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CHICAGO—After
just over one year in power, the reform leadership of Teamsters Local
743, headed by President Richard Berg, has transformed their
11,000-member local from a criminally run enterprise into a union run
by the members to defend their own interests. But in the minds of the
old-guard gangsters who run Chicago Teamsters Joint Council 25, this
example of a local operating for the rank and file was a crime
punishable by removal from office.
On
Jan. 11, the Joint Council removed Berg and fellow reformer
Secretary-Treasurer Gina Alvarez from their elected positions and
banned them from membership in the Teamsters, Berg for five years and
Alvarez for three years, on trumped-up charges. Berg and Alvarez have
appealed the ruling to the International. International General
President James Hoffa Jr. issued a stay of effectiveness on Jan. 13,
returning them to office until the International issues a ruling.
The
charges against Berg and Alvarez were filed by local Vice President
Larry Davis and three other members of the local’s executive board who
ran on the reform New Leadership Slate with Berg and Alvarez. Once in
office, however, they became upset when Berg carried through on the
slate’s campaign promises. Berg cut officers’ salaries, including his
own, by $70,000. He invested resources in education and representation
training for members and staff, and hired professional negotiators. The
Davis bloc in the executive board demanded higher
salaries and defended incompetent union representatives and staff. They
thought that the campaign’s promises were hollow, and once in office
they could collect fat checks and reward friends with do-nothing jobs.
Since
taking office, New Leadership has improved the stewards system,
strengthened bargaining, and encouraged rank-and-file activism and
education. The local waged a successful 10-week strike at SK Hand Tools
that defended members’ health-care benefits and grievance procedures in
the face of an outright union-busting attempt by their employer. The
local has mobilized rank-and-file members for immigrant rights and
antiwar demonstrations and to stand in solidarity with other workers in
struggle, including during the historic UE Republic Windows and Doors factory
occupation.
The
reform victory in Local 743 took over 10 years of hard-fought battles
to accomplish. The former leadership stole elections and in 2004
canceled an election when they knew they would lose. The corrupt old
guard used the local as a personal ATM and formed cozy relationships
with employers at the expense of the members. Two former presidents of
the local are now behind bars, one for election fraud and the other for
cocaine smuggling.
The
Davis bloc, which
controls the executive board, has attempted to sabotage the efforts of
the reformers by deadlocking votes on the board concerning union
business. When Richard Berg fired a union rep who
wasn’t doing his job and then later agreed to an out-of-court
settlement to avoid litigation, the Davis bloc filed charges with the
Joint Council, claiming Berg should have received executive board
approval. No charges or accusations have been made that either Berg or
Alvarez did anything for personal financial gain.
The
Joint Council was more than happy to use what amounts to a procedural
dispute as an excuse to deal a setback to the reform movement. But the
council had no problem when Local 743 was run by drug dealers, who
stole elections and assaulted members who opposed them. The Joint
Council is headed by Local 727 President John Coli, who took home
$344,849 last year from his multiple positions in the Teamsters. Coli is the son of the infamous Eco James Coli, former
Local 727 officer and hit man and enforcer for the Chicago Mafia.
Local
743 reformers have not taken this attack lying down. The New Leadership
slate immediately released a statement that has been distributed to the
rank and file and are preparing their appeal to the International. And
the active membership is standing behind the reformers.
“For
years officials treated Local 743 like a piggy bank,” said Melanie Cloghessy, a member of Local 743 at the University of Chicago. “We won’t go back to those
dark days of corruption. The New Leadership team will keep fighting for
a union that fights for us. The officials who are making this power
grab are going to learn that we’ll fight back against their
double-dealing just like we stood up to the criminal activities of the
past.”
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