members reach out beyond our ranks and work with others to achieve more together than we can by ourselves. That principle is written into the TDU Constitution.
It is how we’ve built local and national contract campaigns and slates for local union office.
The same principle has enabled a small rank-and-file network to play an outsized role in electing new leaders in North America’s most powerful international union. TDU joined the Ron Carey coalition in the 1990s, Teamsters United in 2016, and OZ Teamsters United today.
When James P. Hoffa tried to isolate and destroy TDU in the 2000s, TDU ran campaigns for International Union office led by Tom Leedham and Sandy Pope.
Those campaigns kept democracy alive in our union and gave a voice to members who opposed givebacks—and they opened the door to the Teamsters United coalitions of 2016 and 2021.
6. Democracy
TDU functions democratically—and our Convention is our highest decision-making body.
Members elect TDU’s Steering Committee and officers. Members set the organization’s priorities each year by vote.
TDU endorses candidates for International Union office by a vote of the members too.
Teamsters who oppose TDU are not allowed to participate. They can form their own caucus.
Within TDU, members have a wide range of opinions, and discussion and debate is encouraged.
Hearing each other out generates the best ideas and lays the foundation for taking united action.
7. Unity in Action
How does TDU build unity across differences in opinion? First, we focus on areas of agreement, not disagreement. Our action plans are based on what unites us, not what divides us.
Second, we focus on what we can affect. Teamster members formed TDU to build rank-and-file power in our workplaces and our union. That’s what we’re best at and that’s what we focus on.
Third, in TDU we focus on what we do and not what we say. You don’t need an organization to tweet your opinions or post them on Facebook. You can do that as an individual.
TDU focuses on uniting Teamsters to take action, whether we’re fighting for a new contract, enforcing the one we have, or organizing for change in our union.
8. Politically Nonpartisan
TDU’s Constitution says, “TDU shall be independent of any particular political organization,” while recognizing the right of members to “speak out publicly as an individual in support of their own political beliefs.” This has been the right approach.
Our small movement cannot impact elections in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico. But we could lose our ability to impact our workplaces and our union by dividing ourselves on partisan lines.
Teamsters and working people are more politically divided and polarized than ever. Our goal is not to bring this polarization into TDU. Our goal is to educate, unite and mobilize members to build a stronger Teamsters Union and labor movement that builds power for all workers.
This is a huge task and tweets won’t get us there. It starts with organizing.
9. Solidarity
TDU educates and mobilizes Teamsters to build solidarity on issues affecting all workers, including pensions, union-busting, immigrant worker rights, labor law reform, health and safety, the right to organize, and more.
10. Punching Above Our Weight
Only a few thousand Teamsters are TDU members. But we punch above our weight because we are organized. Every year, TDU education programs and campaigns reach tens of thousands of Teamsters.
Together, we won the Right to Vote for International Union officers and majority rule on contracts and other major reforms that have changed our union. We’ve elected new leaders in our International Union and at the local level too.
That’s the number one secret to TDU’s staying power: the Teamsters who keep TDU going by joining, participating, developing as union activists, and becoming leaders who develop other rank-and-file leaders.
That’s rank-and-file power—and our union needs a lot more of it. Join TDU or involve a fellow Teamster today.