Teamsters Take Up the Fight to Save Lives

Union Members Remember Cause During Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s an important reminder that awareness is critical to preventing, treating and one day finding a cure for breast cancer. Before the end of the year, more than 192,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States.

Regular check ups and mammograms are a key part of early detection. If caught early enough, the five-year survival rate for women can reach 98 percent. Still, only 30 percent of uninsured women have had a mammogram in the past two years, compared with 70 percent of insured women. This underscores the importance of access to affordable, quality health care.

Teamsters are doing their part to build awareness and raise funds for breast cancer research not just in October, but all year long:

• In May, more than 300 Teamsters with Joint Council 25 raised over $5,000 in donations to support breast cancer research, completing a three-mile walk with their families in Chicago’s Grant Park to benefit the Network of Strength—formerly the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization—in its financial and peer support of those currently affected by the disease.

• Teamsters with Joint Council 28 participated in the 2009 Susan G. Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure in June, raising $8,210 in donations. The “Teamsters Care” Team has raised $29,810 over the past five years toward education, screening and treatment support accessible to thousands of women who would otherwise go untreated.

Teamster members, locals and women’s committees that are planning educational events or fundraisers for Breast Cancer Awareness Month are encouraged to submit event information to Joint Council 25. If you are a Teamster breast cancer survivor, we would also like to hear your story. Submitted materials will be considered for publication on the Chicago Teamsters Web site.

View General President Jim Hoffa's message on breast cancer awareness.

For more information on breast cancer, visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Breast Cancer Network of Strength or the American Cancer Society.

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