The two-year process for electing Teamster International Union officers is underway. Here is what you need to know about the process and how to participate.
National Petition Drive
The first step in the IBT Election process is a petition campaign and it is underway.
Candidates have until December 31 to collect signatures from a minimum of 2.5 percent of the membership to become accredited candidates.
Accredited candidates get a digital copy of the Teamster membership list to reach out to voters.
They are also entitled to a copy of the worksite lists from each Local Union and to publish campaign material in the Teamster magazine.
There are 24 positions from the US and three from Canada. Elected candidates serve a five-year term beginning in March 2027.
Your Right to Campaign and Parking Lot Access
Members have the right to petition or campaign in the employee parking lot of any Teamster employer.
This right is guaranteed in the Election Rules. Every Teamster has a right to participate in the election without interference or retaliation by their Employer or Local Union officials.
The International Union election is run by an impartial Election Supervisor: the Honorable Timothy Hillman who is a retired federal judge.
Judge Hillman has a staff of attorneys and investigators to enforce the Rules and decide protests.
Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) helped write many of the Election Rules and we help members enforce their rights under them.
Teamster Convention Delegate Elections
Every local union must hold an election for members to vote for the Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the Convention.
Convention Delegates have the power to vote to put International Union candidates on the ballot and they vote on amendments to the Teamster Constitution.
Convention Delegate elections are overseen by the independent Election Supervisor. Any member who has been in good-standing for 24 consecutive months prior to nominations can run for Convention Delegate.
In October, the Election Supervisor will publish a list of dates and election plans for local union delegate elections to be held January-March 2026.
A small number of locals may hold elections this fall if they represent summer seasonal employees or if they are approved to run their Local Union and Convention Delegate elections simultaneously.
Candidate Nominations at the Teamster Convention
The Teamster Convention will take place in Las Vegas, June 14-18, 2026.
At the Convention, Convention Delegates will cast ballots to determine what candidates for International Union office will qualify to appear on the ballot.
Nominated candidates must receive five percent of the vote from Convention Delegates to appear on the ballot.
Candidates for regional Vice President positions must get at least 5% of the vote of the Delegates in their region.
Candidates for General President, General Secretary-Treasurer, At-Large Vice President and Trustee must get at least 5% of the vote of all Convention Delegates.
Amending the Teamster Constitution
Convention Delegates have the power to vote to amend the Teamster Constitution.
At the last Teamster Convention, delegates voted to to make strike benefits payable on day one of a strike
Convention Delegates also voted to establish majority rule in contract votes and to abolish the Two-Thirds rule that the Hoffa administration had used to impose contracts that were rejected by a majority of the members.
Ballots and the Ballot Count
Sean O’Brien, Fred Zuckerman and the Teamsters United Slate have announced a full slate of candidates for International Union office.
In July, Local 623 Secretary Treasurer Richard Hooker announced a partial slate for International Union office.
If there is a contested election, a ballot will be mailed out to every Teamster in October, 2026. Ballots will be counted in November, 2026.
Teamster Election Rules require that voting be done by mail ballot in accordance with Department of Labor Regulations.
TDU and the International Union Election
Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) won the right for members to elect International Union officers in one-member, one vote elections in 1989.
We have supported candidates in every International Union election ever since and helped win a number of reforms to the Teamster Constitution, too.
In 2020, TDU members voted to endorse the O’Brien-Zuckerman Teamsters United Slate. We worked to elect new IBT leadership and to build union power from the bottom up after the election.
An endorsement vote will be held at the TDU Convention this November 7-9 in Chicago.