The following letter was sent to the Teamsters International General Executive Boar d and numerous Locals prior to the Teamsters' withdrawal from the AFL-CIO:

July 13, 2005

To: All Members of the General Executive Board

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

I recently read in the New York Times that General President Hoffa plans to ask the General Executive Board to authorize pulling our Teamsters Union out of the AFL-CIO. I would urge that any such action be postponed by the General Executive Board to allow time for broader discussion by Teamster joint councils, local unions and membership.

I have seen the proposals put forward by General President Hoffa and by other labor leaders who are considering splitting from the AFL-CIO, and find a lot of merit in some of them. But I question whether a split is worth the potential negative impact this could have on our locals and the U.S. labor movement.

The AFL-CIO is not just a national body. Many locals and joint councils are affiliated with state and local labor councils. Any move that could seriously jeopardize the cooperative relationships needed to conduct strike support, coordinated bargaining, and political action deserves thorough consideration by a wide range of local officers and concerned members. No decision should be made prior to the 2006 IBT Convention, which is just one year away. (S.E.I.U., the union that initiated much of this discussion, has held extensive internal discussions among their officers and members for well over a year prior to coming to this point.)

One positive theme that President Hoffa and the S.E.I.U. have put forward is the importance of strategic organizing in our core industries. This is necessary for the Teamsters and for all of labor. The is, how does splitting the AFL-CIO help us advance this goal? Will leaving the AFL-CIO really help organize Overnite, DHL, FedEx and other key targets?

I understand that General President Hoffa proposed to the AFL-CIO executive council that large unions which spend 10 percent of their budget on organizing would get 50 percent of their per capita to the federation returned to them, to be used for organizing. The AFL-CIO leadership majority in turn proposed a smaller rebate. A 50 percent rebate would add about $4 million to the IBT’s annual budget—or about 25 cents per member, per month. In contrast, the 2002 dues increase added $65 million to the IBT’s annual budget. With a budget of some $150 million, $4 million cannot possibly be a make-or-break sum in a strategic organizing program.

In addition to the modest economic benefits of leaving the AFL-CIO, we need to consider the costs—including the damage to labor solidarity. We don’t want the Teamsters Union to become the target or instigator of raids between unions. Prior to 1987 we did face that situation, and it is not one we should return to. We note that the Constitution of the “Change to Win Coalition,” which President Hoffa has joined along with five other unions, states that its affiliates shall not raid each other (Article III, Section 1). This leaves open the question of raids involving many other unions.

This is obviously a time in our country when labor unity is needed more than ever, so any action that will likely jeopardize that unity should be scrutinized carefully.

Finally, we appear to be hypocritical when we advocate to our members to vote in elections even when they don’t like the choices. We advocate loyalty to our democratic institutions even when our candidates lose. Why are we saying now that we should walk away from Labor’s institution?

Given the far-reaching implications of leaving the AFL-CIO for our International Union and for Teamster joint councils, locals and members, I again urge you to postpone any action to leave the AFL-CIO until our union’s highest body, the International Union Convention, can discuss this matter.

Fraternally,

Sandy Pope
President, Local 805