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INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS A Brief History 1903 - 2003 The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was founded when two rival unions - "Team Drivers International Union" and "Teamsters National Union of America" - united their forces in hopes of improving the lives of team drivers and warehousemen, whose working conditions consisted of long grueling hours and little pay. The newly merged organization met for the first time in August 1903 at Niagara Falls, New York; and from this, grew the most powerful labor union the world had ever known. On October 1, 1903, the Teamsters National Union of America opened their first national headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, at 147 East Market Street, where Cornelius Shea was elected General President. In 1909, Teamsters National Union of America became “The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers”, but, in 1940, in recognition of the changing times, “Stablemen” was replaced by “Warehousemen”, thus giving the union the name it bears today. During the first part of the Twentieth Century, America was changing – and so were the Teamsters. Transportation history was made in 1912 when a motor vehicle made the first transcontinental delivery of merchandise. While this was a death knell for the team driver, it was a new day of opportunity for the Teamster member. Because of America’s increasing demand for new products and merchandise, the role of the transportation worker had become vital. Through aggressive organizing, the growth of the Teamsters matched that of the transportation industry: increasing their membership from 40,000 in 1912 to 60,000 in 1915. And along with their membership grew their reputation. The Teamsters became known as a strong, dynamic, and militant union, one that stood for workers’ rights and negotiated with skill courage. Their solidarity and strength produced trend-setting contracts for members and improved working conditions for all. In 1920, under the leadership of General President Dan Tobin, The Teamsters reached northward affiliating with the Canadian Trades and Labour Congress. That same year, they became a member of the American Federation of Labor’s National Building Trades Department. Having survived Prohibition, The Great Depression, and two World Wars, the Teamsters continued to expand as more and more workers saw the many advantages of being a union member. Possessing the power to stop the nation’s commerce, the Teamsters were now a major economic force to be reckoned with. The Teamster’s dynamic post-war period witnessed a new leadership transform the union on a grand scale: combining creative tenacity with an innovative technique in regional organizing and collective bargaining, it enacted enormous changes for both union and member. But, during this same period, an increasingly anti-union Congress enacted such legislation as the Taft-Hartley Act, which outlawed the “closed shop.” Realizing they needed more political power to better serve the members, the Teamster moved their international headquarters to Washington, DC in 1953. That same year, the union developed its internal structure, and created the Joint Councils and Area Conferences. Ten years later, The Teamsters created DRIVE (Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education), its own political action arm, which gave their members a strong voice in government. Today DRIVE is the second biggest political action committee in the country. The year 1964 saw the creation of the National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA), an historic agreement that consolidated thousands of freight workers into one powerful force. It was also during this very active period that the Teamsters began looking beyond the truck terminals and organized a variety of industries and workers such as public sector, healthcare, education and manufacturing. Even Walt Disney employees are members. Today, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters remains America’s most diverse union. Despite a weakening economy during the 70s and 80s, the Teamsters grew stronger with the merging of the Brewery Workers Union and the subsequent creation of the Anheuser-Busch National Master Agreement, Which currently covers over 9,000 Teamsters. A national master agreement was also negotiated for United Parcel Service (UPS), who currently employ over 200,000 members. The Teamsters also added an Area Conference in Canada, given voice to our brothers and sisters across the border. In 1987, after a thirty-year absence, the Teamster re-affiliated with the AFL-CIO. And in 1991, Teamsters rank-and-file participated in their first national election and chose their own General President, Secretary-Treasurer and Executive Board-thus charting a new direction. Today, as the new millennium dawns, the Teamsters begin their second century; and will continue to fight for rights of nearly 1.5 million members. Some things change, but the Teamsters’ commitment to improve the lives of workers never will. |
A Brief History 1953 - 2003 Teamsters Local union No. 610 was originally chartered in St. Louis in May of 1953 for the Miscellaneous Drivers, Helpers and Warehousemen and was located in the 1100 block of Pine Street in downtown St. Louis. Local 610 has moved three times since then, and is currently located at 11472 Schenk Drive, Maryland Heights, Missouri 63043. In 1980, the charter was modified to include Health Care and Public Employees. Brother Pete Saffo was the original Secretary-Treasurer and served in that position from 1953 until his death in 1970. Brother Harlan Horn succeeded Brother Saffo as the Secretary-Treasurer from 1970 until he was defeated in the Executive Board election in the Fall of 1978 by Brother John Metz. Brother John Metz took office in 1979 and served as the Secretary-Treasurer until his retirement in January 2002. Brother Richard Piglowski accepted the position of Secretary-Treasurer in 2002 after Brother Metz retired and was elected Secretary-Treasurer by the membership later that year in November.
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