{"id":3423,"date":"2021-06-17T11:53:43","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T15:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tempestmag.org\/v01_2020\/staging\/?p=3423"},"modified":"2021-06-19T10:30:08","modified_gmt":"2021-06-19T14:30:08","slug":"whats-at-stake-at-the-teamsters-convention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tempestmag.org\/test02\/2021\/06\/whats-at-stake-at-the-teamsters-convention\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s at stake at the Teamsters’ convention"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>he 2021 Teamsters convention will take place June 22-25. It is the first convention in 25 years where James P. Hoffa will not be nominated for the highest office in the union. While many consider the convention historic because it will signal the end of an era, it will be a highly scripted, online event\u2014large sections will appear as an infomercial for the outgoing Hoffa administration.<\/p>\n

The future of the Teamsters is already the subject of heated debate, including between two major slates of candidates for union leadership. Sean O\u2019Brien and Fred Zuckerman-led Teamsters United<\/a> appears to have the lead in the race for convention delegates, over the Teamster Power<\/a> slate led by Steve Vairma, who has received Hoffa\u2019s endorsement.<\/p>\n

We can also expect publicity stunts from the outgoing administration. Hoffa may use his farewell speech to announce that the Teamsters are ready to take on Amazon<\/a>. Past conventions saw similar pledges to organize FedEx Ground and XPO and have little to nothing to show for it.<\/p>\n

Teamsters United are hoping for a showdown<\/a> with the lame-duck Hoffa administration over a series of constitutional reforms. It is hard to see how this happens when an online convention will be more tightly controlled.<\/p>\n

Not unexpectedly, Hoffa has stacked convention committee assignments against Teamsters United supporters despite protests<\/a> from Sean O\u2019Brien. Ironically, O\u2019Brien was a Hoffa supporter in 2016, and his thuggish treatment of Teamsters United delegates then led to formal charges<\/a> against him. The shoe is on the other foot now.<\/p>\n

Of course, the Teamsters would not be the Teamsters unless dissenters were harassed and threatened<\/a>. Surrounded by a sea of red-vested Hoffa delegates, the small number of anti-Hoffa delegates were physically and verbally abused<\/a> through the years. This time physical abuse will be replaced with keyboard censorship.<\/p>\n