Teamster Stewards Combat Right-to-Work in Indiana

Amid Push for Anti-Union Legislation, Local 142 Educates Members

Approximately 50 stewards with Teamsters Local 142 sharpened their defense against threatening right-to-work legislation in Indiana during a special Stewards Council meeting on October 30, 2011.

Shawn Ellis of the Teamsters International Training and Development Department led the stewards in a discussion of the damaging effects right-to-work measures could have on workers’ collective bargaining agreements. Right-to-work laws historically undermine union contracts and lower wages for working families. A recent study by the Economic Policy Institute found that workers in right-to-work states receive at least four percent less in annual wages than workers in states that refuse right-to-work legislation.

“There are two ways to vote in Indiana to combat right-to-work — one is with your finger, the other is with your feet,” said Richard Knipp, Local 142 Secretary-Treasurer. “Right-to-work legislation is about bankrupting unions nationwide. It’s about silencing the voice of working people. But by standing up and standing together, the Teamsters can lead the charge to defeat it.”

Union members statewide joined Local 142 earlier this year in Indianapolis to push back against state legislators’ most recent right-to-work proposals. Teamsters ultimately prevailed in convincing Democratic lawmakers to flee the state capitol until Republicans abandoned their bills in March 2011.

In July, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, indicated he might support new right-to-work proposals expected after the first of the year.

“It’s no secret that the Indiana legislature is home to many who do not like unions, who don’t care for workers,” said John T. Coli, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25. “Education is essential to combating their proposals, and I am proud of Local 142 for giving their hardworking members the weapons to fight back.”

The Local 142 Stewards Council hosts multiple workshops each year on issues important to Indiana workers, in addition to annual trainings for new stewards. During the right-to-work seminar, members dissected studies on states that have adopted anti-worker legislation, and discussed tactics for talking to voters to prevent such passage in Indiana. Local 142 representatives also informed stewards to expect another large Teamster rally to combat right-to-work in Indianapolis in January 2012.

Local 142 will host a second seminar on right-to-work legislation on Sunday, January 29, 2012, at its union hall in Gary, Indiana. All local affiliates of Joint Council 25 are encouraged to attend.

Visit www.Teamsters142.org to learn more about right-to-work in Indiana and for the latest updates on future rallies.

Teamsters Local 142 is an affiliate of Teamsters Joint Council 25, which represents more than 100,000 hardworking men and women throughout Illinois and Indiana.

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