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The History of Teamster Corruption, Rebellion, and Reform

right_to_vote.jpgA 55-minute podcast interview with Ken Paff. Start the broadcast. This fact-filled podcast covers the growth of Teamster power, the parasitic corruption that accompanied it, and the victories, defeats and future of Teamster reform. Ken Paff is a founding member of TDU, and the strategist behind winning the Right to Vote for IBT Officers for all Teamsters.

Click here for a six-part history of TDU.

Click here for a history of changes to the IBT Constitution. 

Video: Reform History at IBT Conventions: 1981-2001. A nine-minute video of highlights and lowlights from past IBT Conventions.

Mother Trucker: The Diana Kilmury Story. A fact-based award-winning movie telling the history and TDU-involvement of the first-ever woman elected to the IBT General Executive Board in 1991. 

Video: Labor's Turning Point. A documentary film on the 1934 Minneapolis strikes that paved the way for Teamster growth in the trucking industry. Strike leader Jack Maloney, featured in the film, was a strong TDU supporter in his later years.

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The History of the “2/3 Rule” on Teamster Contracts

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Happy Birthday TDU!

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On June 5, 1976, a group of Teamsters met in Cleveland to form Teamsters for a Democratic Union. At 42 years old, TDU is the oldest, largest, and most successful union reform movement in U.S. labor history.

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On this day in 1976, a small group of courageous Teamsters met in Kent, Ohio, to form Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU).

Teamsters & The Right to Vote

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September 25, 2014: Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in 1975 and the Teamster leadership, already heavily penetrated by the mob, became more and more a tool of employers.   In response, members started to demand the Right to Vote on International officers. Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) took up the challenge, and in 1989 Teamster members beat the mob and won the Right to Vote in International Union elections.   How did a grassroots movement of working Teamster beat the odds and make history? First, we...
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I am TDU

"I attended a UPS contract workshop that TDU held for members of my local. We got critical information about the contract campaign and how we could get involved. I joined TDU because TDU gives rank-and-file Teamsters information and organization to build a stronger union."

Kyle Schram, UPS
Local 886, Oklahoma

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Online Workshop: From Contract Campaign to Contract Enforcement

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We spent the last year uniting to win a strong contract. UPS will spend the next five years trying to violate it. We won’t let that happen! Register now for our online workshop on moving "From Contract Campaign to Contract Enforcement" on Sunday, December 10 at 12 PM EST/11 AM CT/10 AM MT/9AM PT. 

WATCH: Building Rank-and-File Power at UPS

November 08, 2023

In 2023, Teamsters across America fought for a fair contract at UPS and won. How did we do it? 

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