Chicago Teamsters Conduct Pilot Diversity Program

Coli: Teamsters Will Lead By Example In Union, Workplace Equality

Teamsters Joint Council 25 and three of its local affiliates on Thursday cemented their commitment to workplace diversity and equality with the launch of a new program for union representatives and members.

Nearly 80 officers and staff from Joint Council 25, Teamsters Local 301, Teamsters Local 700 and Teamsters Local 727 participated in the diversity workshop to bring renewed attention to the necessity of fair treatment for all workers. The program is a first for the international union. Its structure, focus and results are expected to blueprint future trainings for members, stewards, Teamster employers and local unions.

“The Teamsters will continue to lead by example when it comes to equal treatment and representation of workers,” said John T. Coli, President of Joint Council 25, “whether it’s in the workplace or within our own union. We are the most progressive union in organized labor. We must take the steps to protect our members, as well as the men and women who represent them.”

Among its issues, the pilot program concentrated on generational and ethnic diversity, physical and mental abilities, religion, workplace hostility and sexual harassment. Bill Heffernan of Employee Resource Systems, an Illinois-based worker assistance service, and Rev. Scott Onque of Chicago’s St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church joined guest speakers from the Teamsters International.

Adopted during the 27th International Convention in 2006, the union’s Constitution includes a pledge to progressive diversity: “[The Teamsters] are committed to the development of an organization which values and encourages the participation of women, individuals of various sexual orientations and members of racial, cultural and ethnic groups in the policymaking and leadership roles at all levels of the International Union and its affiliated bodies.”

Teamsters Joint Council 25 represents more than 100,000 hardworking men and women throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana.

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