Delegates Take Up Democratic Reforms
History was made at the Teamsters Convention when the delegates voted to approve a set of proposals to codify democratic principles within the Teamsters Constitution.

The amendments to the Constitution made permanent the principle of “One Teamster-One Vote” and the direct election of the union’s leadership.

Call for End to Federal Monitoring
Delegates voted their approval of the work of the Project RISE Task Force as an internal tool designed to help eliminate systemic corruption from the union and safeguard the rights and assets of the members.

The RISE (Respect, Integrity, Strength, Ethics) Task Force is developing a Code of Conduct and system compliance and enforcement, based on the input of officers and members throughout the International Union.

The delegates also approved a resolution on self-governance calling for the dissolution of the federal Consent Decree and the termination of federal oversight.

IBT Joins Forces with Two Longshore Unions
The International has teamed up with America’s two major longshore unions in an effort to ensure that North America’s ports are wall-to-wall-union.

The International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) and International Longshormen’s Association (ILA) are in the forefront of the battle to keep unsafe Mexican trucks out of the country and to protect their wages and benefits from further erosion as a result of deregulation.

• Sets membership goals in the DRIVE (Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education) program at 50 percent for rank-and-file members and 100 percent for officers;
  
• Asks unions to negotiate DRIVE check-off language into all contracts;
  
• Commits the organization at all levels to develop a national Retiree DRIVE program;
  
• Commits local unions, joint councils and affiliated pension funds to form a voluntary automatic pension check-off program that sets aside funds to be used for retiree and seniors issues.

Rank-and-File Political Action Education
With American workers facing an onslaught of anti-worker legislation and privatization efforts, delegates approved a resolution on “Building Better Lives Through Political Action...Making Government Work for Teamster Families.”

The resolution rededicates the International’s efforts to build its rank-and-file political action education and participation program. It calls for the creation of a network of political coordinators in every Teamster worksite to communicate the union’s electoral message directly to members. It also calls for a commitment to build DRIVE.

The resolution speaks to the union’s determination to hold elected officials accountable and to elect Teamster members to political office.

The resolution states that progressive labor unions like the Teamsters fight money power with people power. By educating and mobilizing our membership, we can reclaim the political battlefield.

Patricia Stryker, Local 237’s Political Action and Legislation Director, co-chaired the 2001 Convention Political Action Committee that drafted the resolution.