Teamsters for a Democratic Union at 50
At its recent 50th annual convention, members of Teamsters for a Democratic Union assessed what their organization has achieved in recent years and debated their approach to Donald Trump.
Longtime Teamsters for a Democratic Union organizer Ken Paff: “When we started [TDU], we didn’t know how to run anything but our mouths,” he said. “Today our members run locals and strikes and organizing drives and contract campaigns.” (Teamsters for a Democratic Union / Instagram)
At the fiftieth annual Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) convention, 550 Teamsters talked about building power in their workplaces, from United Parcel Service (UPS) barns to school bus yards to the San Diego Zoo. They swapped tips on running for local union office and debated TDU’s strategic priorities.
A major theme at the convention, held in Chicago, November 7–9, was the union’s renewed militancy. Teamsters elected Sean O’Brien in 2021 to head the 1.3-million-member union; the TDU-backed O’Brien–Zuckerman Teamsters United slate ran under the slogan “New Leadership and a New Direction.”
“We saw that election as an opening — an opportunity,” said TDU organizer David Levin. “And we’ve challenged ourselves to make the most of it: new leadership taking on employers by mobilizing members, TDU building union power from below.”
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