January 8, 2015: UPS Teamsters have the numbers and the network to make the difference in the International Union election.
There are 250,000 UPS Teamsters. It takes 200,000 votes to elect new leadership in the International Union. Of course, not all UPS Teamsters are going to vote. But if even 40 percent of them vote, that’s half of the 200,000 votes needed to win.
In the last International Union election, Hoffa carried the UPS vote in many locals. Many UPS Teamsters opposed Hoffa but the opposition vote was divided.
The Gegare slate won big in Louisville Local 89, Omaha Local 554 and other big UPS units. Sandy Pope won by large margins in New York Local 804, Charlotte Local 71, Cincinnati Local 100 and elsewhere.
In some locals, the Gegare vote plus the Pope vote swamped Hoffa and Hall, such as Columbus Local 413, Memphis Local 667, Nashville Local 327, Lexington Local 651, Kansas City Local 41, and others.
Anti-Hoffa voters outnumbered Hoffa-Hall voters by slimmer margins in major cities like Chicago Local 705, Portland Local 162, Sacramento Local 150, Indianapolis Local 135, and elsewhere.
Hoffa and Hall won a number of major UPS locals last time, where members then turned around and voted overwhelmingly against the UPS contract.
In Los Angeles Local 396 Hoffa and Hall won 65 percent of the vote.
They overwhelmingly carried the vote among UPSers in metro Philly, winning by two to one in Norristown Local 384 and took 76 percent of the vote at Philadelphia Local 623.
Hoffa and Hall narrowly won in New Jersey Local 177, in a light voter turnout.
The votes in these and other UPS locals can be turned completely around, but we need to get organized.
The problem of voter turnout in International Union elections is well known. But the solution is well known too.
The voting results from every Teamster election shows that in locals where rank and file Teamsters actively campaigned and reached out to fellow UPSers, the members voted in larger numbers and the reform candidates won more votes.
The Teamsters Union is diverse. UPS Teamsters can’t win the election by themselves. That’s why TDU unites Teamsters from every local and every industry.
But UPSers are by far the biggest group and they are spread across North America, in hundreds of local unions. That means UPSers are not just the biggest voting bloc. They’re also positioned to reach out to Teamster voters in other shops and industries.
TDU members at UPS are gearing up to vote out Hoffa and Hall and elect International Union leaders who will stand up to UPS. Contact TDU to find out more or join TDU online.
TDU keeps a detailed record of the voting results from every International Union election since 1991. If you want to learn from the past to win in the future, contact us. You can also look at the voting results from the last election www.tdu.org/issues/2011-ibt-election
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