Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien and General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman energized delegates with spirited speeches during the morning session of BLET’s Sixth National Convention on Wednesday.
“Since Fred Zuckerman and I took office in 2022, together we have all worked to transform the Teamsters Union for the better,” O’Brien said. “We’ve done it by putting rank and file members first in everything we do. The partnership between the Teamsters Rail Conference and the International Union has never been stronger. We are bargaining harder, organizing faster, and fighting more fiercely than we ever have. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters today is a better union because of the hard work, dedication, and engagement of our tens of thousands of railroaders across the country. I promise you, as General President, from here on out the International Union will use every available resource to defend, protect, and grow the BLET.”
Zuckerman said the Teamsters, for the first time in its history, now have more than $1 billion in total assets, which will help the Rail Conference proactively defend members against corporate greed. Roughly one-third of those assets are in the strike fund, which stands at over $350 million and continues to grow. On authorized strikes, the Teamsters pay each striking member $1,000 per week.
“The railroads are getting greedier than ever,” Zuckerman said. “The latest example of this is the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. That arrangement would be a disaster. It wouldn’t just hurt locomotive engineers. It would harm customers, shippers, and communities. And that’s why we’re doing everything in our power to block it. There is no other union in America that has the firepower or the finances to take on such big fights.”
President Wallace thanked General President O’Brien and General Secretary-Treasurer Zuckerman for all the support they have given BLET, especially during strikes at New Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road.
“For them to join us today is a true honor for us,” President Wallace said. “The access we get and progress we make is a direct result of the relationships they built and have shared with us.”
