Under the O’Brien-Zuckerman administration, reformers who win local union office have received training and support to successfully lead their locals. The Teamsters Convention voted to  approve a change to the IBT Constitution to institutionalize this support for newly-elected leaders.

The constitutional change requires that all newly-elected officers receive comprehensive training through the New Officer Training & Education (NOTE) program. 

“New organizing, militant representation, member involvement, and strong contracts are the exciting parts of union leadership, but a lot has to go on behind the scenes to make those possible,” said Erin Borgardt, a TDU member and newly-elected principal officer of San Diego Local 481 speaking in favor of the amendment. 

“No one is born knowing bylaws, financial compliance, policy and procedure manuals, labor laws, and the ins and outs of every grievance procedure. We have to learn. When I was elected,  the New Officer Training Education program helped teach me that foundation.”