Under new leadership our International Union is more militant. TDU is helping members build union power from below.

Under new leadership, our International Union is standing up to employers by mobilizing members.

Strategies and reforms that TDU has championed for years are taking root—and members have more openings to participate, fight back, and win.

Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) is about seizing those opportunities and involving members to build union power from the bottom up.

Contract Campaigns

The UPS Contract Campaign revived tactics for mobilizing members, from contract unity pledges to parking lot rallies to practice picketing.

TDU held contract campaign workshops and webinars for members to share strategies on how to build the contract campaign where they worked and mobilize members to be Ready to Strike.

TDU is spreading the contract campaign model to Teamsters in other industries and helping members form Contract Action Teams, get organized, stand up, and win.

“Working with TDU gave us the skills and confidence to run a rank-and-file contract campaign, vote down a substandard offer, and win more by organizing a credible strike threat,” said Erin Borgardt, a Local 481 Teamster at the San Diego Zoo.

Members have more tools at their disposal. Every contract negotiating committee is required to include rank-and-file members thanks to a reform fought for by TDU and Teamsters United.

We’ve also won majority rule in contract votes. Teamster officials can no longer impose a contract if a majority of the members Vote No to reject it.

Strikes

Strikes are on the rise and so are victories. There were more Teamster strikes from 2022-2025 than the previous 10 years under Hoffa.

Strike benefits are now payable from the first day of a strike—not the eighth day—thanks to a change in the Teamster Constitution backed by OZ-Teamsters United and TDU.

Weekly strike benefits of $1,000 are giving workers more confidence to stand up.

The return of the credible strike threat also means members are winning better contracts without having to strike.

Some old guard officials are still using the Hoffa-era tactic of using the threat of a strike to scare members into accepting givebacks and substandard contracts.

Our union’s new direction is reviving the strike threat as a weapon against employers. We need to build on that momentum.

TDU helps members build on that to mount credible strike threats and organize winning strikes.

Coordinated Bargaining

Tens of thousands of Teamsters work for national employers under local contracts.

Strong contract language means Teamsters can strike a company at one location and extend the picket lines across the country.

TDU has long championed this tactic—and it is being used aggressively by the IBT to win contracts and organize the unorganized at companies like Sysco, US Foods, and DHL.

Over 3,000 Teamsters took on Republic Services, the second largest waste company in the United States, with strikes and picket line extensions and won contracts in Georgia, Massachusetts, and Northern California.

Building Strong Locals

In the Teamsters Union, local unions are where the rubber hits the road. They are where most contracts are negotiated and most grievances are processed.

Let’s face it. Not every local is as militant as our International Union or changing fast enough to meet the challenges Teamsters face.

In TDU, we know the problems in our union don’t stem from a few bad leaders—but from not enough leaders.

Education is our number one mission with the goal of developing more effective union activists, shop stewards, organizers, and leaders of every kind.

We encourage members to get involved in their locals and build them up.

“TDU isn’t just about replacing leaders. We’re about building a different kind of union,” said Tony Suazo, a Business Agent from Rhode Island Local 251 who was elected on a slate of TDU reformers led by Matt Taibi.

Taibi is now an International Union Vice President for the Eastern Region.

“Local 814 used to operate like a club. You can’t change that alone,” said Walter Taylor, President of New York Local 814. “You need other people who will fight with you. I got that from TDU. When Local 814 started including everyone, that’s when we started winning.”

Organizing Rank-and-File Contract Campaigns

“Working with TDU gave us the skills and confidence to run a rank-and-file contract campaign, vote down a substandard offer, and win more by organizing a credible strike threat,”

Erin Borgardt
San Diego Zoo, San Diego Local 481

A Strong Union Needs More Leaders

“TDU isn’t just about replacing leaders.

“We’re about building a different kind of union,”

Tony Suazo
Business Agent, Local 251 Providence