Following one of the largest voter responses in the union’s election history, Local 237 President Carl Haynes won re-election to a third five-year term Oct. 21 along with his slate of officers. About half of the 22,000 ballots mailed to members were returned by deadline at 5 p.m. Oct. 20 and counted the next day.

The ballot count, a computer-driven process conducted by the American Arbitration Association, ran from about 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Several members from each slate were allowed to observe inside the room where a team of volunteers sat at long tables tearing open envelopes and removing secret ballots. Next, the ballots were run through data-image scanners like those used by the U.S. Census Bureau. As each ballot was scanned, the image appeared on a computer screen for everyone to see and it was also stored in a digital database for future reference.

Results for the three running slates were as follows: Haynes Team won 4,998 votes, followed by Members for Change in Solidarity, 4,528, and Teamsters for All, 662.

All members of the Haynes Team slate were elected to the Executive Board, including Richard Hendershot, who continues as vice president. Gregory Floyd moves up to secretary-treasurer from trustee, succeeding Nick Mancuso. Patricia Stryker moves up to recording secretary from trustee, succeeding Eunice Rodriguez. Evaristo (Abbey) Pabon Jr. continues as a trustee while Noreen Hollingsworth and Ruben Torres were elected as new trustees. Hollingsworth is a business agent for the Citywide Division and former Taxi and Limousine Commission captain. Torres is a housing superintendent at Lower East Side II in Manhattan, and has been elected twice as chapter chairman for superintendents and assistant superintendents.

“The election was a sobering message from the membership,” said Carl Haynes in a speech at Local 237 headquarters following the announcement of the election results. Haynes called for a renewed focus on unity and service as a guiding principle for the next five years. “The ballot response from the membership also showed that members are now actively involved in their union, and that’s a positive thing that I intend to encourage and further develop.”

In January 2005, Haynes and the six members of the Executive Board will be sworn into office. As a third-term president at the helm of the largest Teamster local in the nation, Haynes brings to the table a more-than-40-year career as an advocate for public employees on the local and national level. As director of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Public Employee Division, also vice president-at-large on IBT’s General Executive Board, and a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council, Haynes has built an unprecedented network of support among the nation’s labor leaders.

Milestones of Haynes’ leadership include the long battle and victory over the Health and Hospitals Corporation’s plan to privatize peace officer titles, and his success at negotiating respectable contracts despite the city’s perpetual budget constraints.

“I’m pleased to be entrusted with the opportunity to continue leading Local 237 with a vision that will enhance our members’ lives in the near future and for generations to come,” said Haynes.