Teamsters Turn Out to Secure Victory for Rahm Emanuel

Union Support Helps New Chicago Mayor Avoid Run-Off Election

John T. Coli (left), President of Teamsters Joint Council 25, with Chicago's Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel on Election Day.

More than 100 Teamsters took to the streets on Tuesday, canvassing neighborhoods and talking to voters to ensure Rahm Emanuel’s overwhelming election as the new mayor of Chicago.

Emanuel scored the victory outright, winning more than 50 percent of the vote. The leading candidate had the support of Teamsters Joint Council 25 since the union’s endorsement on January 25, 2011. On Election Day, Teamster volunteers walked door-to-door in numerous Chicago neighborhoods, distributing campaign literature and encouraging residents to vote for the labor-friendly leader.

“Since the beginning of his campaign, Rahm Emanuel set himself apart from the other candidates by taking strong positions on issues important to organized labor,” said John T. Coli, President of Joint Council 25. “We now have a leader who will listen to the working people of our city and join us in developing the best strategies for navigating the difficult times ahead.”

In the final weeks prior to the election, Emanuel spoke with Teamsters on a variety of issues affecting city workers and public employees. Following February’s 18-inch snowstorm—the third largest blizzard to ever strike the Chicago metropolitan area—Emanuel paid a special visit to Teamsters working to clear snow in and around O’Hare International Airport.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to workers who have been working day and night to clean our streets, keep our transit running and respond to emergency incidents,” Emanuel said, after meeting with Teamsters.

Since November 2010, Chicago’s mayor-elect maintained a significant lead in the run-up to the election. Two polls commissioned by Joint Council 25 in November and January showed Emanuel’s consistent edge over his opponents, and indicated the vast majority of Teamsters living and working in Chicago chose Emanuel as their next mayor.

Teamsters Joint Council 25 represents more than 100,000 hardworking men and women throughout Illinois and Indiana, including more than 30,000 residents in the City of Chicago.

Download PDF

LATEST NEWS »