December 5, 2006: On Nov. 15 some 150 Teamsters at Land-o-Sun Dairies in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia won the right to stay in their preferred local union, stopping International Vice President Fred Gegare from a power grab against Local 549.

The IBT Election Supervisor and the Appeals Master ruled decisively that Gegare transferred these Teamsters, without even consulting them, to five other locals in retaliation against their local president for his participation in the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions Slate.

Local 549 President T. C. Bundrant, who is running for International Vice President on the Leedham slate, stated “This is a win for these dairy workers, who deserve good Teamster representation. Politics should have no part in representing our members. This kind of attack on locals has to end, and it’s one reason I’m running for International office.”

Appeals Master Judge Kenneth Conboy noted the “bogus nature of the three purported non-retaliatory reasons given for the raid on Bundrant’s membership” in ruling that the members be promptly returned to their home local union, based in Kingsport, Tenn.