The two IBT vice presidents from Canada and the president of Teamsters Canada have petitioned among Canadian Teamsters to accredit the Team Canada Slate in the IBT Election.  Yesterday the Election Supervisor reported that they submitted 8,156 petition signatures, far more than the needed number of 2,807 in Canada.

The Team Canada slate consists of Teamsters Canada President Francois Laporte, and Teamsters Canada VPs Stan Hennessy and Craig McInnes. 

There are two slates accredited that are competing for the remaining 24 International Offices.  They are the O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United Slate, which has candidates for all 24 positions.  And the Vairma Herrera slate, which has been largely assembled by James Hoffa and Rome Aloise, with 20 candidates so far.

Neither the O’Brien slate nor the Vairma slate is competing with the Team Canada leaders for the Canadian positions. Teamsters Canada operates as a sovereign national component of the Teamsters Union. 

The timetable for the Teamster election includes delegate elections in local unions, with nominations in most locals in January-February; those delegates will assemble at the IBT Convention next June 21-25 where slates will be nominated, and issues will be voted on, including the notorious two-thirds rule to reject contracts; all Teamsters will receive a mail ballot next October, with the votes counted for a new Teamster president and officers in November.  

Want to learn more, or get involved?  Get in touch with TDU…