February 18, 2011: Rank and file leaders in Local 901 have won a federal court injunction returning them to full membership and their steward positions.

Local 901 officials illegally expelled Migadalia Magriz and Silvia Rivera from the Teamsters for the “crime” of showing solidarity with striking Coca Cola workers. But yesterday, a federal court issued an injunction reinstating them to full membership rights and their shop steward positions.

It’s the latest legal victory for Teamster members in Puerto Rico who are standing up for a democratic union that stands up to the employers.

The National Labor Relations Board had already ruled that Local 901 officials illegally collaborated with management in the firing of Teamster strikers at Coke.

The court ruling is an embarrassment to Teamster president James Hoffa who upheld the illegal actions of the local union officials.

In separate legal action, the Department of Labor sued the union leadership over a bogus union election in 2008, after Magriz, Rivera and Mara Quiara exposed the election manipulation. As a result, a rerun election later this year will be supervised by the DOL.

These legal victories are part of a broader movement by Local 901 members to return their union to the membership. Their rank-and-file group Teamsters Making a Difference is organizing member-to-member to make it happen.

Nominations for IBT Convention delegates in Local 901 will be held on February 20.